Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests
Sapling recruitment in hardwood forests is often suppressed by overstory shade, interspecific competition, and browsing pressure from white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> Zimmerman). In some northern hardwood stands, these three interacting factors may cause persistent recrui...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1149 |
| _version_ | 1797406336991887360 |
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| author | Stefan F. Hupperts Christopher R. Webster Robert E. Froese Brandon Bal Yvette L. Dickinson |
| author_facet | Stefan F. Hupperts Christopher R. Webster Robert E. Froese Brandon Bal Yvette L. Dickinson |
| author_sort | Stefan F. Hupperts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sapling recruitment in hardwood forests is often suppressed by overstory shade, interspecific competition, and browsing pressure from white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> Zimmerman). In some northern hardwood stands, these three interacting factors may cause persistent recruitment failure of the dominant canopy species, sugar maple (<i>Acer saccharum</i> Marsh.), into the sapling size class. In this study, we compared initial (two-year) sugar maple and hophornbeam (<i>Ostrya virginiana</i> ((Mill.) K. Koch) seedling and sapling recruitment in strip clearcuts to strip selection cuts, with combinations of herbicide and deer exclosures, in a northern hardwood forest with limited sugar maple sapling recruitment. We found that sugar maple sapling recruitment was higher in exclosures, particularly in strip clearcuts. Moreover, mixed models predicted that exclosures in strip clearcuts with herbicide tended to benefit sugar maple sapling recruitment, especially when the pre-treatment density was less than ~1500 stems ha<sup>−1</sup>. Sapling density of hophornbeam was also promoted in exclosure plots but was negatively affected by herbicide. Graminoid and <i>Rubus</i> spp. cover was also limited by herbicide following harvest, potentially alleviating constraints on future sugar maple sapling recruitment. Our findings indicate that sugar maple sapling recruitment in strip clearcuts is similar to strip selection cuts unless browsing pressure and interspecific competition are also alleviated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:24:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4fb19a957624af5aff1184c616a45c6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:24:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4fb19a957624af5aff1184c616a45c62023-12-03T15:04:28ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-07-01137114910.3390/f13071149Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood ForestsStefan F. Hupperts0Christopher R. Webster1Robert E. Froese2Brandon Bal3Yvette L. Dickinson4College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USACollege of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USACollege of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USAAmerican Forest Management, Inc., 850 W. Sharon Avenue Suite 2, Houghton, MI 49931, USACollege of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USASapling recruitment in hardwood forests is often suppressed by overstory shade, interspecific competition, and browsing pressure from white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> Zimmerman). In some northern hardwood stands, these three interacting factors may cause persistent recruitment failure of the dominant canopy species, sugar maple (<i>Acer saccharum</i> Marsh.), into the sapling size class. In this study, we compared initial (two-year) sugar maple and hophornbeam (<i>Ostrya virginiana</i> ((Mill.) K. Koch) seedling and sapling recruitment in strip clearcuts to strip selection cuts, with combinations of herbicide and deer exclosures, in a northern hardwood forest with limited sugar maple sapling recruitment. We found that sugar maple sapling recruitment was higher in exclosures, particularly in strip clearcuts. Moreover, mixed models predicted that exclosures in strip clearcuts with herbicide tended to benefit sugar maple sapling recruitment, especially when the pre-treatment density was less than ~1500 stems ha<sup>−1</sup>. Sapling density of hophornbeam was also promoted in exclosure plots but was negatively affected by herbicide. Graminoid and <i>Rubus</i> spp. cover was also limited by herbicide following harvest, potentially alleviating constraints on future sugar maple sapling recruitment. Our findings indicate that sugar maple sapling recruitment in strip clearcuts is similar to strip selection cuts unless browsing pressure and interspecific competition are also alleviated.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1149silviculturenorthern hardwoods<i>Acer saccharum</i><i>Ostrya virginiana</i>deer browsingherbicide |
| spellingShingle | Stefan F. Hupperts Christopher R. Webster Robert E. Froese Brandon Bal Yvette L. Dickinson Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests Forests silviculture northern hardwoods <i>Acer saccharum</i> <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> deer browsing herbicide |
| title | Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests |
| title_full | Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests |
| title_short | Influence of Strip Clearcuts, Deer Exclusion and Herbicide on Initial Sapling Recruitment in Northern Hardwood Forests |
| title_sort | influence of strip clearcuts deer exclusion and herbicide on initial sapling recruitment in northern hardwood forests |
| topic | silviculture northern hardwoods <i>Acer saccharum</i> <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> deer browsing herbicide |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1149 |
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