Progress 05/01/03 to 10/01/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: PROJECT OUTPUTS: 1) Literature review of redwood stump sprouting behavior, with focus on attributes of stump condition as they affect sprout occurrence and growth. Literature review includes analysis of existing information in new contexts to inform the sustainable management of coppice-regenerated third-growth redwood forests. 2) Installation of long-term experiment in sprout thinning levels in second-growth redwood stumps. Baseline data collected for purposes of long-term responses in sprout survival, height growth, and caliper growth. Permanent monumentation and GPS archiving of all experimental units. 3) Execution and analysis of experiment in second-growth redwood stumps to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency operational techniques for sprout thinning. DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS: 1) Results of literature review and project synopsis were presented at an international reforestation symposium (The Thin Green Line: A Symposium on the State-of-the-Art in Reforestation. 26-28
July 2005, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada). 2) Preliminary assessment of experiments were presented by undergraduate scholars to students and faculty in a forum of the Department of Forestry & Wildland Resources at Humboldt State University (4 May 2007, Arcata, California). 3) Results of sprout thinning study presented at one meeting of forest professionals (Society of American Foresters, Libby, Montana, 15 May 2008).
PARTICIPANTS: PROJECT CO-PI's Dr. Christopher R. Keyes, Associate Research Professor, Department of Forest Management, College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana (formerly at Humboldt State University). Project Co-PI. Conducted literature review and lead author of publication 1. Directed student workers in experiments. Statistical analysis of data. Lead author of publication 3. Oral presentations on two occassions. Dr. Peter J. Matzka, Forest Operations Consultant, Silverton, Oregon (formerly at Humboldt State University). Project Co-PI. Originally envisioned project and led project design. Established cooperative relationships with forest industry partners to enable experiments. Conducted field reconnaisance and identified appropriate sites for experiments. Assisted in advising student workers. Co-author of publications 1 and 3. COLLABORATORS Mr. Kevin C. Wright, Forester, James L. Able Forestry Consultants, Eureka, California. Student Worker. Led
student crews in the conduct of field operations for experiments, including establishment of treatments and data collection. Primary author of publication 2. Mr. Radoslaw Glebocki, Forester, University of California Cooperative Extension, Eureka, California. Student Worker. Conducted field operations for experiments, including establishment of treatments and data collection. Conducted preliminary analysis of experiment data. Co-author of publications 2 and 3. Mr. Chet Madden. Student Worker. Implemented experiment treatments. Co-author of publication 2. Mr. Colin Chambers. Student Worker. Implemented experiment treatments. Co-author of publication 2. Dr. Han-Sup Han, Professor of Forest Operations, Department of Forestry & Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. Contributing author to publication 3, providing expertise in the area of forest operations analysis. PARTNER ORGANIZATION Mr. Greg Bratcher, Forester, Pacific Lumber Company, Scotia, California.
Project cooperator and liason. Provided access and facilitated permission for project implementation on to Pacific Lumber Company timberlands near Eureka, California.
TARGET AUDIENCES: TARGET AUDIENCE: Primary audience is managers of industrial timberlands that include redwoods, where the resiliency, growth, and quality of coppice-regenerated redwoods is of major importance. Secondary audience is managers of parks and reserves that include young re-growth forests, where promotion of late-seral forest conditions is a primary objective.
PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Experiment installations were relocated from Green Diamond Company timberlands to Pacific Lumber Company timberlands in 2005-06 due to unsatisfactory sprouting behavior following clearcut harvest (lack of uniformity in experimental units).
Impacts
PRIMARY OUTCOMES: 1) Changes in knowledge regarding redwood sprout behavior and need for active management of stump sprout clumps to promote regeneration resiliency, growth, and wood quality. 2) Changes in knowledge regarding the economic potential and best techniques for conducting redwood sprout thinning on an operational basis. 3) In both cases, study results are immediately applicable without additional interpretation or adaptation. Anticipated users include managers of industrial forests as well as managers of parks and reserves that contain young re-growth forests of redwood.
Publications
- Keyes, C.R., P.J. Matzka, K.C. Wright, R. Glebocki, and H-S Han. In peer review (Submitted Dec 2007). Early precommercial thinning of coast redwood sprout clumps: evaluation of four techniques. International Journal of Forest Engineering. Submitted Dec 2007.
- Wright, K., C. Madden, R. Glebocki, and C. Chambers. 2007. The right tool for the job: Redwood sprout thinning reconsidered on a clearcut in northern California. Senior Capstone Project Report, on file at Department of Forestry & Wildland Resources, Humboldt State Univeristy, Arcata, California. 39 p.
