Treatment duration and time since disturbance affect vegetation development in a young California red fir plantation. Forest Service research paper

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:612153

McDonald, P M; Fiddler, G O

The density and development of greenleaf manzanita, snowbrush, goldenbush (rabbitbrush), and graminoids were evaluated in a young California red fir plantation in northern California from 1986 through 1995. Manual grubbing and herbicides created treatments regimes that lasted for 3 to 6 years and vegetation recovery times of 4 to 10 years. The duration and timing of the grubbing and spraying operations constituted the treatments. Species response was mixed: greenleaf manzanita had higher average values of density, foliar cover, and height when time since disturbance was longest, snowbrush density was lowest but cover and height were highest, and values for goldenbrush and graminoids in general showed no trend. In the control at the end of the study, graminoids numbered 82,350 per acre, greenleaf manzanita 10,850, goldenbrush 10,800, and snowbrush 1,850 plants per acre. Foliar cover of manzanita at 7,300 square feet per acre was more than that of all other naturally estblished species combined. Survival of red fir over all teatments after one growing season was 98 percent and after 10 seasons was 89 percent. Average height of red fir seedlings ranged from 3.2 feet with intensive release to 1.7 feet with no release. No release allowed greenleaf manzanita plants to be slightly taller than red fir seedlings and to place the seedlings in danger of being overtopped.

• Research Organization: Forest Service, Albany, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 612153
• Report Number(s): PB-98-139348/XAB; FSRP-PSW-233; TRN: 81463799
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Jun 1997
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
FIRS
SILVICULTURE