Long-term Assessment of Financial Maturity, Diameter-limit Selection in the Central Appalachians
Long-term Assessment of Financial Maturity, Diameter-limit Selection in the Central Appalachians

Author: Thomas M. Schuler

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13:

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Financial maturity, diameter-limit (FMDL) selection was proposed more than three decades ago as a replacement for diameter-limit cutting. FMDL incorporates financial maturity guidelines for individual trees, high-priority removal of poor-quality trees, and guidelines for residual basal area. We provide the first long-term assessment of this practice after more than three decades of implementation. FMDL selection is evaluated in terms periodic yield of merchantable board feet, residual basal area, butt-log quality, and species composition. Recommendations for lowering the minimum residual basal area are presented. Management implications regarding controlling species composition are discussed.

Ecology and Management of Central Hardwood Forests
Ecology and Management of Central Hardwood Forests

Author: Ray R. Hicks

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 1998-11-16

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 9780471137580

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A comprehensive guide to effective hardwood forest management Extending 235,000 square miles from New York to Georgia and fromVirginia to Missouri, the Central Hardwoods Region harbors the mostextensive concentration of deciduous hardwoods in the world. Asharvests in the Pacific Northwest decline and timber prices rise,the maturing stands of mixed species in this central U.S. regionare a rich and valuable resource that is increasingly vulnerable toexploitation. This timely book examines all of the key ecological,social, and economic management considerations essential to utilizeand sustain these vital woodlands effectively. First, it develops the background necessary to understand whatmakes the hardwood eco-system function, with a thorough examinationof the physiography, geology, soils, and climate of the region anda historical overview of its evolution and development frompre-European settlement to the present. Then, species by species,the book details the silvical characteristics of 34 important treespecies. Next, it offers expert recommendations for effectiveforest treatment and management, from specific concerns such astimber production, pollution, and financial planning to broaderissues, including the role of the natural resource manager and thebiological potential of the entire region. Generously supplemented with graphs and photos, Ecology andManagement of Central Hardwood Forests is important reading forforesters, natural resource managers, regional planners,environmental scientists, governmental officials--everyone with astake in the future of this critical living resource.

Method for Applying Group Selection in Central Appalachian Hardwoods
Method for Applying Group Selection in Central Appalachian Hardwoods

Author: Gary W. Miller

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 16

ISBN-13:

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Public concern over the adverse visual impact of clearcutting has heightened interest in developing and testing alternative regeneration practices for central Appalachian hardwoods. When applied properly, group selection, which entails making small openings within a timber stand at regular intervals, can meet aesthetic goals while providing suitable light conditions to reproduce shade-intolerant species. Volume control and residual stand density are used to regulate periodic cuts, which include volume removed to create openings plus volume removed between openings to improve the quality and distribution of the residual stand. In central Appalachian hardwoods, openings must have a minimum size of 0.4 acre; all stems 1.0 inch d.b.h. and larger are cut to reproduce desirable shade-intolerant species. Maximum opening size is based on aesthetic requirements or other management constraints. Where reproduction of shade-intolerant species is acceptable, openings can be as small as a space occupied by a few trees. Openings should be located using the worst first approach to give the growing space occupied by mature trees or risky trees to faster growing, desirable regeneration. The residual stand between openings should be improved by cutting poor quality or high-risk trees. The recommended residual basal area in sawtimber-size trees (11.0 inches d.b.h. and larger) is related to northern red oak site index (SI): 70 to 85 ft2/acre for SI 80.55 to 70 ft2/acre for SI 70, and 40 to 55 ft2/acre for SI 80. These field-tested methods can help forest managers initiate group selection in second-growth Appalachian hardwoods. Guidelines are presented for computing the cut, determining size, location, and number of openings, and marking the stand.