- Keyes, C.R. and P.J. Matzka. 2005. Intensive management of stump sprout reproduction in coppice-regenerated coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). Pp. 51-55 in The Thin Green Line: A Symposium on the State-of-the-Art in Reforestation (Proceedings). Ontario Forest Research Institute Forest Research Information Paper No. 160. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
During 2006 the study area associated with this project was relocated to avoid conflicts of interest, to ensure its survival as a long-term experiment, and to enhance in-kind contributions from the forest industry. In 2006 the study sites were relocated to the Freshwater Creek watershed (Humboldt County, California) in part to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest between the previous industry collaborator (Green Diamond Forest Products) and a project co-PI, Dr. Peter Matzka. Dr. Matzka vacated his position as Assistant Professor at Humboldt State University in early 2006 and joined the staff of the Pacific Lumber Company as Forest Operations Engineer. He remains co-PI of this project and has retained professional ties to Humboldt State University (HSU). As such, the previous study site at Green Diamond was deemed inappropriate. The new study site is more amenable to the experiment and is likely to produce a better research product. At Green Diamond,
stumps were selected based on the site's previous designation as a research area. Following logging, the stumps did not produce sprouts typical of 3rd-growth redwood sprouts, and severely compromised this study's sample size and treatment uniformity. The uneven sprouting at the site may have been a result of site preparation practices, which were beyond the control of the study PI's. Transfer of study sites to Pacific Lumber Company lands provides a better opportunity for the analysis of redwood sprout thinning over longer timeframes than was previously possible. The Pacific Lumber Company has engaged in long-term cooperative protection of study and demonstration areas with HSU and currently leases several hundred acrs of its timberlands (Freshwater Forest) to Humboldt State University for this purpose. During 2006, spatial analysis and ground reconnaisance were conducted to identify appropriate experimental areas at Pacific Lumber. A site was identified in the Freshwater Creek
watershed. The location offers excellent road access to optimize the opportunity for frequent repeat measurements, and to provide a possible site for public demonstration and education. The site of approximately 12 acres includes 90 stumps designated for treatment. The stumps and sprout conditions of these stumps are highly representative, and are believed to be of sufficient uniformity to enable isolation of treatment effects that may be observed in a randomized block design. Preparations were made in 2006 for sprout thinning to be conducted during the start of 2007.
Impacts
Control and manipulation of the number of stump sprouts could reduce the amount of future pre commercial thinning required in the coastal redwood stands. If controlled, the associated black bear damage that occurs in these thinned stands could be reduced and provide substantial economic benefit to the industrial landowners as well as non-industrial private landowners. Economic and political constraints on commerical timber management have increased dramatically in the past decade. As the region's second-growth forests have transitioned to a landscape of young 3rd-growth forests, concerns for the quality of that future timber crop have grown. These factors combined indicate that the focus of this study -- intensive silviculture of 3rd-growth redwood stump sprouts -- has increased in its potential to impact practices of redwood timberland management.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
The purpose of this study remains the investigation of redwood stump sprout response to mechanical treatment, in order to determine best practices for sprout management in coppice-based silvicultural systems. A synthesis review of existing literature on redwood sprout behavior was conducted in 2005. The results of this research were presented at an international reforestation conference (The Thin Green Line: A Symposium on the State-of-the-Art in Reforestation. July 26-28 2005, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada). A paper based on that presentation ("Intensive management of stump sprout reproduction in coppice-regenerated coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens)" was published in 2005 as part of an Ontario Forest Research Institute Forest Research Information Paper series. An abstract of project objectives presented at a 2004 conference (Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium. March 15-17, 2004, Rohnert Park, California) is in press. The abstract ("Silvicultural treatments to
control stump sprout density in coast redwoods") was scheduled to be published in the conference proceedings (Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-GTR-194) in 2005, but the publication date has been delayed to 2006. In 2005, the designated treatment area was operationally logged by the project cooperator, Green Diamond Resource Company. Subject stumps were permanently monumented. Mechanical sprout removal was scheduled for 2006, but sprouting has been uncharacteristically low and may have been inadvertently impacted by site preparation conducted by the cooperator following logging. In the event that the site proves unsuitable to implement study treatments, a potential study relocation is being discussed with another potential cooperator (Pacific Lumber Company).
Impacts
Control and manipulation of the number of stump sprouts could reduce the amount of future pre commercial thinning required in the coastal redwood stands. If controlled, the associated black bear damage that occurs in these thinned stands could be reduced and provide substantial economic benefit to the industrial landowners as well as non-industrial private landowners.
Publications
- Keyes, C.R. and P.J. Matzka. 2005. Intensive management of stump sprout reproduction in coppice-regenerated coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). Pp. 51-55 in The Thin Green Line: A Symposium on the State-of-the-Art in Reforestation (Proceedings). Ontario Forest Research Institute Forest Research Information Paper No. 160. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
- Keyes, C.R. and P.J. Matzka. 2006 (In press). Silvicultural treatments to control stump sprout density in coast redwoods. Pp. XX-XX in Proceedings of the Redwood Science Symposium. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-GTR-194.
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
Tools and techniques to control the sprouting of coastal redwood stumps have been investigated for use and implementation. Tools selected for use in an applied field test are the chainsaw, gas powered hedge trimmer, and propane torch. A study site has been located and prepared for use of these tools as well as different techniques. All baseline data on the study area has been gathered. Upon harvest of the study site in spring 2005, trials will begin in early summer and continue through 2006. Monitoring of sprout response will coincide with treatment and continue post treatment. Graduate students = 0.
Impacts
Control and manipulation of the number of stump sprouts could reduce the amount of future pre commercial thinning required in the coastal redwood stands. If controlled, the associated black bear damage that occurs in these thinned stands could be reduced and provide substantial economic benefit to the industrial landowners as well as non-industrial private landowners.
Publications
- Keyes, K. and Matzka, P. 2004. Silvicultural treatments to control stump sprout density in coast redwood. Poster presented at the CNRS New and Used Poster Session, March 29-30, 2004. Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
- Keyes, K. and Matzka, P. 2004. Silvicultural treatments to control stump sprout density in coast redwood. Poster presented at the Redwood Regional Forest Science Symposium, March 15-17, 2004. Rohnert Park, CA.
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