Northern Hardwood Forest Management

Based on years of experience studying and.

Northern hardwood forest management. Bill cook michigan state university extension october 7 2013. Mesic northern forest is a forest type of moist to dry mesic sites lying mostly north of the climatic tension zone characterized by the dominance of northern hardwoods particularly sugar maple acer saccharum and american beech fagus grandifolia conifers such as hemlock tsuga canadensis and white pine pinus strobus are frequently important canopy associates. The northern hardwoods forest type includes many tree species which vary by site and geographic range. Then considering the site the mix of species and the.

This approach would add a new and valuable option for conservation minded landowners making management decisions in rich northern hardwood forests. It is our hope that after reading this fact sheet you will view your forest management role in a new way. Description of northern hardwood types to use this handbook fll st select the forest type in the following list that comes closest to the one being considered and read the description of the type on the page indicated. In this fact sheet we look at how an understanding of competing plants deer and light can lead to successful forest regeneration and the sustainability of hardwood forests.

Beech and eastern hemlock range from michigan eastward. Northern hardwood forest types can be managed as even or uneven aged stands using. This guide also includes an appendix of familiar tables and charts useful to practicing field foresters. Species may include sugar maple american basswood white ash black ash yellow birch red maple and elms.

Many possible products or management objectives mustbe considered. So the michigan dnr and michigan state university teamed up to create a large scale design to test three management scenarios in the northern hardwood forest type dominated by sugar maple over a period of ten years. Forest management based first on the unique local ecology of rich northern hardwood forests in the northern taconic mountains and second on timber production. The northern hardwood forest is a general type of north american forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central canada ontario and quebec extending south into the united states in northern new england new york and pennsylvania and west along the great lakes to minnesota and western ontario some ecologists consider it a transitional forest because it contains species.

The three harvest techniques deployed are seed tree shelterwood and large gaps. Occasionally aspen paper birch balsam fir and northern red oak are important. Northern hardwood forests are michigan s most complicated common and valuable forest type. Many variables dictate the type of management necessary to achieve a set of objectives.