Shallon Pursh Research Articles

UNDERSTORY RESPONSE TO RESTORATION ALTERNATIVES IN A SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS (CUPRESSACEAE) FOREST

The use of mechanical thinning as a restoration tool in second-growth Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl. forests is becoming increasingly common, yet little is known about how this treatment affects understory plant communities. The shade tolerant herbaceous species common to the Coast Redwood forest are known to be sensitive to disturbance and may provide a metric for assessing the recovery of the plant community as a whole. Stratified random sampling was used to compare understory composition in old-growth reference stands, naturally recovering forests (57–65 years old), and sites treated with variable density thinning (65 years old; 10–12 years post thinning) in Redwood National Park. Pairwise permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PerMANOVA) indicated greater abundance of native herbs, and lower abundance of non-natives, in old-growth and naturally recovering second-growth compared to thinned stands. Non-metric multidimensional scaling suggested that un-thinned sites were more similar to old-growth than thinned sites in regard to understory composition and abundance, and indicator species analysis returned a suite of indicator species shared between naturally recovering plots and old-growth plots (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn; Trillium ovatum Pursh; Dryopteris arguta (Kaulf.) Maxon; Blechnum spicant (L.) Roth; Vaccinium ovatum Pursh; Gaultheria shallon Pursh; Rubus spectabilis Pursh; Rhododendron macrophyllum D.Don ex G.Don), while thinned plots shared only one indicator species with old-growth (Goodyera oblongifolia Raf.). In addition, both old-growth and naturally recovering un-thinned second-growth sites were dominated by residual species, while thinned plots were dominated by invader species.

Phytochemical analysis of salal berry (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.), a traditionally-consumed fruit from western North America with exceptionally high proanthocyanidin content

Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.) is a wild perennial shrub of the Ericaceae and common in coastal forests of western North America, and its berries were an important traditional food for First Nations in British Columbia. Salal berries were investigated for phytochemical content and antioxidant capacity over the course of fruit development. The proanthocyanidin content was extremely high in young berries (280.7 mg/g dry wt) but dropped during development to 52.8 mg/g dry wt. By contrast, anthocyanins accumulated only at the late berry stages. Total antioxidant capacity, as measured by the 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method, reflected both proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin content, and in mature berries reached 36 mmol Trolox equivalents/100 g dry wt. More detailed phytochemical analysis determined that delphinidin 3-O-galactoside is the dominant anthocyanin, and that the berries are also rich in procyanidins, including procyanidin A2 which has been implicated in anti-adhesion activity for uropathogenic E. coli. Proanthocyanidins were 60% prodelphinidin, and overall concentrations were higher than reported for many Vaccinium species including blueberry, lingonberry, and cranberry. Overall, the phenolic profile of salal berries indicates that these fruit contain a diversity of health-promoting phenolics.

Fruit production and polyphenol content of salal (Gaultheria shallonPursh), a potential new fruit for northern maritime regions

Introduction. Cool growing seasons, high rainfall, wind and reduced sunshine challenge fruit production in northern maritime regions. Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) originates from the Pacific Northwest of North America and our research investigated its fruit production and chemical composition in Orkney, north of mainland Scotland. Materials and methods. Fruit production from a 20-plant row was recorded over 3 seasons and fruits were analysed for total polyphenol, anthocyanin content (TPC and TAC) and antioxidant capacity (FRAP). Results and discussion. Fruiting occurred from August to October. Although 16−18 pickings were required to harvest the entire crop, about 75% was picked over 4 weeks when maximum production occurred. Annual production varied from 0.7 to 2.3 kg m-1 of row, indicating potential yields of 2.7 to 9.1 t ha-1 at 10 years for hedgerows 2.5 m apart. In 2014, average fruit weight, height and diameter ranged from 467 to 680 mg, 9.9 to 10.5 mm and 9.2 to 10.2 mm, respectively. The maximum picking rate was about 1.0 kg h-1 but was constrained by poor synchronisation of fruit ripening. Variations between years in fruit TPC (658−968 mg 100 g-1 fw) were reflected in variations in TAC (121−219 mg 100 g-1 fw) and FRAP (63,048−100,815 ¯M Fe 100 g-1 fw). TPC and TAC values were similar to those for blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) varieties. Conclusion. Salal grew well in Orkney’s maritime environment and fruited reliably. This fruit has potential for novel food and drink, but commercialisation will require improved selections, notably for ease of harvest.

