Following the appointment of the new Cabinet, the Forest Sector now reports to the ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts, while the Wildlife and Parks Sectors report to the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte aux changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. Adjustments will be made to the website over time.

Back to publications

Shelterwood cutting in a boreal mixedwood stand: 5-year effects of the final cut on development of aspen suckers and released conifers

Summary

Published in The Forestry Chronicle 95(2): 113-123. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2019-018

We used the two-step shelterwood cutting to release conifer advance growth and limit the development of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloïdes) suckers in a stratified mixed aspen – conifer stand. This study presents the effects of the final cut, applied 12 years after the establishment cut, on the 5-year response of advance regeneration and aspen sucker development. Suckering was inversely proportional to the intensity of the establishment cut, with 19 000, 14 900 and 6800 stems/ha two years after the final cut, respectively, in the initial removal of 35%, 50% and 65% basal area. By year 5 however, the treatment effect on stem density was no longer significant due to high aspen mortality in the 35% and 50% cuts. At this time, the density of conifer stems taller than 100 cm was comparable to that of aspen stems in the 35% and 50% cuts, while conifers dominated the 65% cut. Standing mortality was higher for hardwood (22–28%) than for conifer (4–9%) advance growth, except in the uncut control (14% and 9%, respectively), while windthrow averaged 4% and 8%, respectively, in the three partial cuts without being related to treatment. Small merchantable conifer stems (diameter at breast height – DBH 9.1–15.0 cm) that were retained were most affected by windthrow, but overall losses were found acceptable considering DBH and height growth of the surviving stems. This study confirms that the two-step shelterwood cutting that secures conifer advance regeneration should be considered to limit hardwood conversion in the boreal mixedwood forest.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Departmental author(s): 

Charette, Lise, Prévost, Marcel

Author(s)

PRÉVOST, Marcel and Lise CHARETTE

Year of publication :

2019

Format :

PDF

Keywords :

aménagement écosystémique, enfeuillement, mélange stratifié d'espèces, coupe avec protection de la régénération, régénération préétablie de conifères, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements mélangés, article scientifique de recherche forestière, silviculture and yield of natural forests - mixed stands, ecosystem-based forest management, hardwood expansion, stratified species mixture, conifer advance growth, careful logging, forestry research scientific article

Partagez