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  • Ecology of Forest Management

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    Ugyen Lhendup
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    The document discusses how the environment changes after trees are felled through logging. It notes that felling increases light, temperature extremes with more frost and heat, wind speeds, and alters the water regime and vegetation. Specifically, it explains that the area with the most light is north of gaps, temperatures over 60°C can be too high for seedlings, winds increase evaporation and drying, and removing trees like a water pump can cause marshy conditions by raising water tables. It also examines the pools for tree regeneration like the crown seed bank or soil seed bank and ensuring viable seed production and dispersal after felling.

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    The document discusses how the environment changes after trees are felled through logging. It notes that felling increases light, temperature extremes with more frost and heat, wind speeds, and alters the water regime and vegetation. Specifically, it explains that the area with the most light is north of gaps, temperatures over 60°C can be too high for seedlings, winds increase evaporation and drying, and removing trees like a water pump can cause marshy conditions by raising water tables. It also examines the pools for tree regeneration like the crown seed bank or soil seed bank and ensuring viable seed production and dispersal after felling.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    23 views28 pages

    Ecology of Forest Management

    Uploaded by

    Ugyen Lhendup
    The document discusses how the environment changes after trees are felled through logging. It notes that felling increases light, temperature extremes with more frost and heat, wind speeds, and alters the water regime and vegetation. Specifically, it explains that the area with the most light is north of gaps, temperatures over 60°C can be too high for seedlings, winds increase evaporation and drying, and removing trees like a water pump can cause marshy conditions by raising water tables. It also examines the pools for tree regeneration like the crown seed bank or soil seed bank and ensuring viable seed production and dispersal after felling.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 28

    The ecology of tree regeneration in Bhutan

    Georg Gratzer

    Forest management - what to consider in terms of ecology?


    1. How does the environment change after felling of trees? 2. What are the pools for tree regeneration? 3. How to manage competition?

    How does the environment change after felling?

    1. Radiation Felling trees means managing sunlight

    It is in your hand

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Lengths of shades in an opening

    21.6.

    21.3

    21.12.

    15.3 m 36.4 m

    1.8 m

    Length of shades thrown by a 30 m high stand edge at different times of a year, Time: 12: 00 Bhutan (Latitude: 27 N)

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Lengths of shades in an opening


    On a northern exposed slope, slope angle 35

    32.

    7m

    Bhutan (Latitude of 27 N), slope angle 35, 1st of April, at 12: 00

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Lengths of shades in an opening

    1.4.

    On a southern exposed slope, slope angle 35

    6.7 m

    Length of shades at 12:00, 1st of April, thrown by a 30 m high stand edge, in Bhutan (latitude of 27 N)

    How does the environment change after felling?


    The radiation in a gap the region with the highest percentage of open area radiation is north of the gap in the forest

    0.24

    Extended gap area

    0.22 0.2 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.12

    Gap area

    0.1 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.02 0

    Percentage of above canopy light Johannserkogel, Austria

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Large openings have a clearcut climate

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Temperature extremes are more pronounced in canopy gaps than in the adjacent forest

    MORE FROST AND MORE HEAT

    How does the environment change after felling?

    MORE FROST
    A clearcut in Montana, USA had 24 frostfree days per year

    The uncut control had 113 frostfree days per year


    (Farnden, C. 1994)

    How does the environment change after felling?

    MORE HEAT

    Overheating of seedbeds of more than 60C

    The west side of a gap receives sun in the morning when you have colder temperatures, dew etc. whereas the east side is warmer because it receives sun in the evening when dew already dried and temperatures are higher

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Windspeed in gaps is increases with increasing size of the gap


    Percentage of open area windspeed

    100%

    41% 28% 20%

    4 ha Diameter 225 m

    0.4 ha Diameter 72 m

    0.12 ha Diameter 40 m

    0.04 ha Diameter 22 m

    (Mitscherlich, 1971)

    How does the environment change after felling?

    More frequent winds and stronger winds speeds remove the insolating air around the plant and cause more overheating. It increases the evaporation losses and stomata have to be closed earlier the plant grows less

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Trees are like a water pump. Removing trees on wet soils is like removing the water pump

    This can cause the water table to rise to the surface and create marshy conditions.

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Changing the forest cover in a landscape changes the whole water regime in the watershed.

    This has consequences also for the runoff characteristics in landscapes and the production of electricity by water power plants

    How does the environment change after felling?

    1.4.

    More than 60C also in smaller gaps on southern slopes this is too much for most tree seedlings

    6.7 m

    Southern exposed slope, slope angle 35

    Overheating of seedbeds is a severe regeneration obstacle for shade tolerant trees like Tsuga dumosa

    Tsuga dumosa seeds are very small they dry out easily. They need moss for germination. The moss needs shade and dries out in the open.

    Too much sun

    Mosses dry out

    Hemlock seeds dry out

    How does the environment change after felling?

    Felling not only changes the microclimate but strongly changes the vegetation in the logged over area

    How does the environment change after felling?

    How does the environment change after felling?

    The increased light on the ground triggers the germination of seeds which were resting in the soil. It also allows for quick regeneration of species which can outcompete tree regeneration (from seeds and vegetatively)

    How does the environment change after felling?

    REGULATING LIGHT IS REGULATING COMPETITION

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    But before you fell trees you have to make sure that there will be enough tree regeneration

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    What are the pools for tree regeneration?


    Reproductive plant (age)
    Crown seed bank

    Seedling and sapling bank Soil surface Soil seed bank

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    What are the processes to look at? The best is, if the regeneration is there already
    Do not kill it while felling directional felling!

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    Seed production

    When? Where? Viable?

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    What are the processes to look at?


    Seed dispersal How far? Who does it Wind or animals? Will there be enough seeds in the logged over area?

    How do trees and other plants respond to felling?

    Who eats the seeds?

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