Progress 09/02/15 to 05/10/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The project provided research based information to diverse audiences, including natural resource professionals from state and federal agencies, students, private landowners (including African-American landowners) and researchers through several workshop and conference presentations, field days, teaching, and site visits. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project director participated in the following training programs. 1. Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) Training, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Regional Office, Milwaukee, WI, USA, February 22-26, 2016. 2. LEEF (The LI-COR Environmental Education Fund) Training Course, Li-COR Biosciences Lincoln, NE, USA, June 13-17, 2016 The project director and graduate student attended the following week-long course 1. Agroforestry Academy, The Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, July 20-24, 2015. The project director attended the following conferences 1. 52nd Annual Meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science, April 22-23, Jefferson City, MO-USA 2. 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference, March 28-April 1, 2016, Columbia, MO 3. 2016 Missouri Natural Resources Conference, February 3-5, 2016, Osage Beach, MO The Project Director trained the graduate student in the use of FVS model. The student used the FVS modeling skills to compare growth data of even-aged white oak plantation with the FVS model projections. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results and findings of the project were disseminated through 1 peer-reviewed publication, 1 conference presentations, 2 extension articles, and presentations in 2 workshops on woodland management, LU field days, and presentation at the LU day at the Capitol. In addition, two field visits to landowners, including a minority landowner, were made. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The state of Missouri has rich forest resources with one-third of its geographical area under forests- primarily privately owned- providing diverse ecological and economic benefits. In 2013, Missouri's forest products industry contributed approximately $8B to Missouri's economy, and supported 42,500 jobs and generated $78.5M in state sales tax revenue. Ecologically, estimated 18% of native vascular plants, 14 % of nonvascular plants, and 28 % of the vertebrate animals in Missouri are the species of conservation concern. Forests of the state are also a significant carbon storehouse with estimated more than 840 M tons of carbon. However, most of the private forest landowners of Missouri have limited knowledge or experience regarding forest management. Only about 10 % of Missouri's family forest owners utilize assistance from a professional forester, leaving 90 % of Missouri's family forest land being managed without any professional guidance. In most cases, no active management is applied to the forests, which might be leading to missed incomes and ecosystem services from them. This project is using empirical field data and simulation modeling (using USDA Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS)) to evaluate (1) clear cut and (2) single tree selection management systems, along with a no-harvest control, for two major forest types of Missouri, viz., oak- hickory and oak-pine forests for multiple benefits including timber production, structural diversity, and carbon sequestration. Our findings (elaborated in results below) have clearly suggested that no action (or no management, meaning leaving the forests to nature) is not an option for meeting either production or diversity goals. Any kind of management (even- or uneven) is superior to no action. We evaluated few select scenarios which suggested that among the two management options, uneven-aged management is superior to even-aged management and lead to higher productivity and diversity in the long run. Through publications, workshops, newsletter and private landowners' counseling, we are educating the stakeholders (trainers, researchers, landowners) of the importance of actively managing the woods for increased economic and ecological gains. The accomplishments under the specific objectives are described below: Objective 1. Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for forest structure, productivity (timber yield and carbon storage), and species composition in Missouri oak-hickory forests and oak-pine fores During the reporting period, we collected data from natural (uneven-aged) oak-hickory forest as well as a white-oak plantation (even-aged) stands.The natural oak-hickory stand (e.g., with basal area= 174 ft2/ac, density = 473 trees/ac, and Quadratic mean diameter (QMD) =8.1 in, and consisting of a mix of hardwood species, primarily oaks and hickories) was subjected to simulation modeling (using FVS model) to evaluate the effects of even-aged, uneven-aged, or no management on timber production and stand structural diversity over a period of 100 years. Following are the details for these alternative management scenarios: No Action/Management No harvest and regeneration operations Uneven-aged (Thin to a Q-factor) Residual basal area = 80 ft2/ac, Q=1.3, D= 2 (smallest) to 24 in (Max.) Cutting cycle= 20 years Sprouting on, plus nat. regn. White oak (50/ac), Black Oak (50/ac), Hickory (50/ac), Red Maple (20/ac) Even-aged (Clearcut) 50- year rotation with mechanical thin at 40 years to Basal Area= 70 ft2/ac Plant White Oak, Black Oak, and Hickory each at 250/ac each rotation Objective 2. Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for these forest types for combined provision of multiple benefits. Based on our scenarios, we found that uneven-aged management leads to higher total merchantable timber as well as structural diversity on oak-hickory forests. However, these assessments might change under other scenarios involving different combinations of rotations, cutting cycles, regenerations, etc. In the next year, we will be evaluating several other scenarios of even-and uneven-aged management options for these forest types and conduct trade-off analysis to evaluate the ability of these options to provide multiple benefits.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Sharma, A. (2016). Alternative management options for Missouri Forests: An evaluation using USDA-FVS model. 52nd Annual Meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science, April 22-23, Jefferson City, MO-USA
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Sharma, A., Bohn, K.K., Jose, S., Dwivedi, P. (2016). Even-aged vs. uneven-aged silviculture: Implications for multifunctional management of southern pine ecosystems. Forests, 7, 86.
