Summary
Published in Canadian Journal of Forest Research 40: 894-903
We present the effects, 10 years after treatment, of different cutting intensities (removal of 0%, 35%, 50%, 65%, and 100% of basal area (BA)) on the response of residual trees in a 60-year-old mixed aspen–conifer stand in Québec, Canada. While decennial mortality reached 170 stems.ha–1 under natural conditions (control, 24 m2.ha–1 BA), the removal of mature trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) trees reduced hardwood losses to 125, 105, and 0 stems.ha–1, respectively, in the 35%, 50%, and 65% cuttings, without affecting losses of coniferous species (<25 stems.ha–1). The growth response of conifers was generally higher than that of broad-leaved species. For hardwoods, the decennial gains in merchantable BA decreased with respect to the control (3.2 m2.ha–1), to 1.2 m2.ha–1 in the 35% cut and to 0.9 m2.ha–1 in the 50% cut, but increased under the 65% cut (2.5 m2.ha–1). For conifers, gains were proportional to removal in partial cuts (2.6–4.9 m2.ha–1) and lower in the control (1.7 m2.ha–1). As a whole, our results suggest that partial cutting may be an effective means of increasing growth of the softwood proportion occupying the intermediate and suppressed strata in a mixed aspen-dominated stand.
Sector(s):
Forests
Categorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture
Departmental author(s):
Author(s)
PRÉVOST, Marcel, Daniel DUMAIS and David POTHIER
Year of publication :
2010
How to get the publication :
Keywords :
coupe partielle, croissance des arbres résiduels, croissance en surface terrière, croissance en volume, mortalité, peuplement de tremble et conifères, sylviculture des forêts naturelles mélangées, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements mélangés, aspen - conifer stand, basal area growth, mortality, partial cutting, residual tree growth, volume growth, silviculture and yield of natural forests - mixed stands
