Transcript what is a forest? - Central Columbia School District

WHAT IS A FOREST?
Simply a tract of woodland with dense growth of
trees and underbrush covering a large tract of land
1 ACRE=43, 560 sq. feet
1 MILE=5, 280 feet
Ecosystem-defined as an interaction system
composed of living organisms together with their
non-living environment made up of soil, water,
many plants (besides trees & shrubs) and a wide
variety of animal life from insects to whitetail deer
Processes follow daily and annual cycles
Multiple Use: to be engaged in more than one
activity at a given time
Recycling: nutrients and other materials tend to
move in circular paths within an
ecosystem
COMPETITION IS SEVERE IN THE FOREST
- includes-births, deaths, respiration,
transpiration and photosynthesis
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
What about the physical description of a forest?
TREE CLASSIFICATION
Forestors use classification to determine managerial
plans for each stand:
METHODS:
* HEIGHT
* DBH-4 ½ feet above ground
CATEGORIES:
Seedlings-up to 3 feet high
Saplings-3’ to 10’ high
Poletimber-4” to 12” in diameter
Sawtimber-12” or more in diameter
CROWN POSITION:
Dominant-CoDominant-Intermediate-Suppressed
SHADE TOLERANCE:
Tolerant: can survive on low light
Intolerant: requires bright light
Visit the Columbia County Conservation District to
locate your property in a soil survey or visit on-line
property viewers like a GPS
United States Geological Survey Map (Topo Map)
that includes your property
-Elevation changes -Drainage Patterns
Sound planning and management depends on
knowing what you own
BOUNDARY MARKINGS:
Temporary Markings: colored flagging
Permanent Markings: painting selected trees
These types of markings will highlight your
property
WITNESS TREES: normally trees described by
their species, distance and compass direction from
permanent monuments
LINE TREES: trees actually on the line are
referred as the property of both
owners
SPECIES IDENTIFICATION:
Management of forest for any objective involves
the management of vegetation
AGE COMPOSITION:
EVEN-AGED=all trees close to same age
*produced by physical or environmental
conditions:
-FIRE
-CLEARCUTTINGS
-TORNADOES -PLANTINGS
UNEVEN AGED STANDS= Contain trees that
range from young seedlings to mature sawtimber
TREES IN EVEN-AGED STAND OFTEN
REPRESENTS SHADE INTOLERANT
SPECIES
STOCKING
3 TYPES:
* Dense=over 70% of crown closure
* Thin=40% to 70% crown closure
* Poorly=under 40% crown closure
*UNDER-STOCKED-does not produce at its
most efficient timber
producing levels
OVER-STOCKED=stagnation is likely to occur;
growth will slow due to
limited light, water and soil
nutrients
EVERGREENS-plants that retain their green
leaves all year
Example-Rhododendron, juniper, pines
*Hardwood/deciduous- loses their leaves annually
*Softwood/conifer- cone bearing
FOREST COVER TYPES
Natural group or association of different species of
trees which commonly occur together over
large areas
2 MOST COMMON IN PENNSYLVANIA:
1.
OAK-HICKORY
2.
BEECH-MAPLE-BIRCH
COMBINATION OF TERMS
Uneven-aged, well stocked, oak-hickory stand
RECYCLING
Nutrients and other materials tend to move in
circular paths within an ecosystem
COMPETITION IS SEVERE IN THE FOREST
-INCLUDES BIRTHS, DEATHS,
RESPIRATION, TRANSPIRATION AND
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
What about the physical description of a forest?
