2018 Silviculture: Forest Ecology and Data Informing Decisions Conference Recordings


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View these 16 presentations under the Contents tab:

Dry Deciduous Forest of Southwest Madagascar: How Forest Reserve Effects Composition, Structure, and DiversityBenjamin Rifkin, Yale University

Boots on the Ground Guidelines

Effectiveness of Forestry BMPs for Reducing Risk of Herbicide Use to Aquatic Organisms. Vickie Tatum, NCASI

A New Forest Management Decisions Support Tool for Herbicide Applications in the Western Gulf Region of the US. Kyle Cunningham, University of Arkansas

Implementing the Landscape Triad: Timber Production, Wildlife, and Reserve Silviculture Case Studies. Kyle Gill, University of Minnesota, Cloquet Forestry Center

Individual Tree Inventories - Species Identification & Segmentation Issues with Varying LiDAR Point Densities. Mike Parlow, Object Raku Technology

Eastern Silviculture & Forest Ecology

No presentations available. View other regionally focused presentations to spark insight or identify unexpected correlations.

Northern Silviculture & Forest Ecology

Assessing the Performance of Nine Future Climate-Adapted Species in Northern Minnesota. Jacob Muller, University of Minnesota

Impact of Dwarf Mistletoe and Alternative Silvicultural Treatments in Black Spruce in Minnesota. Raychel Skay, University of Minnesota

Regeneration in Irregular Shelterwoods: Changes over a 25-Year Chronosequence and Legacy Effects. Jessica Wikle, Yale University

Northwestern Silviculture & Forest Ecology

Ecological Forest Management in Kitsap County Washington Parks. Arno Bergstrom, Kitsap County

Streamflow Changes Resulting from Spatiotemporal Patterns of Forest Canopy Change in Northern Idaho. Timothy Link, University of Idaho

Southern Silviculture & Forest Ecology

Environmental Effects of Short-Rotation Pine Production for Bioenergy: Findings from a Watershed Experiment. Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Forest Management and Water Yield in the Southeastern United States. Matthew Cohen, University of Florida

Long-Term Monitoring to Inform Adaptive Management - The Ichauway Experience. Steve Jack, Temple Foundation

Western Silviculture & Forest Ecology

Physiology and Growth of Redwood and Douglas-fir Seedlings Planted After Variable Density Retention. Lucy Kerhoulas, Humboldt State University

Response of Improved Western Larch Clones to Site Quality and Climate. Kelsie Grover, University of Idaho      

Water Stable Isotope Ratios Reveal Network Scale Variability in Base Flow Water Sources in a Western Cascades. Catalina Segura, Oregon State University

