Browsing by Subject "Silviculture"
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Item Cloquet Forestry Center Research Papers and Reports 1912-2011(Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 2012) Severs, Ronald; Alm, Alvin A; Olson, RylieThis listing is an update of a listing published by Avin Alm in 1988 titled: Cloquet Forestry Center Papers and Reports for the 75-Year Period From 1912-1987. This paper provides a listing of reports, theses, and journal articles covering work conducted or materials and services provide at the University of Minnesota, College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, Cloquet Forestry Center. The listing covers the period from 1912-2011. A total of 903 papers are listed. Although considerable effort was made to make the list as complete as possible it may be that there are some omissions. Hopefully, readers of the list will assist in providing any additional citations that can be in a future update. The listing is divided into two sections. Section I is in alphabetical sequence by authors last name. Section II provides a cross reference by subject matter with citation numbers referring to the Section I alphabetical listing. The compilation of early research publications related to the Cloquet Forestry Center is the result of the wisdom of early Directors who saw the value of documenting research activity of the time. A chronological listing from 1912 to 1960 was complied by Dr. Bruce A. Brown, Cloquet Forestry Center Director from 1960-1974 and additional compilations by Dr. Al Hallgren, Cloquet Forestry Center Director from 1975-1987. Their efforts are acknowledged as well as the help and assistance of the various University of Minnesota faculty and staff whom provided additional listings. Since 1947 funding for supporting long term research at the Cloquet Forestry Center has been provided in part by MAES Project No. MIN-40-015: Dynamics, Management and Sustainable Use of Northern Forest Ecosystems.Item Continuous Forest Inventory Plots for the UMN Cloquet Forestry Center(2020-07-30) UMN Cloquet Forestry Center; UMN Department of Forest Resources; lbj@umn.edu; Johnson, Lane; University of Minnesota Experimental Forests; University of Minnnesota, Department of Forest Resources, Interagency Information Cooperative; University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry CenterThe University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Center is a field research and instructional station associated with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences (CFANS). Continuous Forest Inventory data has been collected for the CFC since 1959. The network of permanent forest measurement plots consists of 406 1/7 acre plots with a subset of these plots re-measured up to seven times since establishment. The last re-measurement occurred Summer 2014. The majority of the CFI plots were geolocated with a Trimble GeoXT GNSS receiver in 2014 or 2015 to obtain sub-meter precision for each plot center. Plot locations are marked in the field with a tagged center post with painted tree numbers oriented to plot center. Eight plots without precision GNSS locations are indicated within the attribute table. One plot location is missing from this dataset as it could not be relocated in the field (Plot_ID = '620'). The most recent report on the UMN Cloquet Forestry Center CFI is available as 2016 Staff Paper No. 243 published through the UMN Department of Forest Resources and summarizes findings from the 2014 remeasurement.Item The Effects of Biochar, Weed Control, and Irrigation on the Growth and Survival of Jack Pine Seedlings and Native Plant Communities in Northern Minnesota, USA(2019-05) Kelso, SaraClimate change is predicted to result in more frequent and more severe droughts in the northern Midwest region of the United States. This has and will continue to impact forests of the region, especially in regards to establishing regeneration during periods of drought stress. This is leading researchers and land managers to explore adaptive silviculture strategies to promote resilience in their forests. One option hypothesized to improve regeneration success in forest systems is the application of biochar to the soil to increase seedling resistance and resilience to drought conditions Biochar is a bio-based soil amendment created through pyrolysis that has been used for centuries in tropical environments to increase productivity. Since then, biochar has been widely used in agriculture, as it has proven to be effective in increasing nutrient cycling, cation exchange capacity, and water holding capacity of the soil. Additionally, biochar has recalcitrant properties, meaning that it is very slow to degrade and thus is a viable option for sequestering carbon in the soil as a way of off-setting atmospheric emissions. However, there are very few field studies exploring the potential of biochar use in forestry in the Lake States (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), USA. Chapter 1 aims to examine the effect that biochar and/or compost has on the growth and survival of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings in northern Minnesota through a series of field experiments. This was done by conducting three field based experiments: 1) quantifying the influence of soil amendment and weed control treatments on survival and growth of jack pine seedlings; 2) quantifying the influence of soil amendments and irrigation when competition was controlled on survival and growth of jack pine seedlings; 3) quantifying the differences in planting stock – bareroot and containerized jack pine seedlings – and soil amendment in relation to jack pine survival and growth. Chapter 2 explores a topdress application treatment of biochar to a recently-harvested pine site. Biochar was spread at two different rates, with two different levels