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Effects of commercial thinning on characteristics of naturally regenerated coniferous stands from Eastern North-America

Summary

Published in Canadian Journal of Forest Research (e-First). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2024-0009

Commercial thinning is a silvicultural treatment that has been practiced for centuries in Europe. However, in Eastern Canada, its application to naturally regenerated stands is much more recent, and long-term monitoring of this treatment realized in an operational context is rare. We monitored 135 paired sample plots (thinned and control) over a 20-year period. The plots are in stands dominated by either black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), or balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and distributed throughout the boreal and temperate forests of Québec (Canada). Twenty years after treatment, thinning increased quadratic mean diameter (QMD) for balsam fir (1.7 cm) and jack pine (0.7 cm), while for black spruce the change in QMD varied according to the QMD before treatment. Periodic annual increment in gross merchantable volume of thinned and control plots was similar for balsam fir and jack pine but was less in thinned black spruce plots during the first 5 years. Thinning did not affect mortality, which remained low until 15 years after treatment. As commercial thinning should gain popularity over the next years, our study provides a benchmark of the expected effects when the treatment is performed in an operational context.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture

Author(s)

POWER, Hugues, Stephane TREMBLAY, Isabelle AUGER and Emmanuel DUCHATEAU

Year of publication :

2024

ISSN

0045-5067, 1208-6037

Keywords :

sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements résineux, silviculture and yield of natural forests - softwood stands, article scientifique, scientific article, commercial thinning, partial cut, naturally regenerated stands, operational trial, merchantable volume, éclaircie commerciale, coupes partielles, suivi opérationnel, sylviculture des peuplements résineux, effets réels

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