{"id":2872,"date":"2014-07-07T16:50:32","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T20:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=2872"},"modified":"2017-03-30T12:55:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T16:55:00","slug":"forestry-for-the-birds-variable-density-thinning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/conservation\/forest-stewardship-institute-fsi\/spitzer-demonstration-forest\/forestry-for-the-birds-variable-density-thinning\/","title":{"rendered":"Forestry For the Birds: Variable Density Thinning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Black throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Management Goals<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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  • Improve forest productivity and future timber quality, with diameter goals of 16-22\u201d for most species<\/li>\n
  • Diversify forest structure (canopy layers, spatial arrangement of trees and features such as standing dead trees) to enhance habitat for priority songbird species<\/li>\n
  • Promote the ecological processes and species associated with the Northern Hardwood forest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    History<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    This forest is adjacent to one of the earliest homesteads in the area, but was probably never cleared for farm fields. It was likely a woodlot used by the farmers, providing firewood and possibly maple sap.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Small amounts of timber harvesting continued through the early 1900s, and around 1960 the stand was logged heavily. Since then, it has remained mostly undisturbed, despite heavy cutting of the surrounding forest in the 1980s.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Stand Description<\/b><\/h2>\n

    With good growing conditions and relatively little disturbance, this stand represents one of the more mature hardwood stands in the Spitzer Forest. Soils are deep and rich (less acidic, with better nutrient retention) compared to other parts of our forest; this allows species such as sugar maple and white ash to thrive, and as well as less common trees such as basswood and butternut. But the site is also somewhat wet, requiring careful skid trail layout. Located near the Tripp Hill summit, the terrain in this area is gradually sloping with a mostly northern aspect.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    \"FFTB<\/b><\/h2>\n

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    What is Variable Density Thinning?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    A conventional, even-aged thinning leaves a consistent spacing of trees across the stand, and most of those trees will be the same age. Variable Density Thinning modifies that strategy by leaving undisturbed pockets of forest, removing clusters of trees where appropriate, and cultivating healthy trees of multiple ages. The resulting forest is more structurally diverse and closer to the condition of a natural forest ecosystem. Undisturbed areas provide dense cover and protect sensitive soils, small canopy openings create a flush of new understory growth, and high-quality trees are given space to grow in size and value. With nearly immediate habitat enhancement and benefits to long-term productivity, this technique was a great match for our management goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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