PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #49: Restoration Ecology. Presiding: J. Callaway.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001. 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Madison Ballroom D.
Preserving an old-growth pine remnant: do two "wrongs" make a "right"?
Bragg, Don1, 1
ABSTRACT- While often incompatible with natural area management, salvage logging may be appropriate in stands where the dominant species are vulnerable to density-dependent mortality. This presentation compares overstory species composition, diameter distribution, and CWD between the unmanaged Reynolds Research Natural Area (RNA) and the salvaged Levi Wilcoxon Demonstration Forest (LWDF). While both stands are similar in age (120-160 years), richness (~28 species), and density (31-34 m2/ha), differences were apparent. For example, while loblolly pine was universally abundant (found on >95% of plots in both areas), shortleaf pine was encountered in only 40% and 83% of the RNA and LWDF plots, respectively. Maximum tree diameter was greater in the slightly older LWDF. The RNA had more small hardwoods, with most basal area in both stands concentrated in the pines. Southern pine beetles have left overstory gaps in the RNA, while salvage in the LWDF has reduced the occurrence of beetle mortality by removing vulnerable pines, maintaining lower densities, and increasing tree vigor. CWD volume in the RNA was considerably higher than nearby managed pine, while salvage has reduced CWD in the LWDF. However, spotty harvest application due to the presence of decay, poor bole form, and the low value of recovered timber has resulted in many pieces of CWD being left in the woods. Thus, aspects of salvage considered ¿bad¿ for natural areas or efficient logging may have some positive consequences.
KEY WORDS: old-growth, restoration ecology, salvage harvesting, CWD