Forest reproduction methods for coastal British Columbia: Principles, criteria, and a stand selection guide

Abstract

Once a decision to regenerate a particular stand is made at the forest level, a forester has to make critical decisions at the stand level as to the choice of cutting method for existing stands to regenerate the desired species and develop a stand of the desired structure. Two related critical decisions in stand-level forest management are (1) selecting the best tree species to regenerate on a given site, and (2) selecting the appropriate method of cutting existing stands for both the regeneration of the desired species within a certain time and for maintaining or developing the desired stand structure. This paper discusses the management factors and principles and criteria for choosing a cutting method to meet decision (2) (i.e., the reproduction method). The four criteria used to guide the appropriate reproduction method are (1) maximum sustainable forest productivity, (2) stand reliability, (3) silvicultural feasibility, and (4) harvesting feasibility. With these criteria in mind, a stand-level guide devised for coastal British Columbia is proposed. This guide is in the form of a dichotomous key and is based on 13 selected ecological, stand, and management factors. Combining this approach with principles, criteria and guidelines for tree species selection already practiced, regeneration and management objectives can be achieved both on a species-and site-specific basis. Key words: forest reproduction methods, decision support systems, silvicultural prescriptions, harvesting methods, stand regeneration, stand structure