Final Flashcards
What is forest inventory?
The measurement of a representative sample (~2%) of the net forest.
Represents a current “snapshot” in time and is updated every 20 years
Describe forest industry in chart formation?
Quality of Timber
Quantity of Timber Forest Inventory Location of Timber
Effective Timber Resource Management
What is Growth and Yield Modeling?
how foresters account for change over time. Using Permanent Sample Plots they track individual tree growth and stand changes over time (5 year measurements)
What is Annual Allowable Cut?
the total volume of timber that can be harvested or the amount of and that timber can be harvested from. (based on net forest land base production over one year)
What is rotation age?
the number of years it takes to grow an even-aged stand of trees to a specified state of maturity Pl~ 90 yrs Aw~ 40 yrs Spruce/fir ~150 yrs Species specific and regionally specific
what is the annual forest growth on all alberta public lands?
44.5 million m3/yr
What is forest tenure system?
legal contractual agreement that defines and constrains a companies right to harvest on provincial lands
what are 3 forest tenure mechanisms in alberta?
- forest management agreement
- timber quota
- commercial timber permit
what are the 3 considerations of forest management planning?
- very costly process
- 20 year planning horizon
- license plans are developed and approved for specific areas of interest
what do woodland operations involve?
pre-harvest ecological site assessments (ESA’s)
pre-harvest silvicultural prescriptions (PSP’s)
what do PSP’s include?
- silviculture systems
- timber extraction methods
- site preparation techniques
- reforestation tactics (regeneration monitoring, tree and stand improvement over time)
what is a silvicultural system?
a cycle of activities by which a forest stand, or a group of trees, is harvested, regenerated, and tended over time
what are the 4 phases of silvicultral systems?
- harvesting (removal of timber via felling, processing, yarding, and hauling)
- site preparation (create suitable microsites for new crop trees)
- regeneration (forest renewal by natural or artificial means)
- stand tending (activities which promote better quality forest)
3 important factors for choosing a silviculture system?
- consistent with management objectives (F&W habitat, forest health, water quality)
- stand type and ecology (don’t diverge much from what the stand is naturally)
- economics (operational costs, current market value of wood products)
in an even-aged silviculture, what systems produce a single age class?
clearcut coppice seed tree shelterwood patch cut
in an uneven-aged silviculture what system produces 3 distinct age classes?
group tree selection
single tree selection
Define clearcut and give 2 characteristics?
an area of forest land where all merchantable trees have been removed in a single stand entry. most common today!
- promotes shade intolerant seral trees (pines)
- natural or artificial regeneration
what are 3 advantages of clearcut?
- facilitates mechanized harvesting
- cost effective
- mimic certain aspects of stand replacing fire
what are 3 disadvantages of clearcut?
- low visual preference
- high site impact
- vegetative competition
what are 3 applications of clearcut?
- mos common
- stand renewal- best for Pl or Pj
- salvage cutting (insects, drought, fire) (1-2 yrs)
define coppice and give 3 characteristics?
a deciduous clearcut where the primary regeneration is vegetative sprouting of either suckers or shots
- timing of harvesting operation
- promotes shade intolerant deciduous trees
- natural regeneration only
what are 5 advantages of coppice?
- mechanized harvesting
- cost effective
- low potential site impact
- mimic stand replacing fire
- no reforestation cost
what are 2 disadvantages of coppice?
- low visual preference
2. vegetative competition
what are 2 applications of coppice?
- best if not the only system for Aw
2. quick rotation for Aw pulpwood (30-50 yrs)
define seed tree?
a system where selected trees are left standing after the initial stand entry for natural regeneration. may or may not be harvested after natural regeneration is complete.
what are 3 characteristics of seed tree?
- most merchantable trees are removed
- 15-20 seed trees/ha are left (windfirm spp)
- promotes an even-aged stand of shade intolerant natural regeneration (Lw, Fd)
what are 3 considerations for selecting seed trees?
- “plus trees”- best quality seed trees marked to stay
- substantial, healthy cone crop with viable seed
- windfirm species: large crown = large root system
what are 3 advantages of seed trees?
- stand improvement
- increase health and vigor
- no regeneration cost
what are 4 disadvantages of seed trees?
- site impact
- blow down of seed trees
- cost to go back in for seed trees
- damage to seedlings during see tree removal
what are 2 applications of seed trees?
- natural regeneration and stand improvement
2. structural and ecological benefits, if seed trees left
Define shelterwood?
a system where trees are removed in a series of cutting to promote and even-aged stand under the protection of the remaining overstorey trees
what are 2 characteristics of shelterwood?
- all merchantable stands removed ~4 passes over 20 yrs
2. promotes even-aged stand of mid-shade tolerant natural regeneration (Fd, western white pine)
define the 4 cutting sequences of shelterwood?
- preparatory cut- a thinning prior to the first cut to increase tree quality and wind firmness
- first cut- tree removal to opening up enough growing space in the understorey for regeneration to come in
- removal cuttings- tree removal to gradually uncover the new crop trees
- final cut- complete removal of trees which uncovers a well established, even-aged crop of mid-shade tolerant trees (done only once, regeneration no longer requires protection)
what are 4 advantages of shelterwood?
- stand improvement
- no reforestation cost
- first cup opens up stand to increase tree volumes and cone production
- high forest cover for ~20 yrs
what are 3 disadvantages of shelterwood?
- high cost due to number of stand entries
- understorey protection difficult and costly
- roads remain open longer
what are 3 applications of shelterwood?
- to promote even-aged, mid-shade tolerant stands adding diversity to the landscape
- Fd & Pw on south aspects- spruce on shaded north aspects
- multiple objectives: timber, high forest cover as habitat, visual quality and landscape diversity
define patch cut and give 2 characteristics?
a smaller version of the clearcut
- similar to clearcut but smaller
- natural or artificial regeneration
what is 1 advantage, 2 disadvantages and 1 application of patch cut?
- small business opportunity
- to much may lead to fragmentation
- increased road network to access smaller blocks
- may help increase snow catch relative to watershed management objectives
define single tree cutting?
a system where individual trees are selected and removed making room (gaps) for a new age class (shade tolerant)