Maximizing income in White pine stand

[tuckermtn]

In a strange situation-

have a "client"- I'm not a forester- just trying to connect a good buyer with a good mechanized crew.

Client needs to maximize income from very mature white pine stand.  Needs lump sum payment. Basal area ranges from 140-180 per acre.  prob. 60 tons of chips per acre in additon.

have a few potential buyers.  Just trying to figure out what is the best type of harvest- short of a clear cut- to offer the sale as- the two that jump out are shelterwood and diameter limit cut.

question on shelterwood cut-  what is the best target basal area per acre to shoot for? 65-70? up, down?

for the diameter limit my sense was 12" DBH- the problem is the majority of the pine is big- so there isn't much thats going to be left- suspect it will just blow down. 

thanks for input

[Ianab]

As no qualified forestors have replied....

If the stand is 'Over mature' as you indicate, then a clearcut may actually be a valid option.

As you suspect the the smaller trees left behind on a DBH cut will be the weak suppressed runt trees that will probably die or blow over after the bigger trees are removed.

A 'shelter' harvest is not so good with pine, well not if you want more pines to grow anyway. Pines normally regenerate in open ground. A semi shaded area, something else will grow.

If the customer doesn't want to do a clearcut for asthetic reason, then look at coupes. Thats picking areas of 1-5 acres and clear cutting them, while leaving the surrounding forest intact. You may need to take out some stray trees to make trails, but you can lay out the harvest areas to suit the terrain. Harvest the mature areas, leave patches of healthy younger trees etc. The decent size areas of clearcut within the forest make for easier harvesting for the crew, and less damage to the remaining forest.

For the customer, they get 20-30% of the trees harvested with no fuss. The area still looks like a forest. The clearcut areas regenerate quickly and you can repeat the process in 10 years time, for ever.

Ian

[Tarm]

What is in the understory? If it is a thick carpet of white pine seedlings reduce the overstory to 40 percent crown cover and let them get started on forming a new stand. If regeneration is lacking a seed cutting shelterwood harvest is probably necessary along with some scarification. White pine is unique in that it will grow in partial shade. Once adequate regeneration has been established the overstory can be removed when the seedlings are six feet tall. This should meet the landowners objective of "money now."

[Ron Scott]

Best for you or your client to contact your local conservation district forester, DNR service forester, or a professional consulting forester servicing your area and have them look at the stand and provide the best management prescription to meet your client's objectives.

A professional forester's on site stand visit can best determine and evaluate the landscape, ecosystem, and silviculure for the stand's proper management.

[SwampDonkey]

Have the white pine been aged? Big white pine are not necessarily over mature. They live a long time.

[ID4ster]

What does the "client' want after he's logged off some/all the pine? Does he just want to maximize income now or for the next few/several years and does he want a forest after the harvest is done or will he be converting the woodlot to another use? Before offering up a prescription it would be good to know what all his objectives are. Also what are the forest practice laws in your state? Does the woodlot have to retain some timber or be regenerated after the harvest?

[tuckermtn]

Thanks for those who have responded. 

I'll try and summarize.

ID4ster- the goal is income in the near term. 

understory is a lot of fir and spruce. I would call it a "dog-hair spuce" understory.  very little white pine re-gen. 

Landowner needs a forester, but doesn't want to pay them their %, or per hour rates...

I'm just trying to connect the landowner with a good operator - and make a suggestion to operator and landowner what is a good type of harvest...I'm thinking shelterwood- but not sure of how many trees per acre to leave. 

[Ron Scott]

There usually isn't any charge to have a Conservation District  Forester or DNR Service Forester look at the stand and provide the needed advice. Hiring a professional consulting forester is  usually well worth the investment.

[tonich]

I'm thinking shelterwood- but not sure of how many trees per acre to leave. 

Yes, shelterwood cutting would be great for regenerating…. "dog-hair spruce".  :D :D :D  ;D

If you want to support pine seedlings, you have to open gaps where they are in large amounts, sized at about stand-height in diameter. The size is approximate and depends on the slope and exposure in particular. However, the stated one is a good point to start from.


Haven’t got a clue about White pine’s biology and ecology, but I would give pines a chance over spruce and fir then and now.  ;)


Good luck and be a good adviser!  ;)



PS. I’ll second what Ron Scott said: Hiring a forester is of best interest for the woodlot.

[ID4ster]

Do you have any idea of the age of these "mature" white pine and what  are the crown ratios? Also are these straight log quality white pine or multiheaded "cabbage" pine?

[4genlgr]

i think i'd take a step back out of the middle of finding a good logger for a friend or neighbor  NH state forest service should have a list of consulting Foresters availible.it will be worth the money for a "walk through" with the forester just  to get an idea of what's there, market conditions, what is happening on the ground now,what the landowers needs are,  future plans etc. there are good loggers and good loggers depending on what type of job the land owner wants done.
sounds like he wants to get as much as he can out so that's a "keep it legal" cut. what is left will need to be short stable trees not tall and skinny to lessen blow over
how big an area is it  and if they're big trees ,kind of park like underneath, go with a bigger DBH cut to give the ones left a chance to grow

good luck

[SwampDonkey]

Ideally, diameter distribution should be maintained as determined from an inventory.  Taking everything above a set diameter my be easy to implement. But, often this practice guts the forest leaving stems: that won't be worth much in the future, that are subject to wind throw or breakage, that are inferior seed producers and that may not be great full cycle trees. Often times family members will ask themselves post harvest why they ever allowed so and so to do it that way and not listen to sound advise.

If the sole purpose is revenue, then all the advice in the world may not be of any use. Similar to drawing a plan up and stuffing it in the cupboard after you looked solely at how much wood is inventoried and how much can I get from it here and now.

[fkarcha]

Perhaps you should peruse the Pinus strobus entry in the Silvics of North America publication.  It provides information on various characteristics relavent to the selection of a silviculture regime. 

It would suggest a clearcut with mechanical scarification following a good seed year.

[PAFaller]

It was mentioned earlier as 'coupes?' I've never heard it called that but the site sounds like its screaming group selection harvest. Having logged in NH and Maine I can tell you that if you thin the pine in a diameter limit cut fashion most of what you leave will not only be the weak junk, but its probably going to get blown over to boot. If the landowner can deal with repeated entry over the next 10-20 years, doing group selections and establishing regeneration between cuts will keep the area from looking like a complete clearcut when the final overstory is removed. Otherwise call over to the Extension folks in good ol Durham (Go UNH!!) and see if you cant get one of them to come out and take a walk.

Had to throw in the UNH plug, its my alma mater after all 

[SwampDonkey]

Mentioning something here, not too pertinent to thread, but when we do pre-commercial thinning we are instructed to leave any decent white pine. I do know the silviculture manual for pre-commercial thinning prescribes a spacing of around 1500 per acre. We rarely get stands of any size regenerated to pure white pine or 75% anyway. Last week I had a strip with 2 big old growth pine standing on site casting their seed of influence and I left as many pine as looked decent. The priority is spruce. But when your working in a sea of spruce, a few pine left makes a job site look like someone isn't mindlessly mowing trees down.  ;)