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The project provided research based information to diverse audiences, including natural resource professionals from state and federal agencies, students, private landowners (including African-American landowners) and researchers through several workshop and conference presentations, field days, teaching, and site visits. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project director participated in the following training programs. FVS Training, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Regional Office, Milwaukee, WI, USA, February 22-26, 2016. LEEF Training Course, Li-COR Biosciences Lincoln, NE, USA, June 13-17, 2016 The project director and a graduate student attended the following week-long course Agroforestry Academy, The Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, July 20-24, 2015. The project director attended the following conferences 2016 Missouri Natural Resources Conference, February 3-5, 2016, Osage Beach, MO 52nd Annual Meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science, April 22-23, Jefferson City, MO-USA 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference, March 28-April 1, 2016, Columbia, MO In addition, the Project Director trained the graduate student in the use of FVS model. The student used the FVS modeling skills to compare growth data of even-aged white oak plantation with the FVS model projections. On March 24, 2016, the Project Director presented at Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program (ISFOP)-sponsored workshop on "Small woodlot harvesting workshop" at Troy, Missouri. This workshop was attended by more than 15 private landowners, including minority landowners. The project director presented his findings from the project to help choose the landowners alternative woodland management options for their individual objectives. On May 25-26, 2016, the Project Director organized a SARE-ISE workshop, in collaboration with University of Missouri at Columbia, on "Agroforestry and woodland management for small farms" where one of the main components was to train the participants in even- and uneven-aged management options for the Missouri forests. Forty-seven participants from several state and federal agencies participated in the workshop. The Project Director also developed a new course "Principles and Practice of Forestry, " that included classroom and lab components and was first offered in Fall 2015 at Lincoln University. Eight students enrolled for the course and learned about forest measurements and silvicultural management of Missouri forests. The course is offered every Fall of odd years. In addition, the Project director made presentations on the project during the Lincoln University's field days and other extension events, and visited at least 2 landowners' sites to help them with strategize their wood land management decision making. An oral research presentation on "Alternative management options for Missouri Forests: An evaluation using USDA-FVS model" was made at the 52nd annual meeting of Missouri Academy of Science (MAS) on April 23, 2016, at Jefferson City, MO. MAS is represented by 40 universities of the state of Missouri. The project provided research based information to diverse audiences, including natural resource professionals from state and federal agencies, students, private landowners (including African-American landowners) and researchers through several workshop and conference presentations, field days, teaching, and site visits. On March 24, 2016, the Project Director presented at Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program (ISFOP)-sponsored workshop on "Small woodlot harvesting workshop" at Troy, Missouri. This workshop was attended by more than 15 private landowners, including minority landowners. The project director presented his findings from the project to help choose the landowners alternative woodland management options for their individual objectives. On May 25-26, 2016, the Project Director organized a SARE-ISE workshop, in collaboration with University of Missouri at Columbia, on "Agroforestry and woodland management for small farms" where one of the main components was to train the participants in even- and uneven-aged management options for the Missouri forests. Forty-seven participants from several state and federal agencies participated in the workshop. The Project Director also developed a new course "Principles and Practice of Forestry, " that included classroom and lab components and was first offered in Fall 2015 at Lincoln University. Eight students enrolled for the course and learned about forest measurements and silvicultural management of Missouri forests. The course is offered every Fall of odd years. In addition, the Project director made presentations on the project during the Lincoln University's field days and other extension events, and visited at least 2 landowners' sites to help them with strategize their wood land management decision making. An oral research presentation on "Alternative management options for Missouri Forests: An evaluation using USDA-FVS model" was made at the 52nd annual meeting of Missouri Academy of Science (MAS) on April 23, 2016, at Jefferson City, MO. MAS is represented by 40 universities of the state of Missouri. