Abstract
In Canada and elsewhere, logging practices in natural-origin forests have shifted toward retention systems where variable levels of mature trees are retained post-logging to promote a diversity of values. We examine multiple sites that experienced a wide range of prior harvest regimes (0–76% basal area removal) to evaluate how harvest intensity and proximity to a logging-created edge affects susceptibility to windthrow for a suite of tree species in complex-structured mature and old-growth mixed-species stand types in British Columbia. We found no increased susceptibility to windthrow as a function of the level of partial harvesting. We observed a reduced susceptibility to windthrow of smaller trees after partial harvesting. There were clear differences in susceptibility to windthrow among different tree species close to the edge of gaps and small openings (<1 ha in size) created by partial harvesting. Hemlock and redcedar, the two most common trees species, were unaffected by edge environments, whereas the less common conifers and deciduous species were more susceptible to windthrow along partial harvest edges. This suggests tree-marking guidelines should remove the species most prone to windthrow from edges around small openings in these forest types. Our study and others suggest use of retention systems in structurally diverse, multi-species forests does not lead to elevated risk of windthrow, especially if retention levels exceed 20–30%.
Highlights
Retention forestry, where variable levels of mature trees are retained after logging, is becoming a more common practice in boreal and temperate forests [1]
We extended the analyses to consider whether risk of windthrow is a function of (iv) harvest intensity (% of basal area removed in a harvest prior to the storm); and (v) proximity of a tree to a distinct forest edge
Model 3, which introduced the level of partial harvest as an independent and additive effect on susceptibility to windthrow, was not supported by the data
Summary
Retention forestry, where variable levels of mature trees are retained after logging, is becoming a more common practice in boreal and temperate forests [1]. The risk of damage by wind (windthrow) after retention-forestry practices, or more generally after any type of silvicultural or logging entry that removes standing trees, is a widespread concern among forest practitioners. Site and storm conditions can influence windthrow risk in many ways [4,5]. Windthrow is generally thought to be affected by stand structure and composition (tree height, age, species, presence of pathogens), site conditions such as soil moisture and depth, landscape configuration (including local topography and location of adjacent clearings), silvicultural interventions (e.g., % basal area removal and spatial pattern of tree removal), and storm characteristics (season, wind direction, average and maximum gust wind speed). An earlier review [7]
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