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Management Options for Lodgepole Pine in Southern Interior British Columbia

Management Options for Lodgepole Pine in Southern Interior British Columbia. How do we manage lodgepole pine in BC? It depends on where you are!!!!!. Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. Major Forested Interior Zones SBPS – light blue IDF – Orange SBS – light purple ICH – yellow

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Management Options for Lodgepole Pine in Southern Interior British Columbia

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  1. Management Options for Lodgepole Pine in Southern Interior British Columbia

  2. How do we manage lodgepole pine in BC? It depends on where you are!!!!!

  3. Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia Major Forested Interior Zones SBPS – light blue IDF – Orange SBS – light purple ICH – yellow MS – brown ESSF – Dark purple Montana Idaho Wash

  4. Characteristics of Biogeoclimatic Zones

  5. Management Challenges • IDF and SBPS have growing season moisture deficits and frosts but have less vegetation competition • SBS and ICH are warmer and wetter with higher growing sites but vegetation competition is a concern • ESSF is cold, usually wet, and can have serious vegetation problems combined with snow press • Beetle is everywhere!

  6. Regeneration Methods • Drier zones (IDF and SBPS) natural regeneration is often used although some sites are planted • Wetter areas (SBS, ICH, and ESSF) usually promptly planted to mitigate vegetation competition • Most sites are clearcut but some research using group selection has been quite successful.

  7. Silviculture Treatments • Site preparation • Brushing • Density Management • Fertilization • Alternatives to Clearcutting

  8. Site Preparation • Commonly microsite planting has been used operationally • Site preparation is used on some sites to both ensure survival and enhance early growth. Successful treatments by ecological grouping are: • Dry (IDF SPBS) linear trenching (Ripper Tooth, Disc trenching, etc) • Moist sites (SBS ICH) site preparation treatments have had minimal effect with some improvement from vegetation removal (Leno, V-Plow, Disc trenching, etc) • Cold and wet (ESSF) – vegetation control and mounding (excavator, Disc trenching)

  9. IDF Site Preparation

  10. Pl Height: 16 years * * * * *

  11. SBS Site Preparation Leno V-Plow Ripper Tooth

  12. ESSF Site Preparation

  13. Pl Height (ESSF) * * * * * * *

  14. Spruce Height (ESSF) * * *

  15. ESSF 12 year old pine 12 year old spruce

  16. Brushing • Try to avoid by using site preparation and/or quick planting of fast growing species i.e. pine • Limited use of herbicides due to poor public acceptance and problems in avoiding streams • Manual methods more common (occasional use of sheep which is tricky with pine) • Removal of broadleaves from lodgepole pine stands is an ongoing discussion.

  17. To Brush or not to Brush?

  18. ~ 12 year old stand In the SBS ~15 year old stand In the IDF

  19. SBS IDF

  20. SBS IDF

  21. Changes in Light Intensity by Ecological Zone Comeau et al 2005

  22. IDF 10 yrs planted SBPS 12 yrs SBS 18 yrs

  23. Density Management • Very little done in the last five years due to Mountain Pine Beetle activity • Operational targets were usually 648 to 1012 stems per acre. • Recently the maximum density allowed has increased to 10,121 stems per acre

  24. Fertilization • Most pine are N and S deficient and many are also deficient in B • A common operational blend is urea and ammonium sulphate (35-0-0-10S), which delivered ~200 kg N/ha and 58 kg S/ha and if B is needed 1.5-3 kg B/ha is added. • No fertilization has occurred over the last five years due to the beetle

  25. Optimal fertilization trial 6-10 years 6-10 years 1-5 years 1-5 years 600 sph = 243 st/ac 1100 sph = 445 st/ac 1600 sph = 648 st/ac From: Brockley R.P 2005

  26. Fertilized vs Unfertilized Stand Increased diameter growth but not height growth From: Brockley R.P 2005

  27. Height Repression

  28. Height growth response on 36 year old unspaced pine

  29. 3 years after fertilization Pre-fertilization

  30. Fertilizing 70 year old pine Pre-fertilization 3 years after fertilization

  31. Alternatives to Clearcutting • Group Selection methods have been attempted in various ecosystems • Some examples are Quesnel Highland (ESSF), Date Creek (ICH), Satah Mountain (SBPS)

  32. 8 Year old pine

  33. High elevation ESSF At this elevation pine is alive in only the largest openings. 13 year old pine

  34. Beetle Attack!!!!!

  35. Summary • Site preparation: dry – reduce moisture stress, moist – reduce vegetation competition, high - warmth • Brushing: consider vigour of the competing vegetation • Density management: higher densities for more stand volume?? • Fertilization: increases in diameter versus increases in height • Alternatives to Clearcutting: optimal gap size will vary depending on where you are!

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