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results and findings of the project were disseminated through 1 peer-reviewed publication, 1 conference presentations, 2 extension articles, and presentations in 2 workshops on woodland management, LU field days, and presentation at the LU day at the Capitol. In addition, two field visits to landowners, including a minority landowner, were made. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The state of Missouri (MO) has rich forest resources with 1/3rd of its geographical area under forests- primarily privately owned- providing diverse ecological and economic benefits. In 2013, MO's forest products industry contributed approximately $8B to MO's economy, and supported 42,500 jobs and generated $78.5M in state sales tax revenue. Ecologically, estimated 18% of native vascular plants, 14% of nonvascular plants, and 28% of the vertebrate animals in MO are the species of conservation concern. Forests of the state are also a significant carbon storehouse with estimated more than 840M tons of carbon. However, most of the private forest landowners of MO have limited knowledge or experience regarding forest management. Only about 10% of MO's family forest owners utilize assistance from a professional forester, leaving 90 % of MO's family forest land being managed without any professional guidance. In most cases, no active management is applied to the forests, which might be leading to unrealized incomes and ecosystem services from them. This project is using empirical field data and simulation modeling (using USDA Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS)) to evaluate (1) clear cut and (2) single tree selection management systems, along with a no-harvest control, for two major forest types of Missouri, viz., oak- hickory and oak-pine forests for multiple benefits including timber production, structural diversity, and carbon sequestration. Our early findings have suggested that no action (meaning, leaving the forests to nature) is not an option for meeting either production or diversity goals. Any kind of management (even- or uneven) is superior to no action. We evaluated few select scenarios which suggested that among the two management options, uneven-aged management is superior to even-aged and leads to higher productivity and diversity in the long run. Through publications, workshops, newsletter and private landowners' counseling, we educated the stakeholders (trainers, researchers, landowners) of the importance of actively managing the woods for increased economic and ecological gains. Major Goals of the Project: Overall goal of this project is to evaluate even- and uneven-aged management options (with varying harvest types, intensities and frequencies) in the two most prominent forest types of Missouri, namely, (1) oak-hickory, and (2) oak- pine forests, for structural diversity, species composition, carbon sequestration, as well as timber production over a period of 100 years using empirical data and simulation modeling. Empirical data is being collected from extensive field work in the forest types at multiple sites within the state of Missouri. Specific Objectives Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for forest structure, productivity (timber yield and carbon storage), and species composition in Missouri oak-hickory forests and oak-pine forests Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for these forest types for combined provision of multiple benefits. The accomplishments under the specific objectives are described below: Objective 1. Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for forest structure, productivity (timber yield and carbon storage), and species composition in Missouri oak-hickory forests and oak-pine forests During the reporting period, we collected data from natural (uneven-aged) oak-hickory forest as well as a white-oak plantation (even-aged) stands. The natural oak-hickory stand (e.g., with Basal Area= 174 ft2/ac, Density = 473 trees/ac, and Quadratic Mean Diameter (QMD) =8.1 in, and consisting of a mix of hardwood species, primarily oaks and hickories) was subjected to simulation modeling (using FVS model) to evaluate the effects of even-aged, uneven-aged, or no management on timber production and stand structural diversity over a period of 100 years. Following are the details for these alternative management scenarios: No Action/Management No harvest and regeneration operations Uneven-aged (Thin