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Dry Deciduous Forest of Southwest Madagascar: How Forest Reserve Effects Composition, Structure, and Diversity
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Throughout the tropics, dry forests provide, among other essential resources, fuelwood and fodder for grazing cattle to local communities. To achieve conservation goals, it is important to understand how tropical dry forest responds to changing human activities, and if reducing fuelwood extraction and livestock grazing has a measurable impact on forest biodiversity. Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve in southwest Madagascar, is a community-managed forest that has been protected for more than 30 years. In this study, we examine how removal of livestock grazing and fuelwood harvest from tropical dry forest influences structure, diversity, and composition of forest vegetation. In addition, we measure the variation in response of vegetation to environmental conditions. For overstory trees, we found that variation in richness and diversity was correlated with soil texture, acidity, and moisture availability but not disturbance from fuelwood harvest and livestock grazing. By comparison, grazing and selective fuelwood harvest were stronger predictors than environmental conditions for richness and diversity among regenerating trees in the understory. Our results suggest that niche differentiation along soil and moisture gradients determine dry forest composition, but regeneration dynamics can be potentially altered by human disturbance. Though reducing human activity in dry forests can increase diversity and change composition of forest vegetation, forest managers must be aware that moisture availability and soil composition are also important drivers of diversity and composition in this forest system. Benjamin Rifkin, Yale University.
Boots on the Ground Guidelines
Effectiveness of Forestry BMPs for Reducing Risk of Herbicide Use to Aquatic Organisms
Open to view video.
Open to view video. During stand establishment, management of competing vegetation with herbicides is a key component of intensive silviculture. When silvicultural chemicals are applied to forest land, they have the potential to impact stream water quality, primarily during application (via direct overspray or spray drift) or in surface runoff during post-application rainfall. Forestry best management practices (BMPs) serve as the primary mechanism for protecting water quality from non-point source pollutants such as silvicultural chemicals. Operational forestry herbicide applications were made at three different sites in the US (Oregon Coastal Range, East Texas, southwest Georgia), following each state’s BMP guidelines on the use of riparian buffers and no-spray zones and two sites in New Zealand, following regional BMP requirements. At most study sites, maximum herbicide concentrations in stream water were in the low ppb range and occurred as brief (<24 hour) pulses associated with stormwater runoff from the first few post-application storm events. Maximum stream water concentrations of herbicides were lower than concentrations associated with toxicity to fish, amphibians, or aquatic invertebrates. The lowest reported concentrations affecting some species of algae and macrophytes in laboratory toxicity testing are below peak concentrations reported for imazapyr, hexazinone, sulfometuron methyl, and terbuthylazine at one or more sites. However, exposure durations reported in these field studies were much shorter than those used in laboratory toxicity testing. Aquatic plants are known to tolerate higher exposures for short exposure times, which may act to mitigate potential adverse effects. Vickie Tatum, NCASI.
A New Forest Management Decision Support Tool for Herbicide Applications in the Western Gulf Region of the US
Open to view video.
Open to view video. The process of making proper herbicide recommendations in the Western Gulf Region (WGR) of the United States is an important and complex aspect of successful silvicultural practices in both conifer and hardwood forests. The decision can be based on factors including: competing vegetation types, problematic native species, invasive species, crop species, site conditions, season of application, environmental concerns, associated costs, and many others. However, application cost and associated protocol efficacy ultimately drive an effective herbicide recommendation. Many resources are currently available that list potential herbicide prescriptions, but existing resources make little attempt to rate prescriptions by associated cost and efficacy. A herbicide decision support tool (DST) was generated for the WGR that incorporates site conditions, silvicultural context, associated costs, and efficacy ratings to better aid the process of selecting a proper protocol for specific scenarios. We will present the herbicide DST that has been developed for the WGR. The presentation will include a description of the available software resources and the accompanied written manual. The presentation will also include a description of categorical herbicide protocols based on specific site conditions, silvicultural methods and the incorporated cost and efficacy rating system. Kyle Cunningham, University of Arkansas.
Implementing the Landscape Triad: Timber Production, Wildlife, and Reserve Silviculture Case Studies
Open to view video.