of torrefaction. This was done to learn more about what effects topdressing could have on native plant communities over time. These studies have the potential to help landowners make informed decisions about how to promote drought resilience in their forests, as well as provide a basis for long-term research projects looking into biochar use in the region’s forestry.Item Influence of Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe and Fungi on Regeneration Health and Composition in Lowland Black Spruce Post-Harvest(2022-06) Gorman, AlexanderBlack spruce (Picea mariana [Mill] Britton, Sterns & Poggenb) is a dominant and wide-ranging North American boreal forest species. It reaches its southwestern range limit in Minnesota, USA. Forest managers in Minnesota have become increasingly aware of how eastern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum [Peck]) (EDM) may be influencing the ability of black spruce to regenerate after harvest naturally. This study aimed to explore regeneration dynamics in black spruce stands, quantify residual tree density and impact from EDM, and quantify EDM infestation in neighboring stands. Ten stands were surveyed over three years in northern Minnesota pre-and post-harvest. Eastern larch comprised almost 70% of the regeneration in EDM infected stands and over 50% of the regeneration in the uninfected stands, suggesting that the light intensive environment is favorable for eastern larch regeneration. A significant difference was observed between the total percentage of black spruce regeneration recorded, with uninfected stands having a higher proportion of black spruce (p = 0.06). The diameter at breast height in inches and the square feet of basal area per acre were greater in stands with EDM infections due to residual trees left in clumps. While clear-cuts are a viable option for mitigating EDM, the disease will continue to occur if the 5-foot cutting rule is not followed. Likewise, neighboring stands can be a source of future EMD infections even if the 5-foot cutting rule is efficiently applied within a stand. Management decisions for EDM should consider infection both within the stand and at the broader landscape level (neighboring stands) when developing management recommendations. Additionally, twelve actively managed black spruce stands in Northern Minnesota, USA, were sampled to understand better the diversity and abundance of fungi present in black spruce bogs affected by eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe. The twelve stands were divided evenly between recently harvested (six stands) and unharvested (six stands); additionally, half of the harvested and unharvested stands were infected with eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe, and half were uninfected. Due to the potential for fungal infections to act as secondary disturbance agents that could expedite black spruce mortality, an emphasis was placed on investigating the presence of fungal pathogens in the Basidiomycota. Forty distinct fungal species were identified across all twelve study stands. Of all the species identified, less than half (43%) were determined to be fungal pathogens. No significant differences in fungal diversity were found between the study treatments. Additional work in black spruce systems should increase understanding of potential above and below ground disturbance agents.Item Integrated emerald ash borer management: Testing a novel approach to assess stakeholder perceptions(2023-01-23) Schneider, Ingrid; Rannow, Brett; Russell, Matt; Gupta, Angela; Windmuller-Campione, Marcella; ingridss@umn.edu; Schneider, IngridThese data describe Minnesota state park visitors' perceptions, attitudes, preferences, and behaviors pertaining to landscapes managed in response to emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) and EAB itself. Two primary datasets are included: 1) Onsite data captured from visitors at Fort Snelling, Lake Bemidji, and Wild River state parks and 2) Data obtained from online surveys. These data aim to inform researchers and managers of the public's understanding of EAB, their acceptance of common Minnesota forest management strategies, their intended visitation behaviors in response to management surrounding EAB, and preferences for landscapes managed in response to EAB. Coding manuals, data descriptions, and participant consent forms are included. Data were released to provide transparency and data to potential stakeholders and interested parties.Item Investigating red pine and white spruce growth dynamics in microplots: three-year results(2021-04) Russell, Matthew; Gill, Kyle GMiniature scale or “microplots” can be used in forest experiments to speed up the time period needed to understand forest dynamics. This reports analyses three years of red pine and white spruce growth in microplots located at the Cloquet Forestry Center, Cloquet, MN. Spacing of the microplots and species mixture did not influence the relative height and groundline diameter growth trees in the microplots after three years. Future work will continue to monitor these trees through annual measurements and a destructive sampling effort will inform biomass partitioning patterns that can be compared to operational scale plantings.Item Long-term effects of prescribed fire on vegetation structure, dynamics, and tree growth in red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) forests in north central Minnesota.(2016-05) Scherer, SawyerPrescribed fire is increasingly being viewed as a valuable tool for mitigating the ecological consequences of long-term fire suppression within fire-adapted forest ecosystems. While the use of burning treatments in northern temperate conifer forests has at times received considerable attention, the long-term (>10 years) effects on forest structure and development have not been quantified. We describe the persistence of prescribed fire effects in a mature red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.)