Compatible management of red alder-conifer ecosystems in southeastern Alaska.

Abstract

Forest clearcutting has been the primary timber management practice in forests of southeastern Alaska since commercial timber harvesting began in the 1950s, and the dense, even-aged conifer stands that subsequently developed have broad and undesirable consequences for some nontimber resources-most notably, fish and wildlife. Because a few earlier reports suggested that red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) helps mitigate some negative effects of timber harvesting (Deal 1997, Wipfli 1997, Hanley and Barnard 1998), we studied the influence of red alder on a broad set of nontimber resources in young conifer forests (40-year-old; equivalent to early third stage of Appendix 1, Chapter 1) in southeastern Alaska (Figure 1). It is unclear what the ecological functions of red alder are in young forested ecosystems in southeastern Alaska. Key questions include: Does red alder affect forest understory development, tree growth, and timber production? How does red alder influence food and habitat for fish and wildlife? How does red alder function in stream and riparian habitats? Does red alder influence forest ecosystem diversity and productivity?

Citation

Wipfli, Mark S.; Deal, Robert L.; Hennon, Paul E.; Johnson, Adelaide C.; Edwards, Richard T.; De Santo, Toni L.; Gomi, Takashi; Orlikowska, Ewa H.; Bryant, Mason D.; Schultz, Mark E.; LeSage, Christian; Kimbirauskus, Ryan; D''Amore, David V. 2003. Compatible management of red alder-conifer ecosystems in southeastern Alaska. In: Compatible Forest Management: 55-81