Forest Site Preparation Definition: Purposeful treatment of the site to prepare for the regeneration process Site preparation practices include: –Remove unwanted vegetation, slash and stumps from a site before/immediately following a regeneration method

Silvicultural Objectives of Forest Site Preparation Control competing vegetation Create a seedbed environment that favors target species Soil Scarification –Loosening of the upper soil or breaking up the organic layer –Removing undecomposed litter and humus to expose mineral soil –Mixing surface organic materials with mineral layers beneath them –Mechanically removing competing vegetation or interfering debris

Silvicultural Objectives of Forest Site Preparation Alter physical attributes of the rooting zone –Reduce soil compaction –Improve drainage Facilitate planting of seedlings –Remove physical obstructions such as slash, standing trees, stumps (this is especially important for machine planting) Aesthetics

How site preparation fits into a silvicultural system

Site Preparation Objectives in the Central Hardwood Region Site preparation prior to final harvest Control competing vegetation Alter seedbed to promote establishment of advance tree reproduction Proactive removal of noncommercial trees that would inhibit seedling development following a harvest Post-harvest site preparation Control competing vegetation Remove trees remaining from previous stand that are inhibiting seedling development Alter seedbed to promote germination of light seeded species Prepare area for tree planting

Categories of Forest Site Preparation 1.Mechanical a.Competition control b.Slash manipulation + competition control c.Seedbed manipulation d.Competition control + seedbed manipulation e.Alter physical attributes of the rooting zone 2.Chemical 3.Prescribed Fire a.

Mechanical Site Preparation

Mechanical Competition Control Manual Felling:

Mechanical Competition Control Manual Girdling:

Shearing: Cuts down standing vegetation using a large tractor with KG blade or V-blade Mechanical Competition Control

Shearing: Cuts down standing vegetation using a large tractor with KG blade or V-blade Benefits – –Provides some competition control, but is usually inadequate without follow-up treatment For planting, shearing is usually to facilitate further mechanical site prep, such as rake-and-pile or drum chopping Shearing is also used to complete silvicultural clearcutting in hardwoods Mechanical Competition Control

Drum chopping: use a large cylindrical drum with sharp blade, pulled by a large tractor Breaks debris into smaller pieces, gets it closer to the ground (for more effective burning); Destroys some rootstocks (usually preceded by shearing) Mechanical Slash Manipulation and Competition Control

Drum chopping Benefits: –Provides some competition control, but it may be poor or inconsistent, due to problems with sprouting –Provides some facilitation of planting, which may be greatly improved by burning –Provides some improvement in soil conditions (increased infiltration of surface runoff, reducing erosion)

Rake-and-pile (root-raking, windrowing: use a large tractor with a root-rake to move surface debris and stumps, and to rip out rootstocks It normally follows shearing Most commonly, debris is piled into windrows Benefits Mechanical Slash Manipulation and Competition Control

Rake-and-pile (root-raking, windrowing) Potential problems: –Erosion/sedimentation –Movement of topsoil (often results in a reduction in site productivity) Countermeasures: –Avoid rake-and-pile on steep slopes and highly erodible soils –Put windrows on contour –Do not remove litter layer unnecessarily –Use only skilled and careful machine operators –Do not use a straight blade for raking!

Mastication: mechanical grinding of logging slash, whole trees, and brush Mechanical Slash Manipulation and Competition Control

Disking: done with large heavy disks, pulled by a large tractor Knocks down small material, rips up smaller rootstocks Benefits: –May provide good competition control –Provides some facilitation of planting –Can decrease compaction Mechanical Seedbed Manipulation and Competition Control

Bedding: combination of plowing and disking to create raised beds for planting seedlings Usually follows rake-and-pile Benefits –Improves soil aeration, both by raising above a high water table and by breaking soil compaction – –Gives additional competition control –On uplands, positive benefits of bedding include: Allow beds to settle for six weeks before planting Mechanical Alteration of Rooting Zone

Subsoiling (ripping): utilizes a long (24-48 "), narrow, sharp plow for cutting through compact soil or a restrictive soil pan Usually follows other methods, or is used in old fields that have a plowpan Benefits Mechanical Alteration of Rooting Zone

Combination Treatments Combination treatments The Savannah “3-in-1 plow”- employs a specialized combination of ripping, plowing, and bedding, (often with shearing) in one pass

Soil Scarification to Improve Oak Establishment What is Soil Scarification? The use of mechanized equipment to create a shallow soil disturbance in desired areas that incorporates acorns into the soil, while providing competition control.

