Effects of uneven-aged and diameter-limit management on West Virginia tree and wood quality

Abstract

Uneven-aged and diameter-limit management were compared with an unmanaged control on the Fernow Experimental Forest near Parsons, West Virginia, to determine how treatment affects the quality of red oak (Quercus rubra L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.). Periodic harvests slightly increased stem lean, which often causes tension wood. The grade of red oak was lower under the diameter-limit treatment compared with that of the control, but this was due primarily to tree size; in contrast, uneven-aged management improved red oak grade irrespective of tree size. Sugar maple grade was poorest in the control but similar in the two treatments, regardless of tree size. Yellow-poplar grade was best in the control, even when tree size was taken into account. Sapwood thickness range was small among all red oaks, although the sapwood of the control trees was narrower than that of the treated trees. For yellow-poplar, sapwood thickness increased with tree diameter but was independent of treatment. Sapwood thickness was extremely variable in sugar maple. It increased with diameter in both treatment sites but not in the control, and it was not significantly correlated with tree age. Young, vigorously growing sugar maples produce wide sapwood, but heartwood discoloration begins to affect the trees disproportionately as they reach maturity.