Multiple-pathway succession in coastal Tsuga heterophylla, Thuja plicata, and Abies amabilis forests on northeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Sustainable forest practices are often designed to mimic natural disturbance and successional processes, yet succession is poorly understood in many ecosystems. On northeastern Vancouver Island, the “disturbance hypothesis” is a widely assumed succession model asserting that shade-tolerant western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) and the ericaceous shrub salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) invade and colonize highly productive western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) – Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis Douglas ex J. Forbes) stands (HA) on zonal sites in the absence of stand-replacing wind disturbance. This leads to the development of low-productivity, low-density, uneven-aged, open-crowned redcedar–hemlock–salal stands (CH). In conflict with this model, old, apparently stable HA stands lacking redcedar can be found on such sites as well. We sought evidence for the predicted transition to CH stands by examining stand composition, crown closure, tree size class frequency distributions, salal cover, and redcedar establishment on young HA (∼90 years old), old HA (>160 years), and CH (>160 years) stands. When adjacent to a redcedar stand, young HA stands had fewer redcedar seedlings but more redcedar adult trees than old HA stands. However, redcedar abundance did not differ between young and old HA stands at distances further than 10 m from adjacent redcedar stands. This could indicate that redcedar recruits into HA stands at stand establishment and that redcedar seedling establishment is low under the thick canopy of young HA stands. The chronosequence data also suggest that both old HA and CH stands are self-replacing stand types in these forests, contrary to the disturbance hypothesis. We develop a new, multipathway model for this ecosystem that is based on the chronosequence data and life-history traits of the focal tree species and suggest that disturbance plays a role opposite to the equilibrium model.

Colonization and decomposition of salal (Gaultheria shallon) leaf litter by saprobic fungi in successional forests on coastal British Columbia

The colonization of leaf litter by saprobic fungi was studied in old-growth and post-harvest successional Douglas-fir forests on southeast Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This study focused on leaf litter of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.), a dominant understory shrub in all stands. Salal litter is characterized by the occurrence of bleached portions attributable to fungal colonization of the litter and to the variable decomposition of recalcitrant compounds, such as lignin. Analyses of proximate chemical fractions, fungal assemblages on the bleached leaf area, and pure culture decomposition assays indicated that Marasmius sp. and Coccomyces sp. were responsible for rapid decomposition and bleaching of salal leaf litter. The bleached area accounted for 17%-22% of total area of salal leaf litter collected in immature (40-60 years old), mature (85-105 years old), and old-growth (more than 290 years old) stands, but for only 2% in regeneration (5-15 years old) stands. The reduction of bleached leaf area occupied by Marasmius sp. and Coccomyces sp. in regeneration stands could be due to the changes in microenvironmental conditions on the forest floor, in litter quality, or in food-web structure in soils. The decrease of fungi able to decay recalcitrant compounds may lead to a reduction of salal decomposition rates in clear-cut sites that would persist until canopy closure occurs.

First Report of Anthracnose of Salal Caused by Colletotrichum acutatum in British Columbia

