Red maple, aspen and white pine.

[Tarm]

I've got a stand with a patchy mixture of aspen saplings, (regen from a 1989 thinning), aspen poles/sawtimber (retained saplings from the same 1989 thinning) and 90 year old red maple from the original stand. The red maple is for the most part poor quality stump sprout poles. The aspen poles/sawtimber trees are showing decline and need to be harvested. I would also like to get some white pine growing in the understory for some diversity. What to do?
1. If I clearcut everything I would get great aspen regen but would put in a lot of time (I'm hand cutting) felling aspen saplings for no return. The aspen sprouts would also choke out any white pine plantings.
2. If I just cut the aspen poles/sawtimber I doubt I would get any aspen regen with the remaining shade but I might open up enough spots for some white pine plantings.
3. I could cut the aspen poles/sawtimber and the red maple poles, retaining the aspen saplings. That would get me a patchy two aged aspen stand. I could plant the white pine in the harvested red maple patches. Although the white pine would not  have any overstory.
In a perfect world I would like to harvest the aspen poles/sawtimber, let the rest of the stuff grow and underplant some white pine under a thinned canopy without fighting aspen sprouts. How do I get from here to there?

[Tarm]

I guess I asked a question with no answer. So after reviewing the forestry literature and reflecting on the situation I've decided to harvest the aspen poles/sawtimber and just let everything else grow. I'll find another place to plant my white pine.

[CJennings]

How many acres is this? The pine would struggle against the faster growing aspen. You would need some spots to be either shadier than what aspen wants, while open enough for the pine, or control the aspen around the pine somehow. You could do a bit of a shelterwood to get the pine started, then remove the rest of the overstory aspen and red maple you want gone. And add in gaps here and there to get more aspen where you want it. As the pine is growing and better able to compete, you could expand the gaps to get more aspen without completely outcompeting the pine, depending on the density of the planted pine. The white pine needs either shade or density to prevent excessive pine weevil problems. The gaps could cover more area than the shelterwood for the pine if you want more aspen than pine. Just work out the percentages you want of each.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, how many acres is the stand? And ditto to the above management prescription for this diverse stand. Remove all the aspen and do a crop tree release thinning of the red maple and white pine.

[Tarm]

Walked the 5 acre stand with a local procurement forester. He recommended to clear cut the aspen and red maple. Retain the scattered red oak and white pine saplings. Also aspen sapling patches larger in diameter than the trees were tall could be kept for future growth. Find another place to plant the white pine. Good advice I think. I'm going to go with it!