fundamentals of forest management planning for 272 – sustainable forest management
Post on 21-Dec-2015
215 views
TRANSCRIPT
Fundamentals of Forest Management Planning
FOR 272 – Sustainable Forest Management
FOREST MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS
Prescription = A schedule of activities for a stand, landscape, watershed, or other management unit
Five key elements:
1. Statement of goals
2. Understanding of historical processes
3. Land-type classification
4. Treatment schedule
5. Quantitative projection of conditions and outcomes
I. Goals and Objectives
1. Goals• Timeless statement of intent• Statement of direction, don’t necessarily expect to
fully achieve a goal
2. Objectives• Specific statement of intended accomplishment• Measurable, observable, has a reference to time,
an associated cost, and is attainable.
Historical Context for Forest Management in New England
0
0.5
1
1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900
Year
Prop
ortio
n of
Lan
dsca
pe in
Old
-gro
wth
HRV
Historical Range of Variability
Figure from Aplet and Keeton (1999)
0
0.5
1
0 100 200 300 400 500
Years
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f L
and
scap
e in
Old
-gro
wth
0
0.5
1
0 100 200 300 400 500
Years
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f L
and
scap
e in
Old
-Gro
wth
0
0.5
1
0 100 200 300 400 500
Years
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f L
and
scap
e in
Old
-Gro
wth
HRV
HRV
HRV
Scale: Small Watershed
Scale: Drainage Basin
Scale: Region
Hurricane
Hurricanes
Source: Aplet and Keeton (1999)
Stand Age/Structural Condition
Young Mature Old-growth
19th century
Current
Pre-Settlement
Pro
port
ion
of F
ores
t Cov
erChanges in Age-Class Distributions
1.0
0
HRV
Historical Range of Variability
Figure modified from Aplet and Keeton (1999) using data from Cogbill (2000)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1300 1350 1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 1650 1700
Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f L
and
scap
e in
Ear
ly-S
ucc
essi
on
Pre-Settlement: 1600
Early Homestead: 1740
Height of Clearing: 1830
Abandonment: 1850
Old Field White Pine: 1910
Hardwood release and succession: 1915
Young hardwoods: 1930
Stand Improvement Cutting
Commercial Thinning
Shelterwood Harvest
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Year
Per
cen
t o
f L
ands
cap
e in
C
lose
d-C
ano
py
Fo
rest
Forest Cover Trends in New England Since European Settlement
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Year
Th
ou
sa
nd
He
cta
res
Forest Cover in Vermont
Data courtesy of Harvard Forest (2003)
Wildlife Population Trends in VT and NH Since European Settlement
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Year
Per
cen
t o
f A
ver
age
Pre
-Set
tlem
ent
Ab
un
dan
ce
Bison
Elk
Wolverine
Gray Wolf
Cougar
Deer
Beaver
Black Bear
Wild Turkey
Coyote
G/S Birds
Altered Successional Pathways Resulting from a Complex History of Land-use
Figure from Foster (1992)
Differences Between Pre-Settlement and Current Forests in VT and NH
Species: Abundance:Chestnut Elm
BeechSugar MapleHemlock
White PineRed Spruce
White BirchCottonwoodPin CherryRed Maple
Functionally Extirpated
Communities: Abundance:Old-Growth Forest of All Types
Floodplain Silver Maple and Sugar Maple
Rich Lowland Oak/Basswood/Ash
Forested Wetlands
Native Grasslands and Shrublands
Forest Composition
Sources: Cogbill (2000); McLachlan et al. (2000); Fuller et al. 1998; Foster 1992; Siccama (1971)
Differences Between Pre-Settlement and Current Forests in VT and NH
Landscape Pattern•Patch Size
•Patch Shape Complexity
•Fragmentation vs. Connectivity
•Bottomland Openings
•Ridgeline and Upper-Slope Openings
•Topographic Distribution of White Pine
•Topographic Distribution of Red Spruce
Sources: Cogbill (2000); Mladenoff and Pastor (1993)