Ecological silviculture for Great Lakes red pine ecosystems
| Authors: | Brian J. J. Palik, Anthony W. D'Amato |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Type: | Book Chapter |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| Source: | In: Palik, Brian J.; D'Amato, Anthony W., eds. Ecological silvicultural systems: exemplary models for sustainable forest management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.: 11-24. |
Abstract
Red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) ecosystems of the western Great Lakes region of United States and Canada are the focus of this chapter. These forests are found in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the United States, and portions of southern Ontario, Canada.
Historically, because of high economic value of red pine, this ecosystem has been managed using a timber-focused silvicultural system in both plantations and natural-origin stands, generally based on even-aged regeneration systems followed by planting of red pine. The timber-focused model results in composition and structure that deviate substantially from the natural model, favoring high tree densities, monospecific composition, a narrowly even-aged structure, limited structural complexity (see Chapter 1), and rotations of 50-90 years [l]. As a consequence, approximately 76% of red pine-dominated forests in the United States Lake States are plantations [l].
Interest has grown in silvicultural approaches that better reflect the natural model of disturbance and development for this ecosystem, i.e. ecological silviculture; such approaches can be used to transition plantations and simplified natural forests to structurally complex and diverse conditions that better reflect the native ecosystem condition. There is limited experience with actual ecological silviculture approaches for red pine; this chapter provides a framework for developing these approaches.