- To qualify as a forest
* Group of trees must have crowns (tops) that are
close enough to touch together
To create rather dense shade in the understory
Veneer-also tends to have seasonal market cycles
that are the highest during the late fall,
winter and early spring months
GERARD FORM CLASS=
MERCHANTIBLE HEIGHT:
FORMULA:
DIB X 100=% OF MH
DBH
MANAGING YOUR WOODLANDS
FOR GREATER PROFITS
Resource evaluation involves assessing the physical
and biological characteristics of your woodland
and is an important step in managing your
woodland for greater profit
GETTING STARTED:
List your ownership objectives:
*Legal description of your property
- Columbia County Courthouse
- Know your boundaries of your woodland before
you begin any management activity
- Check with NRCS (Natural Resources
Conservation Service)
- aerial photographs of property
In Pennsylvania, 115 commonly occurring trees:
- 16 to 20 species have commercial value:
- Oak
- Cherry
- Maple
- Walnut
Identification methods:
-leaves -buds
-fruit
-bark
-twigs
TREE MEASUREMENTS:
Diameter=most common
nearest even 2” class
Tree Height= referred to either as total height or
merchantable height
TOTAL HEIGHT= Distance from ground level to
top of crown
Merchantable Height= distance from stump height
to the top of the
merchantable material in the
tree
STUMP HEIGHT= 1 foot above the ground
MERCHANTABLE HEIGHT= Stops where
major branches occur or where the diameter
inside bark (DIB) is less than 8 inches
PULPWOOD STANDARDS= allows for a
minimum DIB of 4”
Natural pruning occurs because the lower shaded
limbs of many trees die from a lack of sun and
too much competition
Other criteria that has to be met for wooded areas to
be a forest is that there should be an accumulation
of organic material (OM) covering the mineral
soil of the forest floor
FOREST CLASSIFICATION
2 Types of Forest:
Pure Stand- nearly all trees are of the same species
Mixed Stand- composed of 2 or more species
STAND=group of trees growing in a continuous
area
Forest fires help to create environmental conditions
conducive to pure stand development due to the
lack of sunlight.
Eventually, these limbs break off and fall to the
ground leaving the trunk of the tree relatively
clear.
STAND DENSITY:
Methods for classifying forest:
DENSITY BY VOLUME:
Number of cubic feet of wood in
merchantable stems (pulpwood and
sawlogs) being supported per acre of
ground
BASAL AREA:
Number of square feet in a cross section of tree
trunks at diameter breast height
For Example:
DBH of 2 feet, will contribute 3.14 sq. ft. to the
basal area
3 VOLUME RULES FOR LOGS:
Scribner-Doyle-International
Species, size and quality are not the only factors
affecting the price for the buyer and seller
Additional factors such as:
- Crossing streams and standing water (wetlands)
- Road building costs
- Number of trees per acre
- Local and regional demand for material
BASIC UNIT OF HEIGHT/LENGTH
MEASUREMENT IS A LOG WHICH IS 16
FEET IN LENGTH
The combined information of age and height of
trees in a stand is a direct measure of the
STAND’S VIGOR
It also is an indirect measure of the quality of the
site for growing trees
INCREMENT BORER: is an tool used to
determine tree age
FOR MANAGEMENT, DEVELOP A MAP
SHOWING MAJOR FEATURES AND
OUTLINING THE DIFFERENT STANDS
THAT OCCUR ON YOUR WOODLAND
PROPERTY
The number of species decrease with extremes in
environmental conditions
MIXED STANDS
Most of Pennsylvania is a mixed stand
2 Reasons for Mixed Forests:
1. 102 native species to PA
2. Most species can survive a broad range of
environmental conditions
PURE STANDS: Mainly due to man’s activities
Abandon Fields or Forest Fires
Example: White pine and aspen
3 Factors affecting growth:
*Species
* Soil Condition
*Light
Formula for area of circle:
Number of stems per acre(difficult to measure)
Crown Closure:
Amount of forest canopy that will be occupied by
tree tops as opposed to the amount of openings
permitting light to hit the forest floor
Unit of Measure: For fuel-wood is the standard
cord which is 8’ long X 4’
wide X 4’ high
Cord contains 128 cubic feet of volume and
between 60 and 100 cubic feet of solid wood
Fuel-wood value can vary from $2.00 to $20.00 per
cord on the stump
Stumpage= refers to wood standing un-cut in the
woodland
Pulpwood= is material having a minimum DBH of
6” and a maximum DBH of 20”
Sawlogs= normally are harvested from trees that
are 12” DBH and larger
6 MAJOR SPECIES:
*WHITE ASH
*RED MAPLE
*RED OAK
*SUGAR MAPLE
*WHITE OAK
*BLACK CHERRY
