5 resources found

This webinar outlines a successful ten-year effort to refine reforestation techniques using post-harvest slash burning in Minnesota after a large-scale jack pine budworm salvage operation. While initial attempts tried to use fire and direct seeding for complete restoration, the team discovered that the prescribed burns were most effective when used as a tool for controlling aggressive woody competition like aspen. Experience taught the team that achieving deep root-kill and effective brush control depends on conducting burns during late summer dry soil conditions, which is crucial for maximizing intensity. The resulting methodology integrates fire as a hybrid replacement for chemical herbicide application, successfully preparing sites for planting and promoting the establishment of diverse jack pine stands.

This webinar discusses operationalizing adaptive silviculture for climate change through a multi-site research network. The core purpose of the project is to provide forest managers with real-world, operational examples of integrating climate change adaptation principles into practice, specifically by fostering ecosystem resilience to uncertain futures. The research employs a consistent framework across various forest types, testing three primary adaptation strategies including resistance, resilience, and transition. The webinar details the work at the Minnesota pine site, highlighting local climate vulnerability to drought and the application of these three treatments: simple thinning for resistance, mixed-species restoration for resilience, and aggressive transition management using both native and novel, future-adapted species like Ponderosa pine.

This webinar focused on adapting timber management practices to environmental shifts. The webinar establishes the urgent need for adaptation by detailing regional climate projections, including rising temperatures and increased summer drought frequency, which pose significant threats to traditionally managed commercial species like Red Pine. The framework consisting of Resistance, Resilience, and Transition strategies is introduced, demonstrating how varying levels of silvicultural intervention, from thinning to mitigate drought to planting novel species via assisted migration, can reduce climate vulnerability. The central purpose of the discussion is to convince land managers that they can implement these science-backed silvicultural actions to sustain forest productivity and commercial value despite increasing ecological risks.

This webianr explored the use of biochar as a promising but highly variable soil amendment intended to enhance forest climate resilience, focusing on its potential for increased water holding capacity and long-term carbon storage. Lead researcher, Marcelo Windmuller-Campione, detailed multiple collaborative studies, primarily testing biochara?Ts effectiveness on Jack Pine survival and growth in Minnesota's porous, sandy soils. While initial benefits were sometimes observed in early field trials, long-term data and controlled experiments indicated that the biochar provided no significant or lasting improvement compared to control groups. The research concluded that while biochar presents a viable carbon storage strategy, its operational feasibility and ecological benefits are severely limited when applied to highly porous forest ecosystems.

This webinar details the core concepts of silvicultural systems, which are comprehensive approaches to forest management defined by three continuous elements: regeneration, tending, and harvesting. These systems are structured along a practical spectrum of harvest intensity, starting with low-disturbance selection methods suitable for shade-tolerant species and culminating in high-intensity treatments like clearcutting, which favor light-demanding species. The choice of technique, such as the multi-step shelterwood method or the more localized seed tree method, depends entirely on the desired future condition of the stand and the ecology of the target tree species. Successful silviculture is presented as both a science and an art, requiring creative application of various treatments, including intermediate thinning, to achieve specific outcomes.