Study

Effects of selective tree harvests on aboveground biomass and net primary productivity of a second-growth northern hardwood forest

  • Published source details Dyer J.H., Gower S.T., Forrester J.A., Lorimer C.G., Mladenoff D.J. & Burton J.I. (2010) Effects of selective tree harvests on aboveground biomass and net primary productivity of a second-growth northern hardwood forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 40, 2360-2369.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Use group-selection harvesting

Action Link
Forest Conservation
  1. Use group-selection harvesting

    A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2004-2008 in temperate broadleaf forest in Wisconsin, USA (Dyer et al. 2010) found that group-selection harvesting decreased the above ground biomass, but not the annual biomass increase. Above ground biomass was lower in group-selection (242,000 kg/ha) than in uncut plots (260,000 kg/ha), while the annual biomass increase was similar between treatments (11,000 kg/ha). Biomass of all plants <1.4 m tall was higher in large (700 kg/ha) than in medium (620 kg/ha) and small (480 kg/ha) gaps, and was higher in all gap-sizes compared with the transition zones (250-300 kg/ha). In 2007, all trees >5 cm diameter at breast height were cut in one small, one medium and one large circular subplots (gaps) of 4, 8 and 11 m radius in each of 15 plots of 80 × 80 m group-selection. In other 20 similar plots, subplots remained uncut. Each subplot was surrounded by an untreated transition zone 4, 8, and 11 m wide respectively. Total above ground biomass was determined for the entire plot, biomass of plants <1.4 m tall was measured in four 2 × 2 m quadrat at each gap and transition zones.

     

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