Gaultheria shallon Pursh (salal) is a native, Pacific Northwest forest understory plant produced by numerous commercial nurseries as a garden and landscape ground cover. Seed is sown in soilless media in greenhouse plug flats, and seedlings are transplanted into larger pots at 24 to 36 weeks. In October 2005, approximately 30% of 16-week-old G. shallon Pursh (salal) seedlings in a commercial greenhouse in coastal British Columbia, Canada were observed to be dying back. Black, water-soaked, cankers girdled the stems and petioles resulting in seedling necrosis. Cankers extended into the base of affected leaves, and irregular, black leaf spots with concentric rings were observed. A Colletotrichum sp. was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) + 0.005% streptomycin. In May 2006, 160 20-week-old salal seedlings (two- to five-leaf stage) in four plug cell flats of 40 seedlings each were inoculated with a hand atomizer with a mycelial and spore suspension of approximately 1 × 108 CFU/ml (dilution plating) in 100 mL sterile dH2O; 120 seedlings (four flats of 30 seedlings each) were sprayed with water alone. Flats were covered with black plastic for 48 h and then placed randomly in a shaded greenhouse at 14 to 22°C with overhead watering. The percentage of necrotic seedlings with black, water-soaked cankers and leaf spots in the inoculated flats at 1 to 8 weeks was 3.8, 7.6, 8.2, 16.4, 44.9, 62.0, 79.7, and 81.6, consecutively; versus 2.5% at 8 weeks in the noninoculated flats. Infection of the noninoculated seedlings was presumably due to spore splash from irrigation. Both the original isolate used as inoculum and colonies reisolated on PDA from inoculated, surface-sterilized, symptomatic tissues were identified as Colletotrichum acutatum J.H. Simmonds based on morphology (2) and PCR using a species-specific primer (1). Hyaline, aseptate, fusiform conidia, measuring 8 to 16 × 2.5 to 4 μm, were produced in acervuli without setae on plants and in culture. The teleomorph (Glomerella) stage was not observed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an anthracnose disease of salal.

Salal ( Gaultheria shallon) harvest: A plant architecture model

Salal ( Gaultheria shallon Pursh) is an evergreen shrub whose foliage is commercially harvested. An L-systems model of salal growth was developed to illustrate the effects of internode growth and axillary bud development on the architecture of individual salal plants. A Java program was then used to create an object-oriented salal model from the L-system structure. The object-oriented Java model was better able to construct the shoot parent–child relationships required for implementation of salal harvesters’ decision-making criteria than was the L-system approach which was better suited for modelling the plant growth and visualization. The visualization capabilities illustrated model performance that was consistent with field experiences, but relationships of salal growth to self-shading as well as overstory conditions require quantification before harvest effects on sustainability can be fully determined.

Short-term response of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) to commercial harvesting for floral greenery

Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh), which is widely used for floral greenery, is an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) from the coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest of North America. However, there are no known studies on the impacts of commercial salal harvesting on subsequent growth. A study was therefore initiated to quantify the growth of salal 1 year after commercial harvesting, and to compare this with growth of unharvested salal. The amount of biomass removed from shrubs through commercial harvesting (131 g m−2) was the same as the amount of annual growth in adjacent undisturbed plots (135 g m−2). One year later, the amount of regrowth in previously harvested plots (144 g m−2) was greater than the amount of new growth in adjacent undisturbed plots (111 g m−2). As there was little difference in the weight per current stem, the increased biomass after commercial harvesting was attributed to the observed increase in stem number (60 stems m−2) as compared to undisturbed salal (50 stems m−2). Our study does not incorporate either repeated annual harvesting or variable harvesting intensities, both of which have been anecdotally reported to affect levels of re-growth and therefore sustainability.

Cameraria gaultheriella and C. lobatiella attracted in Canada to (E,Z)-8,10-tetradecadienal, the sex pheromone of the European C. ohridella

AbstractField trapping trials showed that Cameraria gaultheriella Walsingham and C. lobatiella Opler and Davis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) were attracted in significant numbers in British Columbia, Canada, to sticky traps baited with 10 µg of (E,Z)-8,10-tetradecadienal (E8Z10-14Ald), the sex pheromone of the European horse chestnut leafminer, C. ohridella Deschka and Dimic. There was perfect specificity in captures at habitats located only about 8 km apart from each other: C. gaultheriella was captured exclusively at a humid habitat covered by the shrub salal, Gaultheria shallon Pursh (Ericaceae), whereas C. lobatiella was trapped at an arid location with Garry oak trees, Quercus garryana Dougl. (Fagaceae). Seasonal flight patterns of these two Canadian Cameraria species, as monitored by pheromone traps, indicated differences in their respective flight periods. The possibility of additional cryptic components in the respective pheromones of these three Cameraria species attracted to E8Z10-14Ald is discussed.

