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Abstract
For more than 30 years, Redwood National Park has been working to establish a Forest Restoration Program to rehabilitate its impaired, second-growth forests. This case study outlines the Park’s history of using silviculture as a restoration tool, which began in 1978 after the Park's expansion. The most recent effort was the 1,700 acre South Fork of Lost Man Creek Forest Restoration Project where two silvicultural prescriptions were used. Low thinning on ridge-top sites reduced basal area by 40-percent, and wood generated was sold as forest products. Crown thinning on steep mid-slope sites reduced basal area by 25-percent, and the wood was lopped-and-scattered. Permanent plots were established before thinning and were re-assessed after thinning. Data were analyzed to determine whether the silvicultural prescriptions altered stand structure and species composition to promote redwood dominance. Before thinning, Douglas-fir dominated stand density. Both prescriptions shifted composition in favor of redwood. The ridge-top prescription resulted in 191.3 percent more redwood trees/acre than Douglas-fir, and 80.2 percent more redwood basal area, making redwood the dominant species. The mid-slope prescription resulted in 4.3 percent more redwood trees/acre than Douglas-fir, but Douglas-fir had 5.9 percent more basal area. This project is the Park's first successful attempt at large-scale forest restoration.
Parent Publication
Citation
Teraoka, Jason R. 2012. Forest restoration at Redwood National Park: a case study of an emerging program. In: Standiford, Richard B.; Weller, Theodore J.; Piirto, Douglas D.; Stuart, John D., tech. coords. Proceedings of coast redwood forests in a changing California: A symposium for scientists and managers. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-238. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. pp. 561-569.