Open to view video. The Landscape Triad is a conceptual framework first introduced by Seymour and Hunter in a 1999 book chapter titled, “Principles of Ecological Forestry.” The Triad seeks to balance broad-ranging forest management objectives by incorporating areas of Intensive, Extensive, and Reserve management into one’s management portfolio. The framework has guided my approach to boots-on-the-ground forest management of the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC). This presentation highlights case studies of three prescriptions currently implemented at the CFC and discusses lessons learned while translating concept into practice. The “Zebra” prescription aims to produce red pine timber using a strip-seedtree natural regeneration silvicultural system. The “Fisher” prescription aims to promote structural conditions beneficial for fisher, and other wildlife, habitat. And “Camp 8” is an old-growth red pine stand managed as an example of stand conditions prior to European settlement. Key lessons learned about management for multiple objectives have been: 1) Think outside the stand, 2) Don’t do the same thing everywhere, and 3) Work with the stand’s features when developing specific objectives. Kyle Gill, University of Minnesota, Cloquet Forestry Center.
Individual Tree Inventories - Species Identification & Segmentation Issues with Varying LiDAR Point Densities
Open to view video.
Open to view video. LiDAR point cloud datasets can be produced at varying densities (e.g. 2 pt/m2, 10 pts/m2, 500 pts/m2) depending on LiDAR sensors and acquisition elevations. These densities directly impact the number of points falling on various objects in the scan and thus how ‘sharp’ an image is created. When creating individual tree inventories from LiDAR data, each tree is extracted from the point cloud and analyzed to determine various attributes such as species, crown shape/size, diameter, and volume. The number of points used to describe a tree can be a key feature in determining success for the predictive algorithms that identify each tree (segmentation) and assign a species. While generally more detail is better, numerous issues arise as point densities increase significantly – particularly when predictive models were originally built to address the issue with lower density data. A range of issues and solutions will be presented. Mike Parlow, Object Raku Technology.
Eastern Silviculture & Forest Ecology
Northern Silviculture & Forest Ecology
Assessing the Performance of Nine Future Climate-Adapted Species in Northern Minnesota
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Future climate change is expected to impact the health and productivity of mixed-pine forests in northern Minnesota. Forest managers and planners face increasing challenges to sustaining forests in the face of high uncertainty associated with response to climate change. The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project was developed to provide operational-scale research opportunities to assess, demonstrate, and test adaptive forest management approaches. The first of five ASCC installations is located on the Cutfoot Experimental Forest-Chippewa National Forest. Based on predicted suitable habitats under projected future climates, nine tree species were selected for planting as part of the ASCC treatment design. Seedlings were planted under two canopy conditions, a thinned matrix (60-80 ft2/ac) and gap openings (0-15 ft2/ac). We were interested in initial seedling performance between species functional groups (gymnosperms & angiosperms) with an emphasis on understanding how changes in overstory canopy conditions (matrix vs. gaps) and understory vegetation density affect species performance. To study this, we monitored 60 plots (30 matrixes and 30 gaps) over the course of two growing seasons, taking three measurements (Fall 2016, Spring 2017, & Fall 2017) of basal diameter growth and survival, as well as estimates of understory vegetation density. This study has revealed interspecific and intraspecific variations in seedling growth and survival between and among planted seedlings. Additionally, our results show evidence of strong variations in species performance across functional groups and overstory and understory conditions. This presentation will highlight the differences in species growth and survival and those factors influencing seedling performance. Jacob Muller, University of Minnesota.
Impacts of Dwarf Mistletoe and Alternative Silvicultural Treatments in Black Spruce in Minnesota
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Of Minnesota’s 17.4 million acres of forested land, 1.6 million acres are considered to be in the black spruce (Picea mariana) cover type. The black spruce forest type is incredibly important to state, federal, and private landowners as a winter pulpwood source as it is one of the few trees that can survive in the lowland forests. The black spruce cover type is also an important ecological resource to the state. Despite its importance, little is known about black spruce’s response to alternative silvicultural treatments and its response to the common parasitic pathogen, dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum). Conventional management for black spruce is a clearcut system with subsequent aerial seeding. In this study, we used methods from dendrochronology to examine the yearly growth rings of black spruce to multiple silvicultural treatments on the Big Falls Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota. We have found an increase in increment growth following strip clearcuts, patch clearcuts, and shelterwood treatments. Additionally, we looked at the stand dynamics of black spruce at varying levels of infection with dwarf mistletoe. Although dwarf mistletoe in black spruce is a native pest and is a part of the natural disturbance regime, it can and does cause huge losses in stands managed for timber. In this part of the study we collected and analyzed data exploring the relationship between mistletoe infection levels and black spruce stand structure and composition. Results from this study will aid in developing alternative management methods which provide ecological and economic benefits. Raychel Skay, University of Minnesota