Hydrolyzed Casein Reduces Browsing of Trees and Shrubs by White-tailed Deer

Hydrolyzed casein (HC) and retail products that contain HC are evaluated as repellents to minimize deer damage to trees and shrubs. Three different experiments demonstrate that HC is an effective deer repellent. Technical-grade HC completely eliminated browse damage to evergreen shrubs (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.) and conifers (Thuja plicata Donn.) during the test periods. Retail sources of HC (concentrated baby formula powders) are not as effective as pure hydrolyzed protein, but do offer browse protection when alternative sources of browse are available. For nursery, orchard, and reforestation applications, HC is a promising deer repellent to minimize losses due to browse. For the private homeowner, a simple repellent formulated with glue and a HC-containing baby formula may offer considerable browse protection when alternative forage is available.

First Report of Phoma exigua as a Pathogen of Salal (Gaultheria shallon) in British Columbia, Canada.

Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.) is an ericaceous, evergreen, and rhizomatous shrub that competes for nutrients and moisture with young conifers in low elevation, coastal British Columbia (BC). A survey was conducted on southern Vancouver Island, BC during the summer of 1999 to find fungal pathogens of salal that might serve as biocontrol organisms (3). Phoma exigua Desmaz. (isolate PFC2705) near Parksville, BC proved to be pathogenic on salal. Identification of PFC2705 at the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures was based on morphology and ITS sequences (GenBank Accession No. AY927784). Pathogenicity was determined with 24 salal seedlings (3-month-old) by inoculating with mycelial suspensions (20% v/v) or conidial suspensions (1 × 106 conidia per ml in 0.5% potato dextrose broth). Inoculated seedlings were placed in plastic bags and incubated in a greenhouse (16 to 23°C with natural light). Plastic bags were removed after 2 days. Initial disease symptoms were observed 2 days after inoculation. Brown, sunken lesions appeared on the surface of young leaves and stems and extended quickly. All seedlings were killed within 14 days. Twelve control plants showed no disease symptoms. With diseased salal leaves incubated at 23°C with 12-h fluorescent light/dark and 100% relative humidity, pycnidia appeared on leaf surfaces within 5 days. Conidia were hyaline, ellipsoid, one-celled, sometimes two- to three-celled, 2.5 to 3.8 × 5 to 12.5 μm, with a rounded base; the colony was gray or dark gray on potato dextrose agar after 5 to 7 days. Reisolation from the inoculated diseased leaves produced a mycelial colony that shared the same growth and morphological characteristics as the initial isolate. Phyllosticta gaultheriae Ellis & Everh., a widely reported foliar pathogen of salal, is distinct morphologically from P. exigua (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. exigua as a pathogen of salal in Canada (2). A voucher specimen has been deposited at the Pacific Forestry Center Herbarium (DAVFP No. 28735).

Evidence that straw does not increase the mobilization of N from decomposing salal ( Gaultheria shallon Pursh.) leaf litter

We tested whether straw could induce higher N release from decomposing salal leaf litter, which ostensibly interferes with mineralization of N. We mixed forest floor material from two forest types with 15N-enriched salal leaf litter, and incubated the mixtures 3 years with and without straw amendments. The amounts of N, as well as the relative amounts of 15N, extracted in five fractions were, respectively, 29–93 and 25–82% lower in straw-amended forest floor. Results suggest that straw diverted microbial decomposition activity away from the more recalcitrant litter fractions. Previous reports of higher mineral-N availability in straw-amended forest floors are best explained by a fertilizer effect of straw as opposed to a ‘priming effect’.

Population genetics ofGaultheria shallonin British Columbia and the implications for management using biocontrol

Gaultheria shallon Pursh. (salal), an ericaceous shrub native to the Pacific Northwest, often out-competes regenerating conifer species in managed forests. A naturally occurring fungus, Valdensinia heterodoxa Peyronel, is being considered as a potential biocontrol agent for salal. Knowledge of the genetic diversity and population structure of salal will help assess the effectiveness and the potential risks of using a biocontrol agent in natural populations. Salal samples were collected from five populations, four on Vancouver Island and one on coastal mainland British Columbia. DNA fingerprints were obtained based on 230 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), of which 99.1% were variable. While salal has been reported to be a polyploid, it is likely that over time it is moving toward a diploid state. Based on a comparison of allele frequencies with known diploids, the AFLP loci used in this study appear to follow a diploid pattern; however, the levels of variation reported in this study may be an underestimation depending on the ploidy of salal. An intensively sampled population on Vancouver Island (Shawnigan Lake) showed isolation by distance and low kinship correlations, indicative of more sexual reproduction than expected for a predominantly clonal population. Our findings suggest that salal may be clonal at a very local scale (less than 5 m), and that with high levels of diversity within populations and little differentiation among populations, developing an effective biocontrol for salal may be challenging.Key words: population structure, genetic diversity, AFLP, biocontrol, Gaultheria shallon.

