Medium or heavy selection cutting? New results challenge conventional practice

Abstract

Nestled in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin, the Argonne Experimental Forest has supported foundational silviculture research for more than 75 years. Generations of scientists have collected and analyzed data to better understand the effects of different management strategies on second-growth northern hardwood forests.

The highest priority study on the Argonne Experimental Forest, the Cutting Methods Study, was established in 1951 to compare partial cutting methods for maximum economic returns. The study was recently revisited by Christel Kern, a research forester with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station, and two collaborators from Michigan Technological University, Robert Froese and Maeve Draper. They compared the growth and yield of trees under different management practices from 1952 to 2012 and recently published their findings.

Citation

USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2023. Medium or heavy selection cutting? New results challenge conventional practice. Rooted in Research Issue 22, January 2024. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2 p.