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- Title
Stem- and stand-level growth and mortality following partial cutting in eastern boreal poplar – white spruce stands.
- Authors
Brais, Suzanne; Harvey, Brian D.; Bose, Arun K.
- Abstract
Variable retention (VR) and partial cutting are both considered important silvicultural tools of natural disturbance or ecosystem based forest management approaches. Partial harvesting differs from VR in that post-treatment growth responses and stand regeneration are the primary objective rather than the maintenance of biodiversity. This partial cutting study is undertaken in mixed poplar (Populus spp.) – white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) stands in the eastern Canadian boreal mixedwood forest. It compares, at the tree level, absolute growth rates (AGR) and relative growth rates (RGR) of basal area (BA) and stem survival; and at the stand level, it also compares absolute BA growth, mortality, and sapling density 10 years following treatment. The completely randomized experiment was established with four intensities of partial cutting (0, 50%, 65%, and 100% of poplar BA). All partial cutting intensities had a significant and similar positive effect on AGR of residual spruce stems. Complete poplar removal resulted not only in the highest increase in RGR of suppressed and intermediate spruce stems, but also in higher spruce mortality. Removal of 50% of the initial poplar stand BA provided the best trade-off between positive residual stem growth of spruce and poplar and limited post-treatment mortality.
- Subjects
VARIABLE retention; SILVICULTURAL systems; FOREST management; CLIMATE change; WHITE spruce
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2019, Vol 49, Issue 5, p463
- ISSN
0045-5067
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/cjfr-2018-0177