*
 

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

*

Interactions between thinning and bear damage complicate restoration in coast redwood forests

Kevin L O’Hara (1)   , Lakshmi Narayan (1), Lathrop P Leonard (2)

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 1-8 (2020)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3135-012
Published: Jan 08, 2020 - Copyright © 2020 SISEF

Research Articles


Silviculture was used to direct the development of young redwood stands toward old forest stand structures. Two variable-density thinning treatments and an unthinned control treatment were monitored for 10 years following treatment in young coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) stands in northern California, USA. The intent of these treatments was for forest restoration by accelerating the development of old forest features. The thinning treatments increased individual tree growth in both low and moderate density thinning treatments as compared to the control. The variable-density thinning also resulted in greater stand structural variability and was successful at increasing the relative proportion of redwood. Black bears (Ursus americanus) caused major damage to residual trees and showed a preference for more vigorous trees. Most of this damage occurred in the first four years after thinning. The confounding effects of thinning to favor larger trees and bear damage preferentially affecting more vigorous and large trees reduced the effectiveness of these treatments by eliminating the stems intended to form the future old forest structures. It also indicates forest managers need a conservative approach that leaves greater numbers of residual trees in redwood stands when bears are present. Thinning should leave sufficient trees to form the old forest structure plus ample allowances for bear-caused mortality. The long-term outcome of stand development in these thinned redwood forests is uncertain because of high rates of mortality in young trees.

  Keywords


Sequoia sempervirens, Restoration, Variable-Density Thinning, Precommercial Thinning, Silviculture, Ursus americanus

Authors’ address

(1)
Kevin L O’Hara 0000-0002-3800-9188
Lakshmi Narayan
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114 (USA)
(2)
Lathrop P Leonard
California Department of Parks and Recreation, Crescent City, CA 95531 (USA)

Corresponding author

 
Kevin L O’Hara
kohara@berkeley.edu

Citation

O’Hara KL, Narayan L, Leonard LP (2020). Interactions between thinning and bear damage complicate restoration in coast redwood forests. iForest 13: 1-8. - doi: 10.3832/ifor3135-012

Academic Editor

Emanuele Lingua

Paper history

Received: Apr 23, 2019
Accepted: Oct 17, 2019

First online: Jan 08, 2020
Publication Date: Feb 29, 2020
Publication Time: 2.77 months

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 13625
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 9688
Abstract Page Views: 819
PDF Downloads: 2436
Citation/Reference Downloads: 1
XML Downloads: 681

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 1800
Overall contacts: 13625
Avg. contacts per week: 52.99

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Nov 2020)

(No citations were found up to date. Please come back later)


 