to a Q-factor) Residual basal area = 80 ft2/ac, Q=1.3, D= 2 (smallest) to 24 in (Max.) Cutting cycle= 20 years Sprouting on, plus nat. regn. White oak (50/ac), Black Oak (50/ac), Hickory (50/ac), Red Maple (20/ac) Even-aged (Clearcut) 50- year rotation with mechanical thin at 40 years to Basal Area= 70 ft2/ac Plant White Oak, Black Oak, and Hickory each at 250/ac each rotation Our early findings on these scenarios, under the modeling assumptions and parameters, suggest that no action is not an option for meeting either production or diversity benefits from the Missouri oak-hickory forests (Table 1). Uneven-aged management that led to higher overall average production and structural diversity appears to be the best management for oak-hickory forests. The carbon benefits varied similar to production benefits in all of the scenarios. Uneven-aged management also maintained continuous cover and steady availability of sawtimer and standing carbon during the simulation period. These results are valid under the study assumptions regarding natural regeneration, density, and choice of species. A change in assumptions could result in change in conclusions. We also did not consider the effects of other disturbance factors such as fire, insect-pest or disease attacks on the productivity and diversity responses. These evaluations will be made next in the project activities. Table 1. Timber production and structural diversity estimates under no action, uneven-aged, and even-aged management scenarios for oak-hickory forests of MIssouri. No Action Uneven-aged Even-aged Merchantable Timber Production (ft3/ac/yr) 27.84 69.91 49.06 Sawtimber Production (ft3/ac/yr) 40.47 65.14 3.97 Average Structural Diversity (Shannon Index) 1.96 2.27 0.66 The other stand, 25-yr old even-aged stand of white oak, was subjected to dendrochronological as well as simulation modeling analyses. The stand inventory and stem analysis and destructive sampling was carried out by the graduate student (as part of his thesis research) to estimate carbon stocks and growth. In 2016, the stand density, basal area, quadratic mean diameter and carbon stock in the 25-yr old plantation stand were found to be 910 trees/ac, 113.6 ft2/ac, 4.78 in and 32.814 US ton/ac, respectively. We then simulated a white oak plantation stand with similar parameters as the observed plantation using the FVS model. The model simulation outputs at 25 years resulted in stand density, basal area, quadratic mean diameter and carbon stock values to be 1029 trees/ac, 77.4 ft2/ac, 3.71 in and 32.83 US tons/ac respectively (Table 2). Thus, we found that the FVS model tends to underestimate mortality as well as basal area, diameter and carbon stock for white oak plantation in central Missouri. These differences in stand growth must be accounted for in forest management decision-making when long-term forest plans are made based on FVS model projections. Table 2. Comparison between observed field values and FVS model output values for a 25-yr old white-oak plantation. Field Observed Value Simulation Output Value Tree/ac 910 1029 Stand Basal Area (ft2/ac) 113.6 77.4 QMD (in) 4.78 3.71 Aboveground Total Live Carbon (tons) 32.83 16.48 Objective 2. Evaluate even-aged and uneven-aged management options for these forest types for combined provision of multiple benefits. Based on our scenarios, we found that uneven-aged management leads to higher total merchantable timber as well as structural diversity on oak-hickory forests. However, these assessments might change under other scenarios involving different combinations of rotations, cutting cycles, regenerations, etc. In the next year, we will be evaluating several other scenarios of even-and uneven-aged management options for these forest types and conduct trade-off analysis to evaluate the ability of these options to provide multiple benefits.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Sharma, A. (2016). Alternative management options for Missouri Forests: An evaluation using USDA-FVS model. 52nd Annual Meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science, April 22-23, Jefferson City, MO-USA
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Sharma, A., Bohn, K.K., Jose, S., Dwivedi, P. (2016). Even-aged vs. uneven-aged silviculture: Implications for multifunctional management of southern pine ecosystems. Forests, 7, 86.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Sharma, A., Auboug, R. (2015). Generating income through agroforestry. Down to Earth: Reports from the Field, Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program (ISFOP), 6(3): 1-2.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Auboug, R. and Sharma, A., (2016). Sustainably managing your woodlands. Down to Earth: Reports from the Field, Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program (ISFOP), 7(2): 4-5.
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