Treesearch

The best commercial logging will damage at least some residual trees during all forms of partial cutting, no matter how carefully done. Yet recommendations at the end of this Note show there is much that you can do to limit damage by proper road and trail layout, proper training and supervision of crews, appropriate equipment, and diligence.

"Forest regulation methods" and "silvicultural systems" are important forest resource management concepts but there is much confusion about them. They often mean different things to different individuals. Confusion exists in part because "forest regulation methods" and "silvicultural systems" often use the same terminology. Also, the regulation methods described in forestry literature were conceived and developed to produce regular sustained yields of timber products from a forest. Now, there are often resources or values other than timber that may be more important to a forest landowner....

Fire effects in the central hardwood forest vary greatly. Depending on a number of factors, some trees will be killed immediately; others will be injured and die in a year or more; still others will incur basal wounds that can provide entry for decay; and some trees will not be affected.

Landowners frequently have definite objectives and preferences that should influence the selection of a silvicultural system. Timber production is not the primary reason many landowners practice forestry, and silvicultural practices must be flexible enough to provide other "products" such as wildlife, esthetics, and recreation.

The gypsy moth is the most important hardwood defoliating insect in North America. Since its inadvertent introduction into Massachusetts in 1869, it has spread naturally south and west at approximately 5 miles per year. Long distance spread has occurred from human activities such as moving household belongings, camping equipment, motor homes, or other articles harboring life stages. In North America, gypsy moth tends to erupt every 8 to 11 years and defoliate forest and urban trees and shrubs. Gypsy moth larvae can feed on over 500 plant species, but they prefer oaks. Other species readily...

This Note covers only applying the regeneration component of silvicultural systems and assumes that the objective is to reproduce oaks. Thinning and stand maintenance are covered in other notes.

The values in tables 1 and 2 apply specifically to oak stands in the Missouri Ozarks and may or may not apply outside this area. Unfortunately, similar values for oak do not exist for other geographic areas. Use the procedures and values cautiously in other areas. Consider them as approximations and compare them to values based on local experience and guidelines.

When a regeneration harvest cut is planned for even-aged stands or it is time to make another cut in uneven-aged stands, the first thing to do is assess the regeneration potential. Regeneration potential is the likelihood of being successful in reproducing desired species. You need an assessment to be reasonably sure that regeneration and management objectives can be met. In even-aged stands, an assessment will help determine which regeneration method to use. In uneven-aged stands it will help determine where to locate groups, which species are reproducing, and how the reproduction is growing.

Differences in root system structure attributable to stand origin were examined by pairing seeded and planted stands of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and shortleaf pine (P. echinata Mill.). The 17 paired stands were 3 to 9 years old and located in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas on similar soil and site conditions. Root systems from 12 trees were excavated from each stand, classified by root system type and measured for number and size of first-order lateral roots and amount of root spiraling and bending. Although root systems of planted trees were commonly deformed, the most consistent differenc...

A study of loggers' perceptions of the impact of large biomass demand centers on the forest resource base in the Northeast indicated that most loggers strongly believe that the post-harvest stand has improved. However, the impact of whole-tree chipping on the forest resource base was not made clear from the loggers' survey.