Reconstructed old-growth forest stand structure and composition of two stands on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state

David H. Peter; Constance A. Harrington

doi:10.2737/PNW-RP-583

Treesearch

Reconstructed old-growth forest stand structure and composition of two stands on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state

Informally Refereed

Authors:

David H. Peter, Constance A. Harrington

Year:

2010

Type:

Research Paper

Station:

Pacific Northwest Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/PNW-RP-583

Source:

Res. Pap. PNW-RP-583. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 22 p.

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Download (PDF 1.67 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/34287.pdf

Abstract

We reconstructed the stand structure and composition for two western Washington old-growth forest stands harvested around 1930 (named Fresca and Rail) from field and historical data. Both old-growth stands had a codominant or dominant 250-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) overstory with a few scattered older Douglas-fir. Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) was codominant at Rail but was predominantly in the mid-story and understory at Fresca. The Fresca site is now dominated by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and western hemlock, whereas Rail has a composition similar to the previous old-growth stand. Events taking place early in succession are probably responsible for the differences between the modern and historical stands. Accelerated restoration of old-growth structural diversity may be possible at both sites through repeated creation of artificial gaps, but Fresca will remain different from its historical composition.

Keywords

Old growth, stand history, stand reconstruction, Douglas-fir, succession, tree stumps, restoration

Citation

Peter, David H.; Harrington, Constance A. 2010. Reconstructed old-growth forest stand structure and composition of two stands on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state. Res. Pap. PNW-RP-583. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 22 p.