Regeneration Surveys

[forestryworks]

Alrighty, I just got a greenlight from the Professor today to do an undergraduate research project doing regeneration surveys on Ponderosa Pine and Southwestern White Pine here in the mountains of TX.

There isn't much literature out there on the two pines in this part of TX, so I figured it would be a great way to get back into forestry (I miss it!) and provide a good (I hope) set of data and info for future researchers. The conifers in this mountain range are relicts, left over from when Texas was cooler and wetter and much more heavily forested than it is now.

Do any of you current and former foresters, forest techs, log scalers, harvest planners, loggers, fallers, etc. have any suggestions and inputs as to what all I should include in this project? Any tips on regen surveys?

I have the rest of this term to write a 5-6 page proposal and then the field work will start in January.

 

[madhatte]

You're gonna want to model the regen in 3-D, sort of. What I've usually done is make the break at BH between seedlings and saplings. Seedlings get the following measurements: diameter at root collar, height from root collar to highest apical bud, width across crown (either eyeball an average or measure twice at perpendicular angles to each other), live crown ratio, and generally there will be some sort of qualitative note about vigor or damage. Saplings are generally BH to marketable diameter (6" DIB or so), and get the following measurements: diameter at root collar, DBH, height, height to live crown, and again some sort of qualitative note about vigor or damage. The diameter at root collar is important because it lets you put a smaller tree on a site index curve sooner. Once the tree reaches minimum merchantable, root collar is a non-issue because it's more convenient to measure in bf or cf. I've done a lot of this kind of measurement, so be sure and let me know if you get stuck on anything.

 

[forestryworks]

Thanks for your input, Nathan.

Just got preliminary approval from TNC today. Once the proposal is finished, send it in and get that formally approved by them, then it's off to the races!

 

[madhatte]

Hells yeah. Keep us all updated!

 

[RandyMac]

Crumpler!!!

 

[Gologit]

That's the way to do it! Put that education to some use. I wish more forestry types had the practical background that you have.

 

[LoggingEngineer]

I'm glad to hear you are going to be able to get back in the woods. TNC has been a good neighbor in my experience. As for regen.....I did a few surveys early on, any monkey coulda filled out the notes I did. That's a good deal that you are actually going to make something of a regen survey, most people just complain that they are doing them. Our regen intern this year only got a few plots a day done.....well worth the cost there!

 

[hammerlogging]

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you about this yet.

What comes to mind first is a OSU article about salvage heli logging in regenerating fire burn from 5 or 8 or so years ago, it will cover tons of methods too, and possibly will provide something for relative comparison, or help you come up with questions of your own.

 

[forestryworks]

Well I guess I'll update here from time to time, see what I'm doing right and wrong.

I do appreciate any and all input, as I am still learning.

UPDATE:
For awhile we were considering a timber cruise of the mature stands on top of the regen surveys. However, based on TNC's management goals, a timber cruise is probably not gonna be worth the time.

Because they do thin Ponderosa for restoration type treatments, I know we will need to do Basal Area and determine stocking rates.

While doing some research (still haven't found the article yet that you mentioned, Joe), I found this nice guideline document from Univ. of Arizona.

So far we are planning 1/100th ac. plots for the regen. I think for simplicity and effiency, we will point sample the mature from regen plot centers. Going to either use a BAF of 10 or 20, should know by the end of this week after a preliminary survey.

Also, on the regen, should we differentiate between seedling and salping? At what height does the saping stage begin, 2ft, 3ft?

 

[madhatte]

General rule for successful plantation regen is "4-feet-and-free-to-grow", so sapling is usually BH to minimum merchantable. It's good to make that call because what you're really asking is "will this grow to a mature tree or not?"