Regeneration in Irregular Shelterwoods: Changes over a 25-Year Chronosequence and Legacy Effects
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Forest managers are faced with meeting a broad variety of societal demands such as wildlife habitat and aesthetic considerations while still providing monetary value to landowners through harvesting timber. Strategies such as irregular shelterwoods can offer alternatives to traditional regeneration methods that help to meet these goals. These techniques often involve diversifying age-class and leaving more standing structure in the form of legacy trees. This study examines a 25-year chronosequence of 34 irregular shelterwoods, ranging in amount of structure, all designed to regenerate oak in southern New England. In each shelterwood we measured all legacy trees in a 50 m radius overstory plot, and measured seedling and sapling regeneration in 18 subplots. We used ANOVA to compare the differences across age classes, both in total and relative growth, as well as to compare differences in regeneration growth based on variation in overstory basal area. Over time, regeneration followed known stand dynamics patterns, with self-thinning occurring in all regeneration. Black birch self-thinned the most through time, with the saplings that survived retaining a high and more discretely defined position in the canopy as compared to the other species. Red oak self-thinned most slowly, and by its third decade, it was increasing its growth rate compared to the other species. As overstory basal area increased, relative growth of red oak slowed, with 5 m2/ha of overstory basal area as a limiting threshold. Resource managers should consider the tradeoff between increasing legacy trees and decreases in growth of oak regeneration. Jessica Wikle, Yale University
Northwest Silviculture & Forest Ecology
Ecological Forest Management in Kitsap County Washington Parks
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Since 2000, Kitsap County, WA has acquired approximately 8,200 acres of forested park land. Comprising 7 separate parks, that range in size from 400 to 3,500 acres, all are former industrial forestlands largely consisting of overstocked monoculture Douglas fir plantations with an average age between 30 and 40 years. In 2012 the Kitsap County adopted a forest stewardship policy that authorized the use of ecological forest management to improve forest health, reduce risk from fire, disease and insects, and to enhance wildlife habitat. Beginning in 2014 over 1,000 acres have been treated using variable density thinning. Even with significant community involvement, implementing a science-based approach to ecologically manage county parkland hasn’t come without social critique. Five-year preliminary results will be reported. Arno Bergstrom, Kitsap County.
Streamflow Changes Resulting from Spatiotemporal Patterns of Forest Canopy Change in Northern Idaho
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Although hydrologic responses to land cover changes are often studied using a paired watershed approach, it is not feasible to assess the hydrological effects of many different patterns of land cover alteration by empirical studies. An alternative is to use well validated, spatially explicit, physically-based numerical models to estimate streamflow changes. The objectives of this study were to assess the sensitivity of watershed flow regimes to several spatial and temporal patterns of forest harvest and recovery in a snow-dominated mountain watershed. The Distributed Hydrology Soil-Vegetation Model (DHSVM) was parameterized using 1998-2007 climate data for the 28-km2 Mica Creek Experimental Watershed (MCEW), a headwater catchment in northern Idaho. The modeling experiment indicated that clear-cutting the entire watershed would increase runoff volume by 79% and 5th percentile flows by 68%. Hydrologic recovery resulting from forest regeneration after clear-cut harvesting is expected to take up to 25 years to return to baseline conditions, and 50 years to fully recover to preharvest conditions. A more realistic harvesting scenario where the watershed was gradually harvested in a series of clear-cut blocks allowing for subsequent regeneration indicated that long-term flows were consistently increased by ~30%. This contrasts with the single harvest and regeneration scenario where flows declined below the baseline case for the period from approximately 25 to 50 years after harvest. Timothy Link, University of Idaho.
Southern Silviculture & Forest Ecology
Environmental Effects of Short-Rotation Pine Production for Bioenergy: Findings from a Watershed Experiment
