Project Area
There are two major forest types located within the project area, totaling 231 acres. The first forest stand type contains 28 acres of mixed softwood plantations, including red pine, Scots pine, white pine, and Norway spruce. The remaining 203 acres are a white pine-hemlock-red oak forest type that naturally regenerated on abandoned agricultural lands. Both stands were managed extensively, with previous treatments applied to improve residual growing stock, as well as regeneration harvests in recent decades. All red pine and Scots pine stocking were harvested in 2022, with some of the Norway spruce and white pine plantations remaining in a stagnated condition. Portions of the naturally regenerated stands were last treated in the early 2000’s. Present regeneration is scattered, depending on light conditions.
Management Goals
Goal #1: Increase vegetative diversity
- Objective: Implement group selection to mimic natural disturbance, by altering size and light conditions reaching the forest floor to maximize growing conditions for native species.
Goal #2: Increase structural complexity
- Objective: Implement group selection, in phases, until three or more age classes are obtained.
Challenges and Opportunities
Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management objectives of this project, including:
Challenges
Implementing group selection will increase light conditions and disturb the soil, providing an opportunity for invasive species to establish.
More intense storms, particularly high wind and heavy ice loading events may damage overstory trees and seedling/sapling regeneration.
Hemlock on site is already infested with hemlock woolly adelgid, which may spread and cause more damage as temperatures increase.
Pests and disease targeting American beech (beech leaf disease, beech bark disease) and white ash (emerald ash borer) may cause damage and mortality and make them less adaptable to changing conditions.
Opportunities
Invasive species presence on site is currently minimal and the location is known. species presence in minimal currently and identified in the field.
There is a diverse mix of species on the site, particularly species found in the central hardwoods region south of Massachusetts. Many of these species show a good adaptability in the face of climate change.
As long as ground conditions are stable, logging operations may occur year-round.
Adaptation Actions
Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop several adaptation actions for this project, including:
Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
White pine-hemlock-red oak stand and softwood Plantation
Implement forest management treatments that seek to increase vegetative diversity. For example, implement even-aged overstory removal in softwood plantations to promote native species regeneration.
Use uneven-aged treatments including group selection to create multiple age classes within a forest stand.
Monitor for and treat invasive species present on site post-harvest.
Uneven aged group selection treatments are aimed at creating more resilient forest conditions in the event of severe natural disturbance.
During active management, trees will be processed on the stump, leaving coarse woody material on site.
Monitoring
Project participants identified several monitoring items that could help inform future management, including:
Conduct post-harvest monitoring 5 years post harvest including information about the forest overstory, regeneration, and coarse woody material.
Post-harvest monitoring will also assess the presence or establishment of invasive species.
Ongoing monitoring efforts will dictate the appropriateness and level of involvement for any necessary intermediary treatments to achieve project goals and objectives. This could include timber stand improvement work and pruning efforts.