Maintaining long-term productivity of inland northwest forests after bioenergy harvesting
Coram Experimental Forest lies within the Flathead National Forest in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana. Spanning 7,500 acres (3,020 hectares), Coram Experimental Forest was established in 1933 for researchers to study western larch regeneration and management. Today, the research and the extensive datasets collected at Coram continue to be critical for western larch management.
As the U.S. moves towards a greener economy, it is critical to understand the long-term impacts of harvest operations on both above and below ground productivity. Research at the Coram Experimental Forest points to resilient western larch forests in the cool-moist climatic regime that can fully recover carbon and nutrients before the next harvest rotation.
Forty years after cable harvesting and broadcast burning, scientists found few long-term impacts on soil, understory, and overstory in larch forests. The study took place in mature stands (>200 years without any harvesting history) of western larch.
This figure shows the study site and the experimental units. The upper (U) and lower (L) replicates were indicated by letters following regeneration harvest. Numbers inside boxes represent biomass utilization treatments (sub-plot treatment). Dotted lines represent the uncut controls.