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Our project uses a coupled watershed-scale experiment and watershed modeling approach to examine the effects of short-rotation (10-12 y) woody biomass production for bioenergy on water and soil quality, and water and carbon fluxes in the southeast US. The watershed experiment uses a before-after, control-impact approach. Baseline conditions in 3 watersheds were measured for two years (2010-2012). Two watersheds were then harvested (50%) and planted with loblolly pine seedlings that were managed for rapid growth. The third watershed was an unmanipulated reference. Environmental indicators were measured until canopy closure (2018). Best Management Practices (BMPs) were applied to evaluate the effectiveness of current forestry BMPs in protecting water quality. Groundwater is the dominant flowpath in these watersheds, suggesting that any water quality effects may be manifested via a groundwater pathway. Indeed, nitrate concentrations increased in groundwater in the treatment watersheds (<2 mg N/L) after harvest. Further, high nitrate leaching rates were measured during the first two years of growth. Tree growth was rapid after this time, with higher carbon sequestration and greater water use efficiency than conventional pine plantations. Despite elevated groundwater nitrate, stream water nitrate concentrations were low and remained unchanged. Watershed modeling suggests that elevated nitrate may reach the streams within a decade. However, elevated nitrate in groundwater may be removed before reaching the streams due to the strong denitrification potential in these watersheds. Results to date suggest minimal environmental impacts, and that current BMPs are effective at protecting surface water quality. Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Forest Management and Water Yield in the Southeastern United States
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Forest management exerts a significant effect on water use and therefore may be useful to manage regional water resources. In this study, we quantified forest water use and water yield (Yw) under a range of climatic and edaphic conditions at six sites spanning the entire State of Florida. At each site, daily water use (evapotranspiration, ET) was estimated for six 5-acre plots with different silvicultural management ranging from clearcut to high density plantation and restored stands. ET was estimated using continuous, in-situ soil moisture and groundwater measurements. Estimated water use relative to potential ET (ET: PET) was strongly associated with leaf area index (LAI), root-zone soil-moisture status, and site climatic and hydrogeologic conditions; their combination explained over 85% of the variation in ET:PET. Combined interception losses (Ia) by aboveground forest structure (canopy, understory vegetation and dead litter) was also significant, accounting for 15-30% of annual rainfall across sites. Annual water yield (Yw) estimated from rainfall minus ET and Ia differed significantly among sites and plots (ranging from -0.12 cm/yr to > 100 cm/yr), demonstrating considerable influence of both site-to-site variation as well as management regimes. LAI was the dominant control on Yw variation across sites; a generalized linear model with forest attributes (LAI and groundcover), climate, and hydrogeologic characteristics explained 88% of variation in observed Yw. These results enable comparisons of water yield across different management and climate conditions and thus may be useful for efforts that seek to manage water resources by enhancing the ecosystem service of water yield. Matthew Cohen, University of Florida.
Long-Term Monitoring to Inform Adaptive Management –The Ichauway Experience
Open to view video.
Open to view video. An effective monitoring program is central to successfully practicing adaptive management. While the concept of adaptive management is widely cited as a desirable approach to meet often complicated objectives, long-term monitoring programs with data appropriate to inform and effect changes in management are not as widespread. The Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway, an approximately 29,000 acre private property in southwest Georgia that is dominated by longleaf pine forest, established a long-term vegetation monitoring program in 2002. The program currently monitors 860 0.25 acre plots on a four year rotation, with ¼ of the plots measured each year. Plots locations were randomly located and stratified within 8 different ecotypes based upon soil type, drainage, and landscape position. At each plot visit data are collected on overstory trees, ground cover composition, mortality and ingrowth, canopy coverage, woody midstory density, and regeneration of different tree species. With all plots measured four times from 2002 to 2017, multiple effects of restoration and management activities have been captured: pine basal area (especially longleaf pine) increased significantly while hardwood basal area decreased in upland habitats, ingrowth of natural longleaf pine regeneration increased, and overstory tree mortality was highly variable but generally low. We will provide examples of how the accumulated data has altered management, including the application of prescribed fire, removal of hardwoods for restoration objectives, and how habitat alterations have affected wildlife communities. The data have also been used to inform onsite research projects, particularly a study examining water use of different forest types. Steve Jack, Temple Foundation.
Western Silviculture & Forest Ecology
