Harvest Treatments
Clearcut with Reserve
This even-aged silvicultural system regenerates the stand by removing most trees in a single cut. 2 to 10 live trees per acre are reserved, with an average of 7 trees per acre remaining indefinitely for the development of future snags. Preference would be given to conifers, especially tamarack, spruce and balsam fir.
Patch Clearcutting
This even-aged method regenerates and maintains the stand with a single age class. Cutting is done in ½-5 acre patches that are scattered throughout the stand, in contrast to strip clearcutting. This treatment of aspen was chose to reduce impacts in riparian areas. Fewer trees would be reserved in the clearcut patches, and the patches would be planted with conifers.
Partial Cutting
This variable retention harvest system is not considered a regeneration method, as only part of the stand is removed. Overstory removal ranges between a thinning to a shelterwood cut, which would result in a minimum of 50% canopy cover. It is based on the retention of structural elements such as trees, snags, and down logs in the harvested sand to provide refugia and to structurally enrich the new stand. This treatment is usually conducted where clearcutting was desired, but there was a need for residual crown cover due to wildlife concerns.
Group Selection
Trees are removed in small groups to establish a new age class. Small openings are commonly twice the height of the surrounding mature trees, which provides a microenvironment that is suitable for shade tolerant regeneration. Larger openings provide suitable conditions for shade intolerant regeneration, which would cover a maximum of 10% of the stand. This treatment established multiple cohorts, which increases compositional and structural diversity, and favors a more abundant and diverse prey base. Maintenance of the surrounding canopy cover would provide protection for the northern goshawk from larger avian predators.
Single Tree Selection
This uneven-aged method regenerates and maintains a multi-aged structure by removing some trees in all size classes, more or les uniformly throughout the stand.
First Thinning
This treatment usually occurs in red pine plantations, but includes other forest types as well. Between 30 to 50 years of age, individual tree diameter stagnates due to competition from adjacent trees. As diameter growth slows, trees become tall and slender, and are susceptible to wind and weather damage. When pockets of damage occur, bark beetles and other damaging agents may appear. Stocking levels of 140 to 200 BA (Basal Area = square feet of stumps per acre) are common within these stands. This prescription calls for thinning these stands to an average of 90 BA. The stands would be thinned to not less than ½ of the existing BA. The objective of this prescription is to improve stand growth, vigor and health.
Thinning
This prescription is applied to older red pine stands that are greater than 50 years of age, and to those stands that have received thinning harvest in the past. 10% of the stand would remain unthinned in a goshawk foraging territory. Thinning would not usually be conducted during the spring or early summer seasons, unless precautions could be made for bark beetle outbreaks, or for the protection of leave trees. The objective of this prescription is to increase growth and vigor of the remaining trees in the stand.
Shelterwood Preparation
The first in sequence of three shelterwood cuts which are designed to improve vigor and seed production of the remaining trees, while preparing the site for new seedlings. This establishment cut would prepare the seed bed and create a new age class. This method provides a partial cover of trees to produce seed, and provides more shade than a shelterwood cut to enhance the growth of shade tolerant seedlings.
Shelterwood
This prescription would be applied to paper birch and white pine forest types. These treatments would leave 30 to 50 BA of paper birch and other species as available in order to retain at least 50% crown closure to protect the new age class. This treatment would open the stand enough to encourage regeneration in a moderated microenvironment under the larger leave trees. Legacy patches would be retained where possible, and mechanical site preparation activities would be applied. The larger leave trees would eventually be removed several years later, in order to release the established regeneration from competition with the overwood.
Salvage Cutting
Salvage cutting would be applied to swiftly deteriorating stands that are well over rotation age. Harvest would result in a clearcut with reserve trees. The objective of this prescription is to capture the remaining commercial wood fiber, reduce brush encroachment, and regenerate the stands.
Post Sale Treatments
Site Preparation
This treatment is a post harvest activity. Mechanical site prep treatment may include brush raking to disperse and break up slash concentrations. It cold also include full scarification to expose mineral soil in order to permit planting and or seed germination.
Fuels Treatment
Areas along main travel corridors and near residences would have fuels treated to reduce fire hazards after harvest. This would be accomplished with mechanical treatments using the hydro-axe. Fuels breaks would be created along portions of the country roads. No fire would be applied to these areas.
Regeneration Planning
Regeneration of units under this prescription would use mechanical means to accomplish site preparation. Following site preparation, the unit would be hand planted or seeded with a mixture of tree species appropriate to the site, and compatible with the objectives and desired future conditions of the management area.
Ecosystem Burning
One objective of prescribed burning is to reintroduce fire into fire dependent ecosystems. Early successional components that developed with fire include jack pine, grass/forb, and brush. Desirable fire behavior requires the reduction of natural and/or activity fuel loadings. Other objectives include enhancing fire dependent and fire tolerant forest communities, achieving between 5 to 10% mortality of tress greater than 8 inches dab, and improving wildlife habitat for fire dependent species.
Timber Stand Improvement
This treatment is applied to existing plantations, and to those stands proposed for regeneration harvest. Release treatments beyond the initial treatment would be designed to allow development of a more diverse collection of shrubs and certain tree species. Oaks, birch, aspen, and berry producing shrubs would be maintained where they are not directly competing with the planted species.