Seedling damage caused by wood harvesting and soil scarification in rotation andcontinuous cover forestry in Scots-pine-dominated boreal forests

London

2024

44-58

Bandaufführung

40004813

Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is gaining popularity as an alternative to rotation forest management(RFM), especially in forests with multiple uses. The success of CCF depends on the amount and qualityof remaining seedlings, but the effect of harvesting on their status is not well known. In the presentstudy, the proportion and number of undamaged seedlings after harvesting (and soil scarification) inScots-pine-dominated stands in Northern Finland were modelled by applying logistic binomialmixed-effects and negative binomial count data models. The treatments included both CCF (gapcutting and selection cutting) and RFM (clearcutting and seed tree cutting) harvesting methods.The clearcut areas and most seed tree areas were treated with disc trenching. In the clearcuttingand seed tree cutting areas, 25–34% of the inventoried seedlings were damaged. In the gapcutting and selection cuttings, c. 7% and 12% of the seedlings were damaged respectively.Harvesting machinery traffic and soil scarification were the most important causal agents ofseedling damage. An increase in slash coverage also significantly increased seedling damage. Theaverage number of undamaged seedlings in the selection cutting areas was ca. 1500 pcs ha−1,indicating at least satisfactory regeneration potential in the experimental stands.
Keywords: Seedling damage; harvesting; gap cutting; selection cutting; clearcutting; seed tree cutting; soil preparation