Physiology and Growth of Redwood and Douglas-fir Seedlings Planted After Variable Density Retention
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Reforestation following timber harvests and natural disturbances is an important topic throughout much of the West. As stand-replacing disturbances such as drought-induced mortality and wildland fires spread across many western forests, a better understanding of the influences of stand structure on seedling physiology can foster more effective reforestation efforts. Moreover, as climate throughout the West is projected to become hotter and drier, it is important to investigate regeneration under xeric conditions, particularly for species restricted to mesic habitats. To study the influences of stand structure and climate on regeneration success, we monitored physiology and growth of planted coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings for two growing seasons following a variable density retention harvest in inland northern CA (Maple Creek, CA). To quantify water status, we measured water potential; to quantify physiological vigor, we measured stomatal conductance and mortality rate; and to quantify productivity, we measured basal diameter growth and aboveground/total biomass accumulation. Compared to seedlings in the high and moderate retention treatments, seedlings in the low retention treatment had the lowest water stress, highest physiological vigor, and greatest productivity. We also found that compared to Douglas-fir, redwood had less water stress, greater physiological vigor, and greater productivity. Overall, our study indicates that low retention silvicultural treatments can minimize water stress and maximize physiological vigor and productivity in regenerating seedlings. Our results also demonstrate that redwood, a species generally restricted to mesic coastal habitats, can successfully establish in xeric inland sites when planted following variable density retention treatments. Lucy Kerhoulas, Humboldt State University.
Response of Improved Western Larch Clones to Site Quality and Climate
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Many timber producing regions across North America have made substantial investments in tree improvement programs, including the Inland Northwest. These investments help increase quality wood production and maintain competitive timber markets in the US. Western larch is one of the most commercially valuable timber species in the Inland Northwest, yet little work has been conducted on testing improved genotypes. Our objective is to analyze morphological differences between improved clones of L. occidentalis seedlings when planted within various climate gradients and site conditions. Seedlings from seven half-sibling clones and one bulk orchard lot were grown at University of Idaho’s Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery in 2017, and will be out-planted as two-year old seedlings in sites located throughout Northern Idaho in 2018. Soil samples will be collected within individual plots in order to determine overall soil fertility and changes in soil moisture over the growing season. Morphological growth data along with other microsite characteristics will also be collected post-planting and at the end of the growing season in September. The goal of this research is to determine which genotypes perform best under certain site conditions. Data from this experiment can be used by landowners to obtain a higher level of precision forest management, ultimately leading to increased yield and shorter rotation times. Kelsie Grover, University of Idaho.
Water Stable Isotope Ratios Reveal Network Scale Variability in Base Flow Water Sources in a Western Cascades
Open to view video.
Open to view video. We present insights into the spatial variability of summer base flow in a headwater catchment in the Western Cascades, Oregon, USA. We used a two-component mixing model to estimate the relative contribution of tributaries to base flow in Lookout Creek, in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, for three sampling campaigns with ~200 samples each. The campaigns described different hydrologic conditions from normal summer base flow in 2016 to extreme summer drought in 2015. This information together with geologic and LiDAR derived metrics of elevation, slope, and terrain roughness were used to investigate controls of water sources that operate at different scales and to predict isoscapes based on Spatial Stream Network Models (SSNM). Our results indicate strong differences in isotope ratios among tributaries. Cold Creek, a spring feed stream that occupies 5.3% of the Upper Lookout drainage area, provides a disproportionate (60-94%) amount of its summer base flow. Lapse rates were evident below the confluence of Cold Creek despite sampling season. Conversely the lapse rates in McRae and Mack creeks were absent during 2015, highlighting different base flow sources. Isoscapes of δ18O were well predicted by SSNM. The covariates of the models for each sampling campaign indicate the importance of different controls in base flow. During the wettest condition, precipitation source was the most important variable whereas during the driest condition local terrain slope was the most important variable. The performance of the SSNMs confirm the advantages of accounting for the dendritic spatial structure of rivers providing robust isoscape predictions. Catalina Segura, Oregon State University.