Treesearch

Logging systems that are profitable and environmentally acceptable are needed in Appalachian hardwood forests. Small, mobile cable yarders show promise in meeting both economic and environmental objectives. One such yarder, the Ecologger, was tested on the Jefferson National Forest near Marion, Virginia. Production rates and costs are presented for the system along with a discussion of the complete operation.

To determine the yield of whole-tree biomass available from thinning Allegheny hardwoods, 64 sample plots were thinned in poletimber-small sawtimber stands located near Elkins, West Virginia. Biomass yields were derived from cut stand data and whole-tree weight equations, and averaged approximately 60 green tons per acre. Regression equations are given for predicting per-acre green-weight and dry-weight biomass yields from the square feet of basal area and the number of trees removed per acre of thinning.

Prediction tables for even-aged stands of white, chestnut, northern red, scarlet, and black oaks can be used to estimate the site index of forest land in 13 counties of northwestern West Virginia. The half-width of the 95 percent confidence interval of the predicted site index is included; it can be used to determine the number of sample trees necessary to attain given levels of precision, or to determine the precision of a site index prediction for different numbers of sample trees.

Six types of gum spots in black cherry, Prunus serotina Ehrh. were associated with parenchyma flecks caused by the cambium miner Phytobia pruni (Gross). The number of parenchyma flecks and associated gum spots increased with the height of the tree. Four percent of the flecks produced gum spots in the first 18 to 20 feet of the trees; 8 percent of the flecks produced gum between 20 and 60 feet. Most parenchyma flecks and associated gum spots occurred during the first 10 to 15 years of cambial growth.

Average dry weight and nutrient levels in current foliage from red spruce and balsam fir seedlings and saplings in the understory of a 25-year old aspen and birch stand were observed 3 years after N, P, and lime treatments were applied. Elemental concentrations were plotted as a function of needle weight and quantity of element per needle. This allows interpretation of treatment effect on overall nutrient levels for both concentration and quantity of each element in the foliage. In balsam fir, dry weight per needle was significantly increased by N fertilizer. Nitrogen also significantly...

A taper-based system for estimating stem volumes is developed for Central States upland oaks. Inside bark diameters up the stem are predicted as a function of dbhib, total height, and powers and relative height. A Fortran IV computer program, OAKVOL, is used to predict cubic and board-foot volumes to any desired merchantable top dib. Volumes of test trees were predicted with acceptable accuracy. Other uses for the taper-based system are discussed.

Recreation visits to natural areas are often supposed to result in a variety of unique emotional benefits for urban people. To test this, data on the moods of visitors to state parks, golf courses and museums were compared. The results indicated that (1) visitors arrived at all of the areas with moderate levels of positive moods and low levels of negative moods; (2) the levels of both positive and negative moods tended to decline during the experience; (3) while there were differences in moods between individual areas, it is not possible to attribute these differences solely to the type of...

Summarizes results of a recent inventory of service forester activities in 20 Northeastern States. Each year some 500 local state foresters give one-half million hours of technical assistance and advice about the management of forest resources to nearly 50,000 woodland owners. Yearly on-the-ground help with activities ranging from timber sales to shade tree protection involves more than 2 million acres of nonindustrial private forest.

Hardwood logging residue was examined for salvageable quality material. Four quality levels (QL 1 to QL 4), based on four sets of specifications, were developed. The specifications used surface indicators, sweep, center decay, and piece size to determine quality. Twenty-six percent of the total logging residue (residue ≥ 4 inches in diameter outside bark at small end and ≥ 4 feet long, except if ≥ 2 feet long and ≥ 12 inches dob) from saw log only harvesting operations met the lowest of the four quality levels (QL 4). QL 4 could best be described as local use logs. The acceptability of...

After 10 years, survival of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) provenances outplanted in West Virginia did not differ significantly. Total height, height growth and dbh measurements were significantly different among provenances. Fifty percent of the trees had major forks below 9.0 feet. Thirty-eight percent of the trees had no forks but 71 percent of these were in the intermediate or overtopped crown class. Forking was not related to provenance. Latitude, longitude, and elevation of provenances were not strongly correlated with provenance performance.