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

 
(1)
Busing R, Fujimori T (2002)
Dynamics of composition and structure in an old Sequoia sempervirens forest. Journal of Vegetation Science 13: 785-792.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(2)
Carey AB (2003)
Biocomplexity and restoration of biodiversity in temperate coniferous forest: inducing spatial heterogeneity with variable-density thinning. Forestry 76: 127-136.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(3)
Cole DW (1983)
Redwood sprout growth three decades after thinning. Journal of Forestry 81 (3): 148-150, 157.
Online | Gscholar
(4)
Dagley CM (2008)
Spatial pattern of coast redwood in three alluvial flat old-growth forests in northern California. Forest Science 54: 294-302.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(5)
Dagley CM, Berrill J-P, Leonard LP, Kim JG (2018)
Restoration thinning enhances growth and diversity in mixed redwood/Douglas-fir stands in northern California, USA. Restoration Ecology 26: 1170-1179.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(6)
Fox L (1996)
Current status and distribution of coast redwood. In: Proceedings of the Conference “Coast Redwood Forest Ecology and Management” (Leblanc J ed). Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA, USA), pp. 18-20.
Gscholar
(7)
Giusti GA (1990)
Black bear feeding on second growth redwoods: a critical assessment. In: Proceedings of the “14th Vertebrate Pest Conference” (Davis LR, Marsh RE eds). University of California, Davis (CA, USA), pp. 214-217.
Online | Gscholar
(8)
Jones DA, O’Hara KL (2012)
Carbon density in managed coast redwood stands: implications for forest carbon estimation. Forestry 85: 99-110.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(9)
Keyes CR, Perry TE, Plummer JF (2010)
Variable-density thinning for parks and reserves: an experimental case study at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California. In: Proceedings of the 2009 National Silviculture Workshop: “Integrated Management of Carbon Sequestration and Biomass Utilization Opportunities in a Changing Climate” (Jain TB, Graham RT, Sandquist J eds). Proc. RMRS-P-61, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA, pp. 227-237.
Online | Gscholar
(10)
Kimball BA, Turnblom EC, Nolte DL, Griffen DL, Engeman RM (1998)
Effects of thinning and nitrogen fertilization on sugars and terpenes in Douglas-fir vascular tissues: implications for black bear foraging. Forest Science 44: 599-602.
Online | Gscholar
(11)
Kline KN, Taylor JD, Morzillo AT (2018)
Estimating stand-level economic impacts of black bear damage to intensively managed forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 48: 758-765.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(12)
Krumland B, Eng H (2005)
Site index systems for major young-growth and woodland species in northern California. Forest Report no. 4, California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection, CA, USA, pp. 219.
Gscholar
(13)
Linquist J (2007)
Precommercial stocking control of coast redwood at Caspar Creek, Jackson Demonstration State Forest. In: Proceedings of the “Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium: What Does the Future Hold?” (Standiford RB, Giusti GA, Valachovic V, Zielinski WJ, Furniss MJ eds). Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA, USA, pp. 295-304.
Gscholar
(14)
Lorimer CG, Porter DJ, Madey MA, Stuart JD, Viers SDJ, Norman SP, O’Hara KL, Libby WJ (2009)
Presettlement and modern disturbance regimes in coast redwood forests: Implications for the conservation of old-growth stands. Forest Ecology and Management 258: 1038-1054.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(15)
Narayan L (2014)
Clonal diversity, patterns, and structure in old coast redwood forests. PhD dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, pp. 74. [unpublished]
Online | Gscholar
(16)
Noss RF (2000)
The redwood forest: history, ecology, and conservation of the coast redwoods. Island Press, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 339.
Gscholar
(17)
O’Hara KL, Berrill J-P (2010)
Dynamics of coast redwood sprout clump development in variable light environments. Journal of Forest Research 15: 131-139.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(18)
O’Hara KL, Leonard LP, Keyes CR (2012)
Variable-density thinning and a marking paradox: comparing prescription protocols to attain stand variability in coast redwood. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 27: 143-149.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(19)
O’Hara KL, Nesmith JCB, Leonard L, Porter DJ (2010)
Restoration of old forest features in coast redwood forests using early-stage variable-density thinning. Restoration Ecology 18: 125-135.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(20)
O’Hara KL, Narayan L, Cahill KG (2015)
Twelve-year response of coast redwood to precommercial thinning treatments. Forest Science 61: 780-789.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(21)
O’Hara KL, Cox LE, Nikolaeva S, Bauer J, Hedges R (2017)
Regeneration dynamics of coast redwood, a sprouting conifer species: a review with implications for management and restoration. Forests 8: 144.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(22)
Oliver CD, Larson BC (1996)
Forest stand dynamics (update edn). John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA, pp. 520.
Gscholar
(23)
Oliver WW, Lindquist JL, Strothmann RO (1994)
Young-growth redwood stands respond well to various thinning intensities. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 9: 106-112.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(24)
Olson DF, Roy DF, Walters GA (1990)
Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. Redwood. In: “Silvics of North America, Volume 1. Conifers” (Burns RM, Honkala BH eds). USDA Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 541, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 541-551.
Online | Gscholar
(25)
Perry DW, Breshears LW, Gradillas GD, Berrill J-P (2016)
Thinning activity and ease-of-access increase probability of bear damage in a young coast redwood forest. Journal of Biodiversity Management and Forestry 5 (3): 1-7.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(26)
Powers RF, Wiant HVJ (1970)
Sprouting of old-growth coastal redwood on slopes. Forest Science 16: 339-341.
Online | Gscholar
(27)
Russell WH, Carnell K, McBride JR (2001)
Black bear (Ursus americanus Pallus) feeding damage across timber harvest edges in Northern California coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.) forests, USA. Natural Areas Journal 21: 324-329.
Online | Gscholar
(28)
Teraoka JR, Keyes CR (2011)
Low thinning as a forest restoration tool at Redwood National Park. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 26: 91-93.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(29)
Van Mantgem PJ, Stuart JD (2012)
Structure and dynamics of an upland old-growth forest at Redwood National Park, California. In: Proceedings of the “Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium: What Does the Future Hold?” (Standiford RB, Giusti GA, Valachovic V, Zielinski WJ, Furniss MJ eds). Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA, USA, pp. 333-343.
Online | Gscholar
(30)
Van Pelt R, Sillett SC, Kruse WA, Freund JA (2016)
Emergent crowns and light-use complementarity lead to global maximum biomass and leaf area in Sequoia sempervirens forests. Forest Ecology and Management 375: 279-308.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(31)
Webb LA, Lindquist JL, Wahl E, Hubbs A (2012)
Whiskey Springs long-term coast redwood density management; Final grown, sprout, and yield results In: “Proceedings of the Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium: What Does the Future Hold?” (Standiford RB, Giusti GA, Valachovic V, Zielinski WJ, Furniss MJ eds). Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA, USA, pp. 571-581.
Online | Gscholar
 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info