Fundamentals of Forest Management Planning

FOR 272 – Sustainable Forest Management

FOREST MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS

Prescription = A schedule of activities for a stand, landscape, watershed, or other management unit

Five key elements:

1. Statement of goals

2. Understanding of historical processes

3. Land-type classification

4. Treatment schedule

5. Quantitative projection of conditions and outcomes

I. Goals and Objectives

1. Goals• Timeless statement of intent• Statement of direction, don’t necessarily expect to

fully achieve a goal

2. Objectives• Specific statement of intended accomplishment• Measurable, observable, has a reference to time,

an associated cost, and is attainable.

Historical Context for Forest Management in New England

0

0.5

1

1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900

Year

Prop

ortio

n of

Lan

dsca

pe in

Old

-gro

wth

HRV

Historical Range of Variability

Figure from Aplet and Keeton (1999)

0

0.5

1

0 100 200 300 400 500

Years

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f L

and

scap

e in

Old

-gro

wth

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0.5

1

0 100 200 300 400 500

Years

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f L

and

scap

e in

Old

-Gro

wth

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0.5

1

0 100 200 300 400 500

Years

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f L

and

scap

e in

Old

-Gro

wth

HRV

HRV

HRV

Scale: Small Watershed

Scale: Drainage Basin

Scale: Region

Hurricane

Hurricanes

Source: Aplet and Keeton (1999)

Stand Age/Structural Condition

Young Mature Old-growth

19th century

Current

Pre-Settlement

Pro

port

ion

of F

ores

t Cov

erChanges in Age-Class Distributions

1.0

0

HRV

Historical Range of Variability

Figure modified from Aplet and Keeton (1999) using data from Cogbill (2000)

0

0.1

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0.3

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0.6

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0.9

1

1300 1350 1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 1650 1700

Year

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f L

and

scap

e in

Ear

ly-S

ucc

essi

on

Pre-Settlement: 1600

Early Homestead: 1740

Height of Clearing: 1830

Abandonment: 1850

Old Field White Pine: 1910

Hardwood release and succession: 1915

Young hardwoods: 1930

Stand Improvement Cutting

Commercial Thinning

Shelterwood Harvest

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10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Year

Per

cen

t o

f L

ands

cap

e in

C

lose

d-C

ano

py

Fo

rest

Forest Cover Trends in New England Since European Settlement

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Year

Th

ou

sa

nd

He

cta

res

Forest Cover in Vermont

Data courtesy of Harvard Forest (2003)

Wildlife Population Trends in VT and NH Since European Settlement

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Year

Per

cen

t o

f A

ver

age

Pre

-Set

tlem

ent

Ab

un

dan

ce

Bison

Elk

Wolverine

Gray Wolf

Cougar

Deer

Beaver

Black Bear

Wild Turkey

Coyote

G/S Birds

Altered Successional Pathways Resulting from a Complex History of Land-use

Figure from Foster (1992)

Differences Between Pre-Settlement and Current Forests in VT and NH

Species: Abundance:Chestnut Elm

BeechSugar MapleHemlock

White PineRed Spruce

White BirchCottonwoodPin CherryRed Maple

Functionally Extirpated

Communities: Abundance:Old-Growth Forest of All Types

Floodplain Silver Maple and Sugar Maple

Rich Lowland Oak/Basswood/Ash

Forested Wetlands

Native Grasslands and Shrublands

Forest Composition

Sources: Cogbill (2000); McLachlan et al. (2000); Fuller et al. 1998; Foster 1992; Siccama (1971)

Differences Between Pre-Settlement and Current Forests in VT and NH

Landscape Pattern•Patch Size

•Patch Shape Complexity

•Fragmentation vs. Connectivity

•Bottomland Openings

•Ridgeline and Upper-Slope Openings

•Topographic Distribution of White Pine

•Topographic Distribution of Red Spruce

Sources: Cogbill (2000); Mladenoff and Pastor (1993)