Treesearch

The authors present a practical method for deriving timber-management incentive payments and demonstrate its application in forest stands of upland hardwoods. The suggested incentive payment is based on the differences between discounted costs and returns of deliberate forest management and the "harvest and let grow" option.

Computer simulation of rough mill cut-up operations allows lowcost evaluation of furniture rough mill cut-up procedures. The defect data bank serves as input to such simulation programs. The data bank contains a detailed accounting of defect data taken from 637 No. 2 Common oak boards. Included is a description of each defect (location, size, and type), as well as the length and width of the board. All information is recorded on data-processing cards. Though the data bank applies directly to No. 2 Common oak, it can be used to evaluate the yields of most species of No. 2 Common lumber that...

Epicormic branching in hardwoods can degrade logs and reduce the dollar returns from growing trees. A study made around clearcut openings of various sizes showed that the following variables were related to the degree of epicormic branching on trees bordering the openings: size of opening, species, tree dominance class, exposure of tree bole, and position on tree bole.

Forested, podzol soils in the White Mountains of New Hampshire have developed in granitic, glacial material. They are coarse textured, acidic, and infertile. As a result of the latter condition, these soils can sustain a forest, but that forest is not healthy and vigorous.

Soil moisture, precipitation, and streamflow were measured on three watersheds in West Virginia, two deforested and one forested. Water content of barren soil always exceeded that of forest soil throughout the growing season and especially in dry weather. Streamflow increased 10 inches annually on the watersheds that were cleared, most of the increase occurring between July and October. Higher soil moisture was accompanied by large instantaneous peak flows during small storms in the growing season but this peak effect was minor in large stoms and in all storms during the dormant season....

Weekly bole measurements at 4.5 feet in height were made on individual codominant white spruce trees released on one, two, three, and four sides, and on untreated controls. Results showed that after 10 years annual circumference growth was still significantly related to the degree of release. The growth trend was established the first year but significant differences in annual growth were not evident until the third year. The growth rate reached a maximum during the ninth year. Trees with three and four sides released outgrew controls and trees with one and two sides released by a 2 to 1...

Two alternative programs of intensive timber management were defined for Ohio's oak-hickory forests. Their potentials were evaluated by comparing the expected yields and yield values of each program with those expected from a continuation of current management practices. Neither program would produce large increases in timber yield. But the expected gains in yield value would be substantial.

Eastern white pine is the most valuable conifer in the Northeast, and its large botanical range has provided ample opportunity for the development of ecotypes. Provenance plantings in nine states provided information on variability within the species and recommendations for moving seed from one region to another. Good growth was obtained on southern Appalachian sources moved as far north as central Pennsylvania. Needle length, branching habit, cone production, and other characters are discussed.

The continued use of hardwood flooring in urban rehabilitation is being threatened. A study of the influences that determine the choice of flooring indicates that economic, physical, or technological factors dominate. Most factors affecting the use of hardwood flooring are related to cost, availability, and compatibility. Of these factors, time and cost of installation are considered to be most limiting. Product modification, changes in the distribution and supply system, and a well-rounded marketing and merchandising program by the wood flooring industry are recommended.

The authors discuss the problem of selecting estimators of density and survival by making use of data on a forest-defoliating larva, the spruce budworm. Varlous estimators are compared. The results show that, among the estimators considered, ratio-type estimators are superior in terms of bias and variance. The methods used in making comparisons, particularly simulation, are generally applicable to situations in which data appropriate for making estimates are on hand.