The Ups and Downs of Final Harvests* Thoughts of a flatland forester Jeff Ward, Chief Scientist Department of Forestry & Horticulture The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station New Haven, CT * Or how to avoid an oops! Bottom line take home message Where s the oak? Don t pop the top until you are confident you have, or will have, adequate regeneration unless you like planting trees or just don t care Haddam CC (l), Goodwin shelterwood (r) Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 1
Where s the regeneration? Nothing but beech Charles Island Beech thicket Star Lake, burned May 2000 Barberry fields forever Hophornbeam heaven Barberry thicket, Redding 2007 15-year-old clearcut Gaillard barberry, rose, hophornbeam Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 2
Unkempt park Pining for birch 15-year-old shelterwood - Gaillard Pure birch under pine &hemlock, Chester Assumptions What is established on site at time of crown closure (8-12 years) is what you have to work with. What is in upper canopy at time of crown closure is what will dominate site for decades to come* *except grey birch and pin cherry *can be modified with early cleaning Therefore: Failure is defined as inadequate regeneration of species you want after final harvest to have a fully stocked stand at canopy closure. BUT you will eventually have some trees on the site, just maybe not those you want and it might take a couple of decades. Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 3
Causes of Regeneration Failure Inadequate advanced regeneration No seed source (light seeded, seedbank) Site problems Animal damage Interference from competing vegetation Competitive regeneration Advanced regeneration essential Oak, maple, hickory, white pine Can seed in after harvest Birch, aspen, ash, yellow-poplar, black cherry* Excellent advanced regeneration Oak, maple, hickory, white pine Inadequate advanced regeneration Oak, maple, hickory, white pine Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 4
Inadequate advanced regeneration Oak, maple, hickory, white pine - Assess stand before final harvest. - If inadequate regen present, determine cause* and take action. - Assess stand again after several years. *Low light, deer browse, competition No seed source (light seeded, seedbank) Birch, aspen, ash, yellow-poplar, black cherry Wind disseminated Seeds can travel hundreds of yards, but most stay fairly close. Seedbank Either it s there or it isn t. Cherries, sassafras, pepperidge, dogwood Site problems Water table Heavy duff Skeletal soils Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 5
Animal damage Animal damage Purdue University 17-year-old sugar maples Mississippi State Univ. Limiting browse damage Limiting browse damage Large harvest areas can disperse browse damage Individual tree protection for enhancement plantings Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 6
Protect from browse damage Limiting browse damage 11-yr-old with no protection 6-yr-old with protection 40 deer/km 2 (104 deer/mile 2 ) $8,000 for 25 acres in PA, $320/acre Fencing?? Must be at least 8-feet tall & Expensive $$$* For the ~$8,000 cost to fence 25-acres, a sharpshooter could control deer on 640 acres Limiting browse damage Increased hunting can be effective sometimes and need to lower density to 12/mile 2 or lower Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 7
Deer Spread Alien Invasive Species 11,512 individual germinants (566 samples) 86 unique taxa (72 to species, 14 to genus) 40 taxa (50%)* not native to USA 70% of seedlings not native to USA *Origin of 80 taxa could be determined Interference from non-native invasives Multiflora rose Autumn olive Stiltgrass Buckthorn Mile-a-minute Barberry Bittersweet Honeysuckle Stiltgrass http://www.ipaw.org/ Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 8
Interference from natives Invasive Funding / Cooperators Huckleberry Hay-scented fern Beech Laurel 12 113 Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 9
49 57% reduction Saw 1 st step Reduce size Chopper Mower Propane Fire Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 10
Follow-up may be necessary 2 nd step Kill Plants Propane Backpack Clump #586 Crown size (feet) Height Width Number of stems Basal diam (ft) 1st 2nd 3rd March 6.7 6.9 45 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.7 September 2.3 2.3 20 Stem diameters (inch) Mistblower Case Studies Lack of advanced regeneration Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 11
Lack of seed source Native interference 16 deer harvested on 14 acres, 730 / mile 2 Beech thicket Star Lake, burned May 2000 Alien interference Deer and Aliens Barberry thicket, Redding 2007 15-year-old clearcut Gaillard barberry, rose, hophornbeam Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 12
Mostly deer Established non-preferred 15-year-old shelterwood - Gaillard Pure birch under pine &hemlock, Chester Causes of Regeneration Failure Inadequate advanced regeneration No seed source (light seeded, seedbank) Site problems Animal damage Interference from competing vegetation Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 13
Bottom line take home message Don t pop the top until you are confident you have, or will have, adequate regeneration unless you like spending money, spraying herbicide, planting trees, or just don t care Jeff Ward, Station Forester Dept. of Forestry & Horticulture CT Agricultural Experiment Station jeffrey.ward@ct.gov (203) 974-8495 Last virgin stand in Connecticut, clearcut in 1912 Jeff Ward, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Page 14