-dominated forest in northern Minnesota, USA over a ~50 year period, as well as the relative roles of fire season and frequency in affecting individual tree and stand-level structural responses. Burning treatments were applied on 0.4 ha compartments arranged in a randomized block design with four blocks. Burning treatments crossed fire season (dormant, summer) and frequency (annual, biennial, and periodic), and include an unburned control for comparison. Treatments were applied from 1960 to 1970, with no further management interventions occurring since. Data were collected periodically from 1960 to 2014. Forest structural development trajectories were significantly altered by the application of fire treatments. Our results indicate that the effects of burning treatments on structural dynamics are not ephemeral, but rather alter stand development trajectories in the long-term. Further, burning altered shrub layer dynamics and community composition both in the short- and long-term. Both season and frequency of burning were important drivers of the response of the understory, with frequent summer season burns having the largest impact, including the greatest control of hazel brush.The persistent nature of these effects highlights their potential as a tool for long-lasting structural alterations in treated stands without compromising overstory tree growth and vigor. The lack of red pine recruitment throughout the duration of the study suggests that prescribed fire alone cannot regenerate this species, and that further alteration to overstory and seedbed conditions would be needed to secure new cohorts of this species.Item Resource assessment and analysis of aspen-dominated ecosystems in the Lake States.(2010-08) Domke, Grant MichaelUtilization of renewable resources for energy in the United States has increased substantially over the past decade. These increases have been driven by energy policy aimed at reducing dependence on foreign oil, boosting economic development, and curbing fossil fuel emissions. In recent years, state governments have passed laws mandating further reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and increases in energy conservation and use of renewables. Such legislation and pending federal action has led to renewed interest in the use of forest-derived biomass for energy production. There are a variety of sources of forest-derived biomass in the Lake States and much debate over the carbon costs or benefits associated with the utilization of this material for energy. The aspen forest type is dominated by the most commercially utilized tree species in the region (Populus tremuloides and to a much lesser extent, P. grandidentata and P. balsamifera) and occupies more than 10 million acres of timberland in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Aspen is a short-lived, fast-growing tree species, which typically regenerates from adventitious suckers following harvest or stand-replacing disturbance, making it ideally suited for biomass production. This dissertation describes: 1) the status and trends of aspen-dominated ecosystems in the Lake States, 2) an analysis of biomass production potential in native and hybrid aspen communities in northern Minnesota, 3) a model framework for the estimation of carbon flows associated with the procurement and utilization of harvest residues for energy, and 4) the development of a spreadsheet-based model for rapid estimation of biomass availability.Item Short- and long-term effects of alternative silvicultural systems on stand development of lowland black spruce forests in northern Minnesota, USA(2018-05) Anderson, BrianThe black spruce cover type occupies roughly 10% of Minnesota’s 17.4 million acres of forestland and is an important species both ecologically and economically. Black spruce is typically managed using variations of clearcutting, while the effects of managing with alternative silvicultural methods remains largely understudied. Furthermore, studies in the growth of individual black spruce trees are few in the Lake States region. The Compartment Study on the USDA Forest Service’s Big Falls Experimental Forest was established in 1948 to assess how lowland black spruce stands respond to alternative silvicultural methods. It provides the unique opportunity to study both short-term and long-term effects of varying management techniques. Six silvicultural treatments (clear-cut strips, clear-cut patches, shelterwood, light thinning, individual tree selection, group selection) and a control were treated and measured around 1950, with additional measurements occurring five and ten years post-establishment. Ten-year diameter growth was assessed and found to be significantly affected by treatment, and trends were found in individual tree mortality in varying silvicultural treatments. A mixed effects model predicting diameter growth was adapted from previous work and fit to 10,244 observations. The shelterwood, clear-cut strips, and clear-cut patches treatments were re-measured in 2017 to assess long-term differences by treatment. The shelterwood treatment had greater structural and compositional diversity, resulting in stands with larger trees, fewer trees per hectare, and greater basal area per hectare. The results suggest that using alternative silvicultural methods to traditional clear-cuts in managing Minnesota’s black spruce forests may be applicable in lowland stands, particularly where uneven-aged stands have developed due to limited management or lack of disturbances. This is especially in Minnesota, where 67% of the resource is nearing, currently achieving, or exceeding typical rotation ages. However, alternative treatments must be considered in light of forest health issues, especially the presence of dwarf mistletoe.