Lodgepole Pine Response to Aspen Removal in Variable Radii in the SBSdw2 Variant Near Williams Lake, B.C.

Download or read book Lodgepole Pine Response to Aspen Removal in Variable Radii in the SBSdw2 Variant Near Williams Lake, B.C. written by Teresa A. Newsome and published by British Columbia, Forest Science Program. This book was released on 2004 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mixed forests of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) are common throughout interior British Columbia, particularly in north and central areas of the province. In the Cariboo-Chilcotin area of the Southern Interior Forest Region, aspen commonly regenerates along with planted and natural lodgepole pine in the Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS), Interior Douglas-fir (IDF), Sub-Boreal Pine-Spruce (SBPS), and Interior Cedar-Hemlock (ICH) zones. Historically, aspen has been regarded as a "weed" that competes with conifers, but silviculturists now recognize that there are many benefits to maintaining a broadleaf component within stands. A study was established in 1994 in the SBSdw2 variant of the Cariboo-Chilcotin region of the Southern Interior Forest Region to investigate the effects of removing aspen in 50 or 100 cm radii around crop lodgepole pine versus broadcast removal or no treatment. The primary objective of the study was to assess whether the free-growing criterion (current in 1994), which specified that no overtopping vegetation could be present within a 1 m radius around crop trees, was appropriate in pine-aspen stands, or whether a 50 cm radius zone would be adequate.