Summary:
Published in The Forestry Chronicle 89(3): 392-400
The use of gap-based silviculture and enrichment planting was tested in temperate mixedwood forests in eastern Canada. Four different sizes of canopy opening or patch cuts were applied to six stands in the maple–birch domain of Quebec. We evaluated the influence of opening size, cardinal quadrant within the opening, and distance from the forest edge of openings on white spruce height and ground-level diameter (GLD) five years after enrichment planting. At ≥5 m from the edge, initial canopy transmittance was generally >60% in all four canopy treatments. White spruce seedling height and GLD were lower within 10 m from the edge, and generally increased where understory light levels were higher. Seedling survival, height, and GLD in the smallest opening (0.05 ha) were comparable or higher than those found in relatively larger openings. The 0.05-ha opening that more closely emulates natural canopy gaps of temperate mixedwood forests provided satisfactory seedling development, and is therefore compatible with a gap-based stand dynamics approach to management of mixedwood stands in Quebec.
Sector(s):
Forests
Catégorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Ecosystems and Environment, Forest Ecology, Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture
Departmental author(s):
Author(s):
HÉBERT, François, Vincent ROY, Isabelle AUGER and Martin-Michel GAUTHIER
Year of publication:
2013
Format:
PDF available upon request
How to get the publication:
Keyword(s):
picea glauca, ecosystems and environment, forest ecology, silviculture and yield of plantations, enrichment planting, ecosystem-based forest management, gap dynamics, temperate mixedwood stand, white spruce, restoration