Abstract
We evaluated the effects of site preparation treatments on growth of lodgepole pine and white spruce in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. These treatments can provide yield gains of up to 10 percent for lodgepole pine and white spruce at 60 and 80 years, respectively (estimated using TASS). Stands of these two species are showing a Type 1 response. Using growth multipliers, based on measurements collected at ages 10 to 20 results in inflated estimates of potential yield responses while the age-shift method provides the most appropriate estimates of yield gains when measured during the first 20 years of growth.
Highlights
Site preparation and the management of competing vegetation are of primary importance for the successful growth and survival of conifers in the northern regions of Canada (e.g., [1,2,3]).Improvements in seedling survival and growth during the first 10 years after planting following siteForests 2010, 1 preparation can result in a substantial increase in yield [4]
For white spruce the best treatments at age 80 are the bedding plow, the burn, and the herbicide which show 10% higher standing volume than the untreated plots with an average merchantable volume of 621 m3ha-1at age 80
For lodgepole pine the best treatments at age 60 are the bedding plow, the breaking plow, and the burn and show 10% more productivity than the untreated plots with an average merchantable volume of 323 m3 ha-1
Summary
Site preparation and the management of competing vegetation are of primary importance for the successful growth and survival of conifers in the northern regions of Canada (e.g., [1,2,3]).Improvements in seedling survival and growth during the first 10 years after planting following siteForests 2010, 1 preparation can result in a substantial increase in yield [4]. Site preparation and the management of competing vegetation are of primary importance for the successful growth and survival of conifers in the northern regions of Canada (e.g., [1,2,3]). In boreal and sub-boreal forests the establishment of planted conifers is often limited by unfavorable soil or microsite conditions and competing vegetation such as green alder (Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh.), willow (Salix spp.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) (e.g., [6,7,8,9,10]). Mechanical site preparation can modify these unfavorable conditions for conifer establishment by: 1) scalping, which removes the organic layer and exposes mineral soil, 2) mixing, which incorporates the organic layer into the underlying mineral soil, and. Site preparation treatments can decrease soil bulk density, improve drainage, accelerate nutrient availability and enhance microsite conditions overall [4]
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