Conifer Plantation Management
Conifer Plantations Module #7 Restoring Your Plantation
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Conifer Plantation Management
Disasters ◆
Disasters can take many forms ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
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Flood Drought Fire Violent storms
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Tornadoes Lightning Ice storms
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Conifer Plantation Management
Restoring Your Plantation
Minimizing the effects of ice damage in your young conifer stands
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Conifer Plantation Management
Restoration ◆
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Ice storm ‘98 — one of the greatest Canadian natural disasters Impact on some plantations was devastating Particularly 15 cm and greater in red pine ◆ Most plantations had some damage 10100% ◆
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Looking at conifers — focus on red pine, white pine, and jack pine with a brief look at white spruce, and larch
Caring for Your Land Series of Workshops
Conifer Plantation Management
Restoration ◆
Before doing a lot of physical work, need to review: ◆ ◆ ◆
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extent of damage other problems why is the plantation there
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Conifer Plantation Management
Assessment Records ◆
Need to know ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
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Why a plantation? What is growing? What is wrong and how much? What work done? The dynamics
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Conifer Plantation Management
Assessment Records ◆
Have to decide on:
Your Goals ◆ Potential products ◆ An Action plan to address concerns ◆
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Conifer Plantation Management
Points to Remember ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
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Originally planted 2,000+ trees/hectare Final crop will be 200300 trees/hectare Identify potential crop trees — enough? Will pruning improve potential for sawlogs?
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Conifer Plantation Management
Points to Remember — 2 ◆
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What other factors need to be considered? convert now ◆ Replant with conifers ◆
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What were the silvicultural objectives for the plantation? What do you want?
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Conifer Plantation Management
Species and their Roles ◆
Red pine “nurse crop” to provide a suitable micro site for the development of a hardwood understory ◆ provide an excellent range of forest products ◆ good return on investment ◆ usually not part of natural forest on site after the final harvest ◆
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White pine ◆
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“nurse crop” as above but will be part of future natural forest on site
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Conifer Plantation Management
Species and their Roles ◆
Jack pine ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
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“nurse crop” for those difficult sites able to capture shallow dry sites provide site protection may provide suitable environment for invasion of hardwoods little opportunity for forest products
Caring for Your Land Series of Workshops
Conifer Plantation Management
Red Pine — Older Plantations ◆
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Damage can be total — domino effect Partial loss needs to be designed into thinning
Start conversion process sooner
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Conifer Plantation Management
Red Pine — Younger Plantations ◆ ◆
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Prune for leader to make 2 sawlogs Clip all branches except one in top whorl Design thinning to remove trees with broken tops
Conifer Plantation Management
White Pine ◆
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Variable damage in plantations up to 15 metres Compounded by heavy weevil damage Enough crop trees? Is pruning an option? Patience
Conifer Plantation Management
Jack Pine ◆ ◆
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Nurse crop for hardwood invasion On older sites hardwoods usually present Damage on jack pine will actually release hardwoods Clean trails and reduce fire hazard without injuring hardwoods
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Conifer Plantation Management
Tamarack/Larch clip ◆
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In many cases top 12 metres broken off tress 1015 metres high Original planting survival sometimes low May need clipping Broken stub could be trimmed to allow tree to “heal” sooner
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Conifer Plantation Management
White Spruce ◆ ◆ ◆
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Little to no damage Where leaders broken, clip all but one lateral to ensure only one leader Consider early thinning
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Conifer Plantation Management
Why Prune Broken Tops? ◆ ◆ ◆
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Tree has one leader Clean stub — healing Increase log length
Conifer Plantation Management
How to Prune ◆
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Pruning cuts should be made just outside the branch collar Large branches should be removed by 3 step method Cuts in leader should be at 45 degrees or along a branch bark ridge
Conifer Plantation Management
When to Prune ◆
Prune live branches in dormant season Late winter or early spring before leaf formation ◆ Maximizes growth and wound closure ◆
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Remove diseased or dead branches any time
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Conifer Plantation Management
Pruning Equipment ◆ ◆ ◆
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Use proper tools Clean and sharpen Comes with extension poles for pruning to 17 feet
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Conifer Plantation Management
In Summary ◆
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Assess the whole health of trees and plantation Review goals Develop action plan Review annually
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Do any corrective work in dormant season Concentrate Work on crop trees Cut slash close to ground Use proper tools
Conifer Plantation Management
Conifer Plantation Management Workshops ◆
Have been funded by: ◆
Ministry of Natural Resources
and ◆
Eastern Ontario Model Forest
through ◆
The Stewardship Program
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Prepared by Bill Hardy, Hardy Consulting Layout and design by the LandOwner Resource Centre
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