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Seeing past the green: Structure, composition, and biomass differences in high graded and silviculture-managed forests of similar stand density
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Forests of the eastern United States (US) mostly comprise a mix of stands managed following silvicultural
principles and stands managed with exploitative timber harvesting practices. These stands can have similar stand
densities (e.g., basal area per hectare) but vary vastly in structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage.
High grading, a prevalent exploitative timber harvesting practice in the eastern US, is of particular concern
because it can negatively affect future forest health and productivity. This study quantifies differences in forest
structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage between high graded stands and stands that received a
seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood regeneration sequence treatment, which is a comparable and
well-established silvicultural method used to regenerate mixed-oak forests. It focuses on mixed-oak forests
(mixed-Quercus), where the effects of high grading have been understudied, and uses a sample with broader
spatial coverage than previous studies. The sample comprised nine stands that were known to have been high
graded 8–15 years ago and nine stands that received the seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood
regeneration sequence. Stand were systematically sampled using fixed-area plots. Field measurements were
collected and used to calculate metrics describing forest structure and function. The structure of high graded
stands was characterized by a higher proportion of trees with poor health and/or form compared to shelterwood
stands, with 18.3 % less acceptable growing stock and trees with lower crown compaction. Diameter distributions
of high graded stands were characterized by numerous small trees and few large-diameter trees. Spatial
variability of overstory trees was contingent on the tree size range evaluated, with a larger variability of
sawtimber-sized trees (trees ≥ 29.2 cm in diameter at breast height) in high graded stands. High graded stands
also had 2.2 times fewer oak trees (Quercus spp.) in the overstory canopy, 17,897 fewer seedlings per hectare
(ha), and 45 Mg/ha less biomass than shelterwood stands. These results indicate that high grading generally
degrades mixed-oak forests and impairs their long-term capacity to supply vital ecosystem services such as
habitat for specific wildlife species, carbon storage, and high-quality wood products.
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WLFW Outcomes: Funded Research
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Decision Support Tools to Inform the Rehabilitation and Management of High Graded Forests
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Abstract
Numerous forests in the eastern United States have been degraded due to past exploitative timber
harvesting known as high grading. High graded forest stands may not improve without active re-
habilitation and may require targeted silvicultural treatments. This study focuses on high graded
mixed-oak (mixed-Quercus spp.) stands and aims to develop a model that can identify past high
grading and to determine modifications that may improve forest management recommendations provided
by the prominent decision support tool, SILVAH. We present a model that uses standard forest
inventory measurements and does not require knowledge of preharvest stand conditions to predict
with moderate to high accuracy whether a stand was high graded, which could be par- ticularly
useful for nonindustrial private forests. Results indicate that modifications to SILVAH may be
necessary to improve its utility for prescribing silvicultural treatments in high graded stands.
Study Implications: High graded forest stands are often not readily apparent and likely require
specific forest management practices. We present a tool that uses standard forest inventory meas-
urements to predict past high grading, which can be used to inform and prioritize forest manage-
ment decisions. We also present suggested modifications to the prominent decision support tool,
SILVAH, that may improve its ability to prescribe optimal silvicultural treatments for high graded
stands. Results from this study provide forestry professionals/landowners working in the mixed- oak
forests of the northeastern United States with tools to inform forest management decisions
that aim to return degraded stands to healthier and more productive states.
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WLFW Outcomes: Funded Research
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Golden-winged Warbler Landowner Outreach Mailer Template
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This editible mailer template from the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group is a great way to generate private landowner interest in your area! It outlines the importance and benefits of Golden-winged Warbler habitat and how landowners can participate or get more information.
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Information Materials
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Fact Sheets
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Golden-Winged Warbler Habitat Project Update from Southeast Trust for Parks & Land (STPAL)
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Southeast Trust for Parks & Land (STPAL) and their Wildlife Consultant, Vic Vansant, is undertaking a project with Ecoforester, Carolina Audubon, USDA Equip program, and State of North Carolina Forestry and DENR to create 16-acres of habitat for the “near threatened” golden-winged warbler (GWWA) on 750-acres Bald Mountain Creek Nature Preserve in Yancey County, NC. This bird’s population has declined 98% in the Appalachians in the past 45 years, primarily due to habitat loss.
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News & Events
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Goats Help Restore Golden-Wing Warbler Habitat
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While we could have gone in with a bush hog mower, we tried something new this year – goats, adorable and effective goats.
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News & Events
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Golden-winged Warbler Habitat Restoration Work in Charlotte, VT
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While many migratory birds are spending warm sunny days in Central and South America, Vermont biologists are braving the cold to improve conditions for birds when they return from their wintering grounds to breed in Vermont.
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News & Events
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Light Weight Tracking Technology Could Help Reveal Mysteries of Golden-winged Warbler Decline
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Audubon and partners across the South and Midwest are using radio tags to track a rare songbird.
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News & Events
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Audubon Pennsylvania
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With a century of conservation history in Pennsylvania, Audubon strives to conserve and restore the habitats we share with all wildlife, focusing on the needs of birds.
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Organizations Search
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The Habitat Matrix - Stepping Down Bird Management From Landscape to Stand
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Part 5 of a 12-part monthly lecture series, Forests for the Birds: Conserving America’s Forest Birds. July 20, 2021.
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Online Training Resources
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Webinars and Instructional Videos
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A Path Forward: Understanding and Restoring Degraded Forests A Working Lands for Wildlife Virtual Event
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The impact of high-grading on forest wildlife in the Eastern deciduous forests.
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Webinars and Instructional Videos
