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Survival and growth dynamics of red spruce seedlings planted under different forest cover densities and types

Summary

Published in New Forests 50: 573–592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-018-9680-2

Advance regeneration of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) is scarce in many forest stands, due to past clearcuts and heavy harvesting of large seed trees in partial cuts. Understory enrichment planting has been proposed as a means to reintroduce the species in managed stands in which regeneration is deficient. Here, we present 5-year results regarding survival and growth dynamics of red spruce seedlings planted under hardwood, mixedwood, and coniferous forest covers following various cuts (each made on 0.5–1.2 ha square area): hybrid single-tree and group-selection, irregular shelterwood (two variants: continuous cover and extended irregular shelterwood), uniform regular shelterwood, harvesting with advance regeneration protection (HARP), and careful logging around advanced growth (hereafter referred to as ‘patch clearcut’). Five-year seedling survival did not vary among cuts except under the coniferous cover, where it was better in the heavier cuts (HARP and patch clearcut; 67%) than under continuous cover shelterwood cuts (24%), in which browsing occurrence was high (around 80%). Under the hardwood cover, height, diameter and biomass growth were greater in the extended irregular shelterwood cut than in other treatments. Under the mixedwood and coniferous covers, seedling growth was greater in patch clearcut, likely because transmitted light (90–100% full sunlight) was higher than in other cuts (around 30%). Results suggest that red spruce could be reintroduced using enrichment planting under a partial forest cover, but that additional treatments could be necessary to manage light and to limit browsing pressure in order to optimize long-term survival and growth performance.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture

Author(s)

DUMAIS, Daniel, Catherine LAROUCHE, Patricia RAYMOND, Steve BÉDARD and Marie-Claude LAMBERT

Year of publication :

2018

Format :

PDF available upon request

ISSN

1573-5095

Keywords :

broutement, plantation d'enrissement, épinette rouge, croissance en hauteur et en diamètre, coupe de jardinage, coupe progessive et coupe à blanc, article scientifique de recherche forestière, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements feuillus, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements mélangés, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements résineux, Picea rubens, silviculture and yield of natural forests - hardwood stands, silviculture and yield of natural forests - mixed stands, silviculture and yield of natural forests - softwood stands, browsing, enrichment planting, seedling height and diameter growth, selection, shelterwood and clearcutting systems

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