Abstract
The increasing commercial demand for quaking aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.) has sparked renewed interest in aspen silvics and management. While aspen generally regenerates vigorously by root suckering following clear-cutting, recent reports of unsuccessful regeneration suggest a linkage to harvesting activities. Accordingly we evaluated the effects of harvest season and equipment trafficking on aspen regeneration in a glaciolacustrine landform in northern Minnesota. Regeneration vigor, as measured by stem density, stem height, and crown closure was greater in winter-harvested areas. Increased equipment trafficking significantly reduced regeneration in stands harvested during the summer. We detected no significant increases in soil density associated with equipment trafficking; however, reduced regeneration was correlated with increased amounts of rutting and soil scarification. For a given level of trafficking, aspen regeneration increased along the annual chronosequence of harvesting later and later in the summer.
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