Silviculture Opportunities for Woodland Owners. David Sutherland, RPF Coordinator, Association for Sustainable Forestry

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1 Silviculture Opportunities for Woodland Owners David Sutherland, RPF Coordinator, Association for Sustainable Forestry

2 Association for Sustainable Forestry Promoting forest stewardship excellence to Nova Scotia Woodland Owners since 2001

3 What We Do Silviculture funding to: small private woodland owners ( ) large non-industrial landowners ( ) Woodland owner stewardship and outreach Stewardship plans Forest Ecosystem Classification Ecosystem-based Management

4 Silviculture Treatments Category 1b : Fill Planting Increase stocking of natural + planted trees to >80% Increase density to >1500 trees/ha (> 600/ac) Must be in a natural stand $300/ha - includes cost of trees

5 Silviculture Treatments Category 3 : Manual Weeding Reduce competition by manual methods (no herbicide) Natural stands or plantations Minimum 80% stocking of crop trees Minimum 900 planted or 1500 planted + natural trees/ha $400/ha (new rate!) (Early Competition Control)

6 Silviculture Treatments Pre-Commercial Thinning (PCT) Density control Most popular treatment Natural stands or plantations Minimum 80% stocking of crop trees at 2.4 m (8 ft) spacing Leave crop trees/ha

7 Pre-Commercial Thinning Before After

8 Pre-Commercial Thinning Softwoods 2 7 m height Hardwoods 6 9 m height 4,000 40,000+ trees/ha $396 - $950/ha (these rates now include plantations!) Aim for tree species diversity

9 Silviculture Treatments Commercial Thinning Extracting merchantable wood Natural stands or plantations Best done when trees are just becoming pulpwood size Must consider soils and stand exposure!

10 Commercial Thinning Trees are cut manually or with harvesters Wood should be extracted Balsam fir < 50% Red maple, poplar <25% on completed area Extraction with horses, tractors, skidders, forwarders

11 Commercial Thinning Norway Spruce Plantation Before After

12 Commercial Thinning

13 Commercial Thinning

14 Commercial Thinning Must incorporate Forest Ecosystem Classification (veg + soils + exposure) Minimize soil compaction and rutting and reduce windthrow (blowdown) Previously treated stands more windfirm $550/ha plus rate for PTA

15 Category 7 Silviculture Uneven-aged Management and Tree Quality Improvement 7 (a) Crop Tree Release 7 (b) Crop Tree Pruning 7 (c) Selection Management

16 7(a) - Crop Tree Release Releasing individual trees on at least 3 sides of crown Trees must be > 15 cm in diameter Must release >100 trees/site $375/ha

17 7(b) - Crop Tree Pruning Improves the future quality and value of individual trees Trees must be < 20 cm in diameter and > 8 m in height Prune up to 5 m Use Rule of Thumb

18 Crop Tree Pruning Prune branch at branch collar Must prune >125 trees/ha $300/ha

19 Crop Tree Pruning

20 7(c) - Selection Management (Uneven-aged Management) The removal of trees individually or in small groups from an unevenaged forest stand

21 Selection Management (Uneven-aged Management) The stand should have 3 or more height classes with a minimum height difference of 3 m between classes

22 Selection Management (Uneven-aged Management) Suitable Tree Species: Softwood Red spruce White pine Hemlock Balsam fir (some) Hardwood Sugar maple Yellow birch White ash Red oak Beech (quality)

23 Selection Management Other considerations: Must incorporate Forest Ecosystem Classification (veg + soils + exposure) Minimize soil compaction and rutting and reduce windthrow (blowdown) Rule of thumb: Remove > 20% Focus on removing suppressed, diseased, poor quality tree $550/ha plus rate for PTA

24 Access Roads Gas tax Road program in place since 1970 s Administered and coordinated by Forest Products Association of NS (FPANS)

25 Access Roads Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia P.O Box 696, Truro, N.S. B2N 5E5 (902)

26 Stewardship Planning Reviewing and updating your Stewardship Plan (Management Plan) is extremely important Your Plan is the foundation for all future forest management work on your property

27 Ecosystem-based management is key to the future of forest management in Nova Scotia Pre-treatment and post-treatment assessments

28 Good stewardship = healthy and productive woodlands

29 Contact: Association for Sustainable Forestry (902)