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Forestry Practice?

Started by Dal_sanyl, November 06, 2012, 07:02:49 PM

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Slab Slicer

I'm not a forester by any stretch of the imagination. As you can see, I'm relatively new here, and I'm learning alot, as I hope you will. I can say the the old practices mention previously, were not the way to handle forestry. These practices have been changed for the better, and the forests are better because of them.

   The only example I can express is what I see on some of the neighboring property. The are a nice variety of different trees, but what I do see are the tulip poplar trees that are outgrowing the many oaks that are along side of them. The oaks supply alot of forage food for alot of wildlife. Unfortunately, the oaks, in a struggle for sunlight, are starting to lean in an effort to reach the light that the poplars are shading them from. These oaks in turn, are uprooting, or breaking off, and are lost. Their supply of food for the wildlife is then lost. The wildlife will either move on, or die off from starvation. Proper management of the poplar, and at times, some of the oaks, by removing the appropriate amount, and using those trees in countless products, would allow both species, and in turn, the wildlife, to flourish.

This is just a small example, from a novice, but I feel it does help make a point.
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Dal_sanyl

Quote from: Ianab on November 07, 2012, 01:54:42 PM


Conservation of rare species? It needs to be considered and time you make a change to the makeup of a forest. But often a young regenerating forest is a better wildlife habitat than an old "climax" forest, which may be very shaded and lacking in undergrowth and food plants. 

But Beech, and Cherry are shade tolerant, and grow better in old growth forests, and by continually cutting this stops them from spreading and feeding animals


I understand that humans have needs and that forest harvesting is a way we get our timber for houses, and paper, and all the information that members of this forum have been saying it seems as if the states is trying to protect the forests not just clear them away, so what about other countries? I know Canada's founded on the forest industry (whether I like it or not) so I'd imagine that Canada too has stable practices? What about South America? or Europe? or other counties in the world?

Ianab


QuoteWhat about South America? or Europe? or other counties in the world?

Good question.

It varies from country to country.

South America is interesting.  One of the unintended side effects of restricting the trade in tropical timber is that the forest then become worthless to the locals. Where previously they would harvest some of the forest, sell the logs, and it would regrow (surprisingly fast), not regulations make this difficult. But they still need to eat. So the chops down the trees to grow crops, and the most lucrative ones would be drugs. We had a (now deceased) member Jim King that was living in Peru, and he gave a VERY different outlook on the situation there, and the dodgy dealings of a lot of "conservation" groups.

Europe has a long history of forest management, going back for decades. 99% of the forest there would be influenced by man at some time in it's history, so trying to find some "natural" state is pointless. Need to bring back those Mammoths etc.

New Zealand where I live is a different case again.  Total amount of forest is pretty much static now, although much was cleared for farmland in the past, same as US and Europe. Commercial forestry here is mostly plantation pine, grown in rows like corn. Planted and harvested in a similar sort of way. The remaining native forest is pretty much preserved from any logging, except for some small private areas, where logging is VERY strictly controlled. The use of intensive plantation forest means that large amounts of timber can be produced while the native forest can be preserved.

But even then it requires some serious management to even maintain that native forest. Introduced feral animals, and lack of ANY predators would see that forest pretty much destroyed in a couple of decades without a lot of money being spent  on controlling deer, goats, pigs and possums.

It's good that you are asking these questions. Things are not as simple as they might seem. Going "hands off" can have major effects (possibly more than harvesting might have). Good luck finding any deer or turkey in your shade tolerant beech forest.
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Phorester

It doesn't matter what country in the world you're talking about with forestry.  There is the biological side of forests that comes into play over this entire planet.

Trees are plants.  Therefore, a forest is a collection of plants. Like a garden, a fruit orchard, a lawn. So how do you create healthy lawns, gardens, orchards? You can answer this question by asking another one: What do plants need to grow?  Three main things; soil, water, and sunlight.  How do you make plants grow better?  Give them optimum conditions of soil, water, sunlight. 

In a natural forest, you're stuck with whatever soil is there.  You can't practically or financially improve the soil. 

You cannot control the amount of water that falls on a forest.  (You can't control the rain or snow)

But you can control the amount of sunlight that reaches the trees.  This is done by different methods of cutting some trees to give to give your desired trees more sunlight.   There are different cutting methods used.  As you learn more about forestry, you will learn about crop tree release, thinnings, liberation cuttings, clearcutting, selective harvesting, etc. Each method is used by foresters to manipulate sunlight to the tree species they want to grow in a particular area. You cannot have a healthy forest without cutting trees. 

To address clearcutting, it is indeed the end of a forest.  But at the exact same instant, it's also the beginning of a new forest, unless its being converted to another use like a subdivision, a shopping center, or a highway.  In forest management, clearcutting is used when the existing forest is unhealthy or  doesn't have the best trees for the site anymore due to past bad logging, fires, hurricanes, etc. Clearcutting is used to create the maximum amount of sunlight on that area, so you  are favoring the tree species that needs maximum sun to germinate and grow.  Like oak, pines, yellow poplar, black walnut, etc.  Just like planting a new garden.  You take out the old garden (you probably did this the fall of the year before) to maximize growing space and to eliminate shade over the new plants.

You can have multiple use in every forest, but it is impossible to have multiple use on every acre of a forest because of the natural biological conditions in different areas of that forest.  Based on where you are in the world, which determines in a broad sense what trees will grow there (their natural ranges), the soils found in different areas of a forest determine which trees will grow there the best. In an eastern forest in my State, Virginia, for instance, you can designate some areas for oak, some for your previously mentioned beech and cherry, some for pine, some for yellow poplar, some for ash, some for black walnut, etc.,all  based on the type of soil found in different areas of that forest.  Some of those trees can grow together on some acres, but you  cannot have all those trees on every acre because of their different requirements for sunlight and soil.

So.....forests are collections of plants. All that foresters do is apply basic plant biology to trees. It can be said that foresters manage sunlight rather than trees, because this is the only one of the three main requirements for healthy plants that we can change.




Texas Ranger

Well said, and you can control, to a small extent, water usage through amount of plant cover, and forest floor management.  Bare soil does not absorb water as well as a good duff covering.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Shotgun

Not much has been mentioned about entomological and pathological considerations yet.  Be aware that these do exist and can greatly affect a forest stand, and the planning for management of same.  Also, there are social and economic impacts. In some areas a government tells you what you can (or must) do, or can't do with your own property.

Management also depends on what the landowner desires as a goal. He may want to use the property for hunting (deer, bear, grouse, squirrels, racoons, ducks, etc.), or the production of specific tree species.  There are three types of property ownership,  public (federal, state, county, township, etc.), and private (commercial & personal).

Bottom line in all of this, there is no template, one size fits all.

Dal, it would be helpful if you told us a little about yourself, where you're located, and what you want.  The few posts of yours that I've seen almost seem to have an offensive slant.  Folks here are going all out for you.  Let us get to know you a bit.

There have been some really good posts and good information offered.
Joined The Forestry Forum 5 days before 9/11.

Piston

Dal,
If nothing else, I just want to thank you for asking this question.  I've learned a lot from reading the replies. 

Welcome to the forum.  ;D
-Matt
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Black_Bear

Quote from: Jeff on November 08, 2012, 06:12:28 PM
QuoteI'm not an expert on western US silviculture and anyone may correct me, but it is my understanding that the lack of thinning/cutting has led to high density stands containing a relatively high percentage of dead timber, which probably tends to burn easier and faster. High fuel loads is the term, I believe. 

That's not from management, that is the result of the ability to manage being obstructed or taken away.

That was the message I was trying to convey. Thanks for clarifying it.

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