An assessment of phosphorus limitations to soil nitrogen availability across forest ecosystems of north coastal British Columbia

The wet, slow-growing forests of western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) and salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) on the north coast of British Columbia are characteristically low in available phosphorus (P) compared with more productive forest ecosystems. It has been suggested that declining P availability can eventually limit soil biological activity and restrict nitrogen (N) cycling. We investigated this potential link between P availability and N cycling for three forest types (cedar–salal, hemlock – lanky moss and spruce – sword fern) covering a wide gradient in site productivity. Forest floors (upper 20 cm) and mineral soils (20 cm depth) were collected from five replicate sites of each forest type and incubated for 20 weeks at field moisture content with and without an amendment of NaH2PO4. We found that organic P concentrations of both forest floors and mineral soils were positively correlated to extractable inorganic N concentrations (unamended soils over 20 weeks). The addition of P to the low-productivity cedar–salal soils led to significant increases in extractable inorganic N in the forest floors and mineral soils. P amendments led to either a smaller or nonsignificant increase in extractable N for moderately and highly productive soils. Soil respiration of CO2 and respiration quotients were substantially reduced in forest floors with a P amendment, suggesting N mineralization was governed by exoenzyme allocation rather than decomposition rates. These results demonstrate a possible enhancement in N supplies with an application of P to low-productivity cedar–salal forests.

Can we reconstruct deer browsing history and how? Lessons from Gaultheria shallon Pursh

Nous avons identifie et analyse les signatures relatives a l'abroutissement du cerf a queue noire (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) sur le salal (Gaultheria shallon) et utilise celles-ci pour reconstituer son histoire. L'analyse de la croissance radiale a revele des decroissances brutales probablement liees a des defoliations. La pression et l'histoire d'abroutissement sont le mieux apprehendees par l'occurrence des caracteres anatomiques tels que la forme de la section, la presence de lobes, la forme et la position de la moelle, la presence de bois alteres ou le deficit en jeunes tiges. L'analyse des âges revele que les tiges de salal sont deux fois plus âgees en presence de cerfs (30 versus 16 ans). Sur les iles avec cerf, on observe un deficit de jeunes tiges qui suggere un impact fort du cerf depuis 10 ans dans les sites du sud et de 20 ans au moins dans les sites du nord.

Evaluation of an Inoculum Production and Delivery Technique for Valdensinia heterodoxa, a Potential Biological Control Agent for Salal

Inoculum production of Valdensinia heterodoxa Peyr. (isolate PFC 3027), a foliar pathogen of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.), was evaluated on various solid substrates. Incubation on salal leaf pieces resulted in the greatest number of discharged conidia, which is deemed a suitable indicator for sporulation and inoculum dispersal of V. heterodoxa. Subsequently, V. heterodoxa inoculum of two isolates (PFC 2761 and PFC 3027) was produced on salal leaf pieces using four different growth periods (0, 4, 8, or 12 days) and three different cold storage treatments (0, 4, or 8 weeks) following harvest of colonised leaf pieces. Overall, the maximum number of discharged conidia was obtained with a growth period of 4 or 8 days, whereas the effect of a cold storage treatment was inconclusive between the fungal isolates and various growth periods. Conidia discharge from salal leaf piece inoculum of V. heterodoxa (PFC 2761 and PFC 3027) applied on pot soil level resulted in 8-41% leaf damage of intact salal plants. Results from this study indicate the potential of salal plant tissue as both a growth substrate and a suitable delivery technique for V. heterodoxa to control salal.

Organic and inorganic nitrogen nutrition of western red cedar, western hemlock and salal in mineral N-limited cedar-hemlock forests.

