Effects of Variable Aspen Retention on Stand Development, Aspen Sucker Production and Growth of Lodgepole Pine in the SBSdw1 Variant of South-central British Columbia

Download or read book Effects of Variable Aspen Retention on Stand Development, Aspen Sucker Production and Growth of Lodgepole Pine in the SBSdw1 Variant of South-central British Columbia written by Teresa A. Newsome and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mixtures of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and naturally regenerated or planted lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Wats.) occur throughout interior British Columbia. To develop effective management strategies for mixed stands where softwood timber production is the primary objective, silviculturists need information about levels of broadleaves that can be retained without seriously reducing conifer performance. They also require practical guidance on using this information to develop cost-effective treatment prescriptions. To address this topic in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, a pine-aspen competition project that includes studies in a variety of ecosystems is currently under way. In 1999, an operational trial to study the effects of variable aspen retention on stand-level lodgepole pine performance and aspen sucker production was established near McKinley Lake in the SBSdw1 variant of the Central Cariboo Forest District. The study was a co-operative undertaking by the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Weldwood of Canada, Ltd. In 2002, the study was adopted by the Silvicultural Systems Research Group of the Southern Interior Forest Region as part of the pine-aspen competition project, and objectives and methods were subsequently adapted to include the collection of long-term growth and yield and stand development data. This report summarizes fourth-year pine and aspen responses to aspen retention treatments, and provides baseline stand development information.