Summary
Published in Forest Ecology and Management 511: 120142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120142
In northern hardwood stands of the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada, the abundance and occurrence of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh) regeneration have increased substantially over the past decades, to the detriment of other deciduous species such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton). To promote the regeneration of these declining species, we established an experimental study near Qu´ebec City (Quebec, Canada) to compare the effects of various partial cutting treatments and mechanical control of understory American beech. The design comprises 4 randomized complete blocks, each containing an uncut control, a hybrid single-tree and group selection cutting (SC), two intensities of continuous cover irregular shelterwood (CCIS) and an extended irregular shelterwood (EIS). American beech regeneration, which dominated the sapling layer before cutting, was removed with brush saws in gaps created in the SC and CCIS treatments as well as in the entire understory of the EIS treatment. In addition, gaps and the EIS understory were scarified to favor yellow birch regeneration, and 12 exclosures were built to prevent cervid browsing in CCIS gaps and in entire understory of the EIS treatment. Ten years after cutting, yellow birch regeneration was more abundant in gaps and in the EIS treatment than in the uncut control. These results confirm that increasing the understory light level, eliminating American beech saplings and scarifying the soil can successfully favor yellow birch establishment. However, preferential browsing of yellow birch outside exclosures maintained the overall dominance of American beech in the long term. Thus, under these conditions, damage from repetitive browsing outweighed the positive effects of actions aimed at promoting the regeneration of yellow birch. In the end, despite abundant seed availability, sugar maple remained only a minor component of the regeneration
File
Sector(s):
Forests
Categorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Silviculture
Author(s)
BÉDARD, Steve, Patricia RAYMOND and Josianne DeBlois
Year of publication :
2022
Format :
Keywords :
Coupe progressive irrégulière, hêtre à grandes feuilles, bouleau jaune, broutement par les cervidés, régénération, scarifiage, contrôle mécanique du hêtre, exclos, irregular shleterwood, American beech, yellow brich, cervid browsing, regeneration, scarification, mechanical beech control, exclosure, article scientifique de la recherche forestière, scientific article, Sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements de feuillus, Silviculture and yield of natural forests - hardwood stands