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn.), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla Raf. Sarge) and salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) are the main species growing in cedar-hemlock forests on Vancouver Island, Canada. Based on the dominance of organic N in these systems, we tested the hypotheses that: (1) organic N can be utilized by the three plant species; and (2) salal, which is ericoid mycorrhizal and has high tannin concentration in its tissues, would absorb more N from the complex organic N compounds than the other two species. The abilities of cedar, hemlock and salal to take up 15N,13C-labelled glutamic acid were measured and the capacities of the three species to use nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), glutamic acid, protein and protein-tannin N were compared over a 20-day period. Based on 13C enrichment, all three species absorbed at least a portion of glutamic acid intact. Cedar, hemlock and salal also showed similar patterns of N uptake from the NO3-, NH4+, glutamic acid, protein and protein-tannin treatments. The largest proportions of applied N were taken up from the NO3- and NH4+ treatments while smaller amounts of N were absorbed from the organic N compounds. Thus organic N was accessed to a modest degree by all three species, and salal did not have a greater capacity to utilize protein and protein-tannin-N.

Response of Gaultheria shallon and Epilobium angustifolium to large additions of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer

A study was established in coastal British Columbia to determine if repeated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization negatively influences the reestablishment of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) on cleared and burned cedar–hemlock (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don – Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forests. Fertilizers were applied for 3 years, and the biomass of ground vegetation and conifer seedling survival and growth were measured. Salal biomass decreased with high levels of N application (1000 kg N/ha), but not when 400 kg P/ha was added with 1000 kg N/ha. The addition of 500 kg N/ha, with or without P, stimulated salal growth. The biomass of fireweed (Epilobium angusti folium L.) increased with the addition of N + P but not with N alone. In the high N and N + P treatments, conifer seedling survival and heights were reduced. These results confirm earlier reports that salal responds negatively to high N applications and that this negative response can be alleviated with simultaneous additions of P. The response of fireweed to N + P, but not to N alone, suggests that the abundance of this species is more indicative of P than N availability.

Non-linear mixed models for repeated data assessment of time and temperature effects on conidia production in the fungus Valdensinia heterodoxa

Valdensinia heterodoxaPeyr. has potential for application as abiological control agent of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) in regeneratingforests in the Pacific Northwest region ofNorth America. Conidia production of twoisolates of Valdensinia heterodoxa wasexamined at four temperature levels during a12-day period. Conidia production was stronglyinfluenced by both temperature (with an optimumbetween 16 and 19 °C) and time (peakedat day 9). Replicate (five) variance was highlyheterogeneous and made a conventional approachto the statistical analyses unsuccessful.However, newly developed generalized nonlinearmodels succeeded in identifying significantdifferences between isolates in theirtemperature specificity. One model was based ona time-dependent Poisson process (logisticmodel) modified by an independent nonlineartemperature function (a scaled gamma function).The other was a nonlinear growth model withfixed (time, isolate) and random (replicate)effects. We believe that nonlinear mixed modelsoffer an attractive framework for analysis oflongitudinal count data common in growth andreproduction studies.

Stand Establishment Decision Aid for nutrient-deficient, salal-dominated sites (Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone)

This Stand Establishment Decision Aid (SEDA) for the Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) biogeoclimatic zone is the first SEDA for the coastal region. We have focused on site series that have been studied since the early 1980s as part of the Salal Cedar Hemlock Integrated Research Program (SCHIRP). The objectives of this program are: to determine the underlying causes of poor growth of regenerating western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn.), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla [Raf. Sarg.]), amabilis fir (Abies amabilis Dougl.), and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr.) on cutovers of old-growth cedar-hemlock forests invaded by salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) on the west coast of North America; and to establish the best operational means for improving productivity on these sites.The first section of this SEDA describes identifying characteristics of sites that will likely develop nutrient deficiencies. This is followed by some general information about harvesting and the goals of silvicultural treatment. The third section identifies site series that are likely to require treatment to improve conifer growth and nutrition. The fourth section outlines some possible silvicultural considerations to attain treatment goals. These include site preparation, planting and fertilization, and stand tending. Sites in the CWH often have important values for First Nations groups and for non-timber forest products. These values are described in the fifth section so that they may be considered in any management plan. Finally, we list some additional sources of information about these sites and their management.