Managing for Old Growth in Frequent-fire Landscapes

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing frequent-fire, old-growth forests. However, there are general guidelines to follow: 1) set objectives for both structure (tree density, diameter distribution, tree species composition, spatial arrangement, amount of coarse woody debris) and function...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and society 2007-12, Vol.12 (2), p.20, Article art20
Main Authors: Fiedler, Carl E., Friederici, Peter, Petruncio, Mark, Denton, Charles, Hacker, W. David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coniferous forests
fire
Forest ecology
Forest management
Forest regeneration
Forest restoration
Forest stands
function
Old growth forests
Prescribed burning
Restoration ecology
silvicultural treatments
structure
Synthesis
thinning
Trees
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Summary:There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing frequent-fire, old-growth forests. However, there are general guidelines to follow: 1) set objectives for both structure (tree density, diameter distribution, tree species composition, spatial arrangement, amount of coarse woody debris) and function (nutrient cycling, desired tree species regeneration); 2) prioritize treatments according to ecological, economic, and social needs and risks; 3) identify the potential treatments (natural fire, prescribed fire, silvicultural cutting) that best meet the objectives and scale of the project; and 4) implement the treatment (s). We discuss each of these guidelines in this article.
ISSN:1708-3087
1708-3087
DOI:10.5751/ES-02173-120220