Topics : underplanting white spruce seedlings in maturing aspen stands, harvesting to remove mature aspen overstory, release understory spruce for further growth, etc.
ECOLOGICAL SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS Unleash the natural power and adaptability of forests with this cutting-edge guide For generations, silvicultural systems have focused largely on models whose primary objective is the production of timber, leading to drastically simplified forests with reduced ecological richness, diversity, and complexity. Ecological silviculture, by contrast, focuses on producing and maintaining forests with “all their parts”—, that is, with the diversity and flexibility to respond and adapt to global changes. Ecological silviculture seeks to emulate natural development models and sustain healthy forests serving multiple values and goals. Ecological Silvicultural Systems provides a comprehensive introduction to these approaches and their benefits tailored to diverse types of forests, designed for forest management professionals. It provides a series of exemplary models for ecological silviculture and surveys the resulting forest ecosystems. The result is a text that meets the needs of professionals in forestry and natural resource management with an eye towards sustaining healthy forest ecosystems, adapting them to climate change, protecting them from invasive species, and responding to changing market forces. Ecological Silvicultural Systems readers will also find: Detailed treatment of forest ecosystems in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia A broad field of contributors with decades of combined expertise on multiple continents Discussion of pine woodlands; temperate hardwood forests, boreal forests, temperate rainforests, and more Ecological Silvicultural Systems is a useful reference for professional foresters, wildlife habitat managers, restoration ecologists, and undergraduate and graduate students in any of these fields.
Summarises the potential use of alternative silvicultural (harvesting) systems on the productivity of boreal mixedwood forests. Begins with an overview of the ecology of boreal mixedwoods, including physical environment, stand dynamics, and landscape ecology; then provides detailed reviews of modified clear-cutting systems (including strip cutting, patch cutting, and seed-tree cutting), shelterwood systems, and selection systems (including group selection and individual tree selection). Also briefly discusses the environmental considerations that are associated with these systems (effects on soil, water resources, wildlife, and aesthetics). Concludes with a discussion of areas of uncertainty in the application of alternative systems and the perceived problems that have limited their use in boreal mixedwoods.
Presenting a summary of the development in boreal forest management, this book provides a progressive vision for some of the world's northern forests. It includes a selection of chapters based on the research conducted by the Sustainable Forest Management Network across Canada. It includes a number of case histories.
Regeneration of conifers on mineral wetland sites is often poor due to a rise in water table levels and establishment of heavy grass cover following harvest. This report describes a study of alternative silviculture systems as a means of improving conifer reforestation success on such sites. Narrow clear-cut alternate strips and a patch clear-cut were tested in a white spruce-black spruce-larch stand north of Red Earth, Alberta. Performance of planted spruce & larch as well as seeded white spruce was monitored on mounded (scarified) & non-mounded (non-scarified) areas following harvest & site preparation in 1997. In addition, groundwater hydrology, microclimate, wind damage, & ground cover were monitored across the site. Results are presented & discussed regarding survival & growth five years after harvest, occurrence of water on the site surface, and windthrow damage.
Forestry practices are closely linked to decisions that address measures on climate change, biodiversity and the institutional framework for sustainable development. This book documents the progress made in creating the political, economic and social conditions that are necessary for a sustainable and multifunctional use of forest resources.
This report reviews the nature of wind damage in forest stands and relates that damage to the silvicultural systems used or being developed for management of boreal mixedwoods. The report gives detailed consideration to the approaches for minimizing wind damage in released white spruce understory specific to the two-stage harvesting and silvicultural system. The review addresses the individual tree stability, stand stability, and external stability factors such as site characteristics, topography, windiness of the region, and sheltering effects of adjacent stands, and relates these to a framework for recognizing high-risk sites and stands. The report also discusses principles of wind damage management in the context of designing silvicultural systems with incremental wind protection levels.
Forest Ecosystem Management. A management approach that aims to maintain healthy and resilient forest ecosystems by focusing on a reduction of differences between natural and managed landscapes to ensure long-term maintenance of ecosystem functions and thereby retain the social and economic benefits they provide to society.That is the definition of forest ecosystem management proposed in this book, which provides a summary of key ecological concepts supporting this approach. The book includes a review of major disturbance regimes that shape the natural dynamics of the boreal forest and gives examples from different Canadian boreal regions. Several projects implementing the forest ecosystem management approach are presented to illustrate the challenges created by current forestry practices and the solutions that this new approach can provide. In short, knowledge and understanding of forest dynamics can serve as a guide for forest management. Planning interventions based on natural dynamics can facilitate reconciliation between forest harvesting needs and the interests of other forest users.