Quality of sawlogs is greatly influenced by log
form, surface and internal defects and to some
extend the growing site
One board foot contains 144 cubic inches
VENEER= tree that has the potential to yield
veneer is seen as the ultimate product
-A tree generally must have a minimum DBH of
18” and be free of exterior defects
-No overgrown branches
-Epicormic branches (boles)
-Mechanical injuries
PRINCIPAL VENEER SPECIES IN PA:
RED OAK
WHITE OAK
BLACK CHERRY
4 Classes of Roundwood Products:
-Fuelwood -Sawlogs -Pulpwood -Veneer
These products differ in diameter, quality and value
Fuelwood=is an important product on many
woodlands
Species is not a critical fuelwood factor since all
species are considered to have the same amount
of heat per pound
Example: Cubic foot of aspen weighs 28 pounds
while the same volume of oak weighs 44 pounds
DEVELOPING A WOODLAND
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Organizing land- use objectives
Plan- describes the natural resources found on land
and a program of activities for a specific time
period
Landowner- describes and determines what
benefits are wanted from the
woodlot
Forester- decides what the resources can provide
KEY ELEMENTS IN A PLAN
Management Objectives
• Maps
• Inventory Data
• Site & Stand Description
• Management and Recommendations
• Activity Schedule
Ownership Objectives- provides foundation for
management plan
•
Maps- provides a graphic source of information
* U.S. Geological Survey
* Survey Map showing boundaries
* Deed
* Vegetation & Stand Cover Description
* Soil Maps
Inventory Data- describes the woodlot by
measuring the resources
* Estimate of the quantity and quality of the
resources
Timber Inventory Data- describes the potential of
the woodlot
* Stand Tables- is a list of the number of trees
per acre according to tree
species and diameter
* Stock Tables- provides volume information
as board feet or cubic
feet per acre
Site and Stand Description- determines quality of
the growing site and is affected by the following
items:
-Climate
-Soils
-Topography
Description Information- the following can be
found to describe the area:
-Stand age - Structure -Insect/disease damage
Site Index- measures and evaluates the quality of a
woodland site
* The higher the number, the better the site,
the better the quality of trees*
Determining Site Index: average heights of the
dominant and co-dominate trees in a stand
compared to their age
-A written record should be kept for income record
-Management activities should be conducted every
5 years
-Objectives should change according to growth and
activities
Foresters and Consultants- will base their fees on
the size of the acreage
involved
PRINCIPLES OF SILVICULTURE
Silviculture- defined as the theory and practice of
controlling forest establishment,
composition and growth
The practice of silviculture is important to today’s
landowners who are seeking more benefits than
ever before from their woodland
SILVICULTURE FOR
IMPROVEMENT BENEFITS
Involves depending and developing a plan for
influencing the forest to grow in a certain way in
order to achieve certain goals
Role of Silviculture- is to establish quality trees
Girdling- involves the removal of a ring of bark
around the tree to block the flow of
nutrients from the crown to the rootscausing the tree to starve and perish
* In young forests, the desirable trees are nurtured
by removing the undesirable ones*
* From the silvicultural perspective, cutting trees
is the primary method of establishing and
tending forest stands to meet a owner’s
objectives*
* Silvicultural practices regulate the availability of
water, nutrients and sunlight to selected trees*
INTERMEDIATE CUTTINGS
Any cuttings or treatments applied to established
immature forests for the purpose of improving
them are referred to as Intermediate Cuttings and
may be undertaken for any of the following
reasons:
1. Remove poor quality trees
2. Remove weed tree species
3. Thin stand and increase growth rate of trees
4. Free an understory of seedlings and saplings
5. Remove insect/disease infested trees
6. Salvage timber damaged by insect, fire or disease
STAND DEVELOPMENT
Stands that originate over a relatively short period
of time are referred to as Even-Aged
CROWN POSITION
Growth in height is the most critical factor
determining the survival of trees
Trees in a forest stand can be classified according to
the position and size of their crowns in
relationship to the others in the stand:
DOMINANT
CO-DOMINANT
INTERMEDIATE
SUPPRESSED