93 Years of stand density and land-use legacy research at the Coulter Ranch Study Site

Abstract

In 1913, the Fort Valley Experimental Forest initiated an unprecedented case-study experiment to determine the effects of harvesting methods on tree regeneration and growth on a ponderosa pine-Gambel oak forest at Coulter Ranch in northern Arizona. The harvesting methods examined were seed-tree, group selection, and light selection. In addition, the effects of livestock grazing (excluded or not) were examined. We revisited the Coulter Ranch Study Site to examine the effects of these treatments on historical (1913) and contemporary (2003-2006) stand density and tree size. The key finding was that while initial 1913 harvests reduced average pine density by one- to two-thirds, tree densities increased from three to nine times those prior to harvest over the 93-year period. The greatest increase was in the seed-tree method.

Parent Publication

• Fort Valley Experimental Forest-A Century of Research 1908-2008

Citation

Meador, Andrew J. Sanchez; Moore, Margaret M. 2008. 93 Years of stand density and land-use legacy research at the Coulter Ranch Study Site. In: Olberding, Susan D., and Moore, Margaret M., tech. coords. Fort Valley Experimental Forest-A Century of Research 1908-2008. Conference Proceedings; August 7-9, 2008; Flagstaff, AZ. Proc. RMRS-P-55. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 230-236