Project Area
The 90-acre project area consists of 2 stands that are even aged (85 years old). Stand 1 (40 acres): This is a white pine/red pine plantation that was established in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The red pine growing within this stand are not uniformly distributed. Instead, they are in small homogenous groups throughout the stand. Previous silvicultural treatments have established a cohort of white pine and mixed hardwood seedlings and saplings under the red pine and white pine overstory ready for release.
In areas of a pure white pine overstory, previous treatments established regeneration, but most have succumbed to mortality due to overstory shading, along with damage from ice and snow events leaving scattered pockets of white pine and mixed hardwood regeneration in the understory.
Stand 2 (50 acres) is an oak/mixed hardwood forest type that has not had any silvicultural work done in the past. Most of the stand is composed of oak species with scattered white pine and other hardwoods. This stand has thick patches of mountain laurel throughout essentially shading out any tree regeneration. In areas where gaps have formed in the canopy due to wind throw or natural overstory mortality, mountain laurel is not as thick and white pine, red maple and black birch have seeded in.
Management Goals
Goal: Diversify age structure across project area.
- Objective: Conduct a timber harvest to release established regeneration and to create conditions favorable for seedling recruitment in areas lacking regeneration.
Goal: Reduce invasive plant and insect populations.
- Objective: Identify invasive plant and insect threats and the extent of populations
- Objective: Treat invasive plants to reduce the threat.
- Objective: Remove Red Pine susceptible to Red Pine Scale during timber harvest.
Goal: Provide opportunities for tree regeneration.
- Objective: Develop prescribed fire plan to reduce fuel loading and establishment of mesic species
Climate Change Impacts
There are many impacts relevant to this site noted within the New England and Northeast Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis publication, however, the top climate impacts of concern across this site are:
- Longer growing seasons may allow forests to accumulate more biomass per season.
- Certain insect pests and pathogens may increase in occurrence or become more damaging in New England due to warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons.
- Many invasive plants may increase in extent or abundance in New England non-native plants and may seize the opportunity to outcompete native species.
- Monotypic forest plantations with low species diversity and similar forest structure are vulnerable to anticipated changes in climate.
- Habitat may become more suitable in New England for some southern species. Species adapted to longer growing seasons like oaks and hickories are expected to expand their range over time due to changes in climate.
- Altered temperature and moisture regimes can have a significant impact on tree regeneration since young trees are very sensitive to those conditions.
- Central hardwood-pine forests are widely distributed across a variety of sites, increasing adaptive capacity.
- Lack of fire has led to significant increases in more mesic species (e.g.red maple) and less oak and hickory tree regeneration.
- Some tree species in central hardwood-pine forests are projected to have reduced habitat in the future under scenarios of greater warming and change. Much warmer temperatures and changes in moisture regimes may impact species that are sensitive to those types of changes (i.e. white pine).
Challenges and Opportunities
Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management objectives of this project, including:
Challenges
Earlier and longer growing seasons may allow nonnative invasive plants to outcompete desirable native trees and shrubs.
Potential impacts of more frequent storms and summer drought could impact seedling survivability and cause a shift to more mesic tree species over time.
Warmer wetter winters may limit harvesting window, icing and heavy wet snow events can damage overstory trees and established regeneration.
Site has reduced adaptive capacity in some part due to previous land management to control and suppress fire affecting undesirable fuel loading and mesification of forest stands.
Opportunities
Invasive plant populations are small and are already identified in the field for treatment.
Chestnut oak and other white oaks have been identified during stand examination and are to be favored as an adaptation tactic.
Most of the harvest could be conducted during summer conditions to limit site impacts.
Adaptation Actions
Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop several adaptation actions for this project, including:
Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
Central Hardwood/Pine
2.2. Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species and remove existing invasive species.
3.1. Alter forest structure or composition to reduce risk or severity of wildfire.
3.3. Alter forest structure to reduce severity or extent of wind and ice damage.
5.1. Promote diverse age classes.
9.1. Favor or restore native species that are expected to be adapted to future conditions.
3.1. Alter forest structure or composition to reduce risk or severity of wildfire.
3.3. Alter forest structure to reduce severity or extent of wind and ice damage.
5.1. Promote diverse age classes.
9.1. Favor or restore native species that are expected to be adapted to future conditions.
Treat invasive plants and insects that could alter basic ecological functions of site if left unchecked.
Conduct timber harvest to initiate regeneration process. Encourage oak regeneration as a resiliency tactic.
Develop prescription burn plan to promote oak and hickory recruitment and reduce fuel loading in the wildland urban interface.
Conduct timber harvest to promote age and structural diversity.
Favor native species that are anticipated to be well adapted to climate change.
Pine Plantation
2.2. Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species and remove existing invasive species.
3.3. Alter forest structure to reduce severity or extent of wind and ice damage.
5.1. Promote diverse age classes.
9.1. Favor or restore native species that are expected to be adapted to future conditions.
3.3. Alter forest structure to reduce severity or extent of wind and ice damage.
5.1. Promote diverse age classes.
9.1. Favor or restore native species that are expected to be adapted to future conditions.
Treat invasive plants and insects that could alter basic ecological functions of site if left unchecked.
Conduct timber harvest to remove red pine susceptible to insect infestations. Encourage oak regeneration.
Conduct timber harvest to promote age and structural diversity.
Favor native species that are anticipated to be well adapted to climate change.
Monitoring
Project participants identified several monitoring items that could help inform future management, including:
Reduced populations of invasive plants and insects (e.g. post treatment observe and evaluate populations on site)
Recruitment and release regeneration (e.g. monitor seedlings and sapling growth, and favored conditions to evaluate if silvicultural treatments enhanced seed recruitment)
Regeneration of oak in response to prescribed fire for fuel reduction (e.g. post treatment revisit site to inventory regeneration response of oaks)