Understanding the factors involved in regeneration (establishment and recruitment) of continuous cover silviculture

 

Objectives

• Identify key gaps in current understanding of the processes affecting seedling establishment and recruitment beneath a forest canopy
• Implement a series of experiments designed to improve understanding of the key processes involved in the establishment and growth of seedlings beneath a canopy, and the interactions with stand manipulation
• Provide useful and relevant guidance to forest managers on the establishment and recruitment of regeneration during transformation and management under Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF).

Background

Transformation of forests to continuous cover management systems requires the successful establishment and growth of seedlings beneath a canopy, and their subsequent recruitment into the overstorey.  Natural regeneration will often be the preferred option, but where this is not possible, artificial regeneration is a valuable alternative.

Whichever method is used, the following factors will influence the success of seedling establishment and the recruitment of these young trees into the stand (Hale, 2004; Hale and Brown, 2005):

• Seed supply of appropriate species
• Seed bed suitable for germination
• Microclimate for germination and growth
• Vegetation competition
• Mammal impacts.

Understanding these factors, the interactions between them, and how they are influenced by stand management is essential in order to provide guidance to forest managers wishing to transform forest stands and manage them under CCF (Saksa, 2004; Mason et al., 2005).

Work on this project is carried out in collaboration with the following research programmes:

• Seed and seedling biology
• Ecology of upland native woodlands
• Integrated forest vegetation management
• Management of upland native woodlands

and those in the Woodland biodiversity research theme.

Current work areas

• Guidance on the management of Sitka spruce natural regeneration and respacing
• Rreview of previous experiments and the scientific literature on underplanting.

Main contacts

Colin Edwards and Sophie Hale.

References

Hale, S.E. (2004). Managing Light to Enable Natural Regeneration in British Conifer Forests ^(PDF-100K). Information Note 63. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh. pp. 6.

Hale, S.E. and Brown, N. (2005). Use of the canopy-scope as a means of assessing canopy openness in plantation forests in Britain. Forestry 78, 365-371.

Mason, W.L., Kerr, G., Pommerening, A., Edwards, C., Hale, S.E., Ireland, D. and Moore, R. (2005). Continuous cover forestry in British conifer forests ^(PDF-616K). In Forest Research Annual Report and Accounts 2003-2004. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh, pp. 38-53.

Saksa, T. (2004). Regeneration process from seed crop to saplings - a case study in uneven-aged Norway spruce-dominated stands in southern Finland. Silva Fennica 38, 4, 371-381.