Assessment of understory spruce in an old experiment after mountain pine beetle attack
Growth and Release of Understory Trees in Partially-Cut Pine Stands EP 591
Dave Coates, Marie-Lou Lefrançois, Erin Hall, and Rasmus Astrup
FIA-Forest Science Program 2007-2010.
In this study we are using an old experiment, Experimental Project 591 (EP 591), established by Dave Armit (Ministry of Forest and Range) in 1962-1963, to investigate contemporary issues in complex stand management. EP 591 was implemented to study naturally regenerated, seeded, and planted interior spruce (Picea glauca x engelemanii) performance in partially-cut lodgepole pine stands. This experiment provides an excellent opportunity to address a significant concern: the uncertainty in successional pathways and the understory response in MPB-disturbed stands. In the northern interior region of British Columbia, there is a large amount of interior spruce regeneration under canopies of MPB-attacked pine trees. Unfortunately, little is known about release of understory spruce after MPB attack although this knowledge is essential in predicting forest dynamics and timber supply.
Two of the original study sites were stem-mapped earlier and used as part of the overall dataset for the growth of juvenile and adult trees across productivity gradients study. We may also be able to use other sites in this study for SORTIE-ND model evaluation.
This project will be of most interest to researchers and forest professionals practicing in the central interior of BC. The results of this study will assist field foresters in the strategic planning of harvest unit location in MPB damaged forests by providing information on release potential of understory species. Results will also be of interest to timber supply analysts working on timber supply review for management units impacted by the MPB.