Factors Influencing Oak Seedling Establishment Acorn Production Predation: mammals, birds, insects Seed moisture content Leaf litter depth

Acorn Positions in Forest Floor Unfavorable: 1.on litter layer surface 2.positioned within a thick litter layer Favorable: 1.buried 1 to 2 inches deep in soil 2.in contact with mineral soil, covered with leaf litter that is not too thick

Why Use Soil Scarification for Oak Regeneration? Increase germination through incorporation Provides competition control

Disk Scarification

So. IL Bottomland Oak Disking – Results Impact of Treatment on Oak Seedling Density Seedlings Ha -1

So. IL Bottomland Oak Disking - Poison Ivy

So. IL Bulldozer and Brush Rake Study Scarification treatment: –78 hp crawler tractor –8 ft, 6-tooth brush rake –Rake inserted into the soil approx. 4 inches –Operation damaged or uproot midstory trees Mature, mixed oak upland forest

Bulldozer/Brush Rake Scarification

So. IL Bulldozer/Brush Rake Study – Results Impact of Treatment on Oak Seedling Density Seedlings Ha -1

So. IL Bulldozer/Brush Rake Study – Results Impact of Treatment on Midstory

Overall Trends The results suggest scarification may: –Increase germination and initial establishment –Influence competing vegetation –Enhance competitive position of oak seedlings –Be a useful management tool in both upland and bottomland forests Note: abundant acorns must be present

Chemical Site Preparation

Reasons for Using Chemical Site Preparation Kill dense or unwanted vegetation that: Kill or desiccate ground vegetation to improve fuel conditions for prescribed burning Prevent understory development Inhibit seed germination of weed species

Advantages of Chemical Site Preparation Effectively kills a broad array of weeds and competing plants Can kill targeted species when applied with proper timing, dosage, and formulation Prevents sprouting from stumps and root systems Does not disturb surface or affect the inherent site productivity potential Works equally well in treating large or small areas in a number of ways and times of the year Proven cost-effective, particularly for broadcast and other mechanized applications over large areas

Site Preparation and Stand Yield

Chemical Site Preparation Herbicide Labels Labels are required legal documents: uses other than those listed are illegal All forestry herbicides must pass a rigorous approval process for EPA (sets standards for effectiveness and safety Important information that is listed on herbicide labels: –Ingredients –Precautionary statement –May include a restricted use designation –Information and directions for approved uses (including species "controlled") –Instructions for storage and disposal

Herbicide Toxicity Toxicity: Those labeled for forestry uses are low in toxicity, are non-persistent, and do not bioaccumulate They are targeting plants, usually blocking or overstimulating plant enzymes None are toxic to birds or mammals at expected levels of exposure or ingestion LD50: dose (wt/body wt) fatal to 50% of test organisms. Lower # more toxic They are rapidly tied up or broken down in biological and soil systems

Herbicide Application Methods –Broadcast –Spot or strip –Individual stem Chemicals used should be labeled for the application

Herbicide Tank Mixes Tank mixes: two or more herbicides are mixed together –Wider spectrum of control –Most commonly applied as broadcast foliar and/or soil-active –Do not plant tree seedlings for 3-6 months after most soil-active chemicals (esp. for Tordon, Velpar) –Commonly followed by hot prescribed fire (“brown and burn”) {in order to facilitate planting} –Tank mixes common with broader spectrum of control and quick brownup Arsenal/Accord, Tordon/Garlon

Herbicide Tank Mixes Application in spots or strips ("bands") Hand carried sprayers or spreaders, spot guns, tractor-mounted sprayers or spreaders

Prescribed Fire for Site Preparation

Primary Uses Reduce slash, debris, and undecomposed litter, and release nutrients in accumulated organic materials Kill interfering vegetation or reduce understory plants to alter visual qualities in a stand Influence plant succession or increase ecological diversity by perpetuating fire-dependant plant communities Reduce accumulation of hazardous fuels Reduce the thickness of forest floor or expose mineral soil

Uses of Burning for Site Preparation Secondary Uses Open cone and other fruiting structures to release seeds –Species with seratonous cones (e.g., jack pine and lodgepole pine) Destroy pests and harmful organisms and the habitats that sustain them Increase water yields by altering the kind and size of vegetation and reducing transpiration Induce sprouting of surviving vegetation to improve cover, browse or forage production

Effects of Prescribed Burning Effects will depend on: Amount and nature of fuel –Pine litter more flammable than hardwood litter Size of vegetation to be killed {poor top kill if >3" diameter} Number of sproutable rootstocks (maximum kill for one burn usually around 20%, less for a winter burn) Timing of burn –most kill in growing season (optimum just after leaf out), least in dormant season; –best consumption with least green or living vegetation, i.e., in fall/winter or after herbicide browning –higher erosion potential with fall/early winter burn (soil stays bare all winter) –late spring burn will impact ground nesting birds (e.g., wild turkeys)

Potential problems in using prescribed burning Scheduling: need proper fuel conditions, weather, and available manpower Requires experienced supervision for planning and implementation Smoke management potential problems: air pollution, P.R., legal restrictions and liability Containment issues and liability Fire may damage or kill residual trees