Red spruce stand dynamics, simulations, and restoration opportunities in the central Appalachians

Abstract

Red spruce (Picea rubens)-dominated forests occupied as much as 600,000 ha in West Virginia prior to exploitive logging era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Subsequently, much of this forest type was converted to northern hardwoods. As an important habitat type for a number of rare or sensitive species, only about 12,000 ha of red spruce forests presently remain in the state. In order to assess the prospects for restoration, we examined six northern hardwood stands containing understory red spruce to (1) characterize stand dynamics and regeneration patterns and (2) simulate the effectiveness of restoration silviculture to enhance red spruce overstory recruitment.

Citation

Rentch, James S.; Schuler, Thomas M.; Ford, W. Mark; Nowacki, Gergory J. 2007. Red spruce stand dynamics, simulations, and restoration opportunities in the central Appalachians. Restoration Ecology. 15(3): 440-452.