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In BC and around the world more trees are being left behind in forest openings such as through variable retention (VR). Leaving behind increased numbers of trees results in more forest edge environment compared to a clearcut and hence, a more variable and complex microclimate. The use of VR is a relatively new development in forest management in BC (Beese et al. 2001) so that very little data has been collected. Similarly there are few microclimate models that attempt to make linkages to tree and stand growth. Those that do are also in the research phase. Our intent is to characterize the patterns of VR stand microclimate (primarily group retention) and its impact on survival and growth of the next crop in coastal BC forests. We will transfer our findings to a microclimate driven growth model that will synthesize and help generalize the results of our research.
VR harvesting results in higher spatial variability in microclimate that may limit regeneration survival and growth. Increasing forest edge affects air and soil temperatures, soil water content, and solar irradiance; in turn these factors affect soil biological and chemical processes critical to tree establishment and growth (Spittlehouse and Stathers, 1990, Prescott et al. 1997). Research into the effects of novel silvicultural systems on microclimate has most often focused on the differences between open, forest edge and forest interior microclimates created by forest gaps and clear-cut strips rather than retention patches. Spittlehouse et al. (2004) showed that most of the changes in microclimate take place within one tree height on either side of a forest/opening edge. In BC, recent work on TASS (Mitchell, 1977) and SORTIE-ND (Canham, 1998) has focused on collecting fisheye photography linked to young stand height and diameter growth to characterize light or competition effects on individual trees. FORECAST (developed from Kimmins et al. 1999) is a hybrid?physiological model based on generalized relationships from the literature. We believe that we can make original contributions to this important body of work by undertaking detailed microclimate measurements that help reveal fundamental relationships between tree growth and environmental conditions. Fisheye photography can be used to help collect light information more cheaply across a variety of sites but fisheyes are simulations of light that cannot substitute for actual detailed light measurements. WFP has also undertaken similar fisheye work funded elsewhere (https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/FIA/2005/FIA2005MR030-4.pdf).
Very little work has been done on the VR group retention that forms the bulk of retention systems in coastal BC: few group retention sites are more than a few years old and fewer still have been controlled experimentally to permit hypotheses tests. Unique silvicultural systems have been created that cannot be understood by simply generalizing light relationships determined from clearcut regenerated forests. WFP has a set of 10 large scale, recently established experimental sites (Beese et al. 2005) that can form the foundation for rigorous microclimate research. In Y083141 we used one of these sites (MH4902, a 60 ha Douglas-fir mixed retention site; https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/FIA/2007/FSP_Y072141.pdf; Smith et al. in preparation for Can J. For. Res, 2007). We also have data from an FIA project (see the FORGE link below) at TM188, a 100-ha dispersed Douglas-fir retention experimental site. For this project we propose to establish transects at the 100-ha Port McNeill group-amount retention site (5599). Here there is a 20-ha clearcut, a 20-ha uncut area, and three 20-ha sites with three different-sized retention patches (all at 15% total retention): small (0.1 ha), medium (0.25-0.5 ha) and large (0.8-1.0 ha). The same seed-source-stock type of western-hemlock has been planted throughout. Within all experimental areas ?sector plots? have been established to examine the eff ...
Black, T. Andy. 2010. Microclimate and tree growth as affected by western hemlock variable retention groups.. Forest Investment Account (FIA) - Forest Science Program. Forest Investment Account Report. FIA2010MR284
Topic: FLNRORD Research Program
Keywords: Forest, Investment, Account, (FIA), British, Columbia
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