Well let’s put the title of this article into context. You see, this website is called The Forester and the content of this endeavor will always revolve around forest management. With this in mind, let’s readdress the title’s concept, keeping your head down.

Forest management is similar to many things, mechanical work and law work for instance. Many of us can open up the hood of our vehicle and check the oil. We may even change our own oil occasionally. On the surface, our cars seem fairly simple: fill the gas tank, turn the key and go. Nothing complicated, right? However, dig a little deeper and most of us get very confused, very fast. In fact, the true complexities of our cars are only known by our mechanic. For instance, my mechanic will explain in detail, right down to the individually-named parts, what needs replaced or fixed on my truck. He will show me a computer-generated picture, focus in on tiny parts and explain how they work and how they participate in a fully functioning engine. My mechanic is much more qualified than I am to fix my truck. Law work is similar. We’ve all developed and presented arguments. We’ve all defended ourselves informally. However, dig a little deeper (maybe enter a court room in the presence of a judge and an opposing attorney) and most of us would get very confused, very fast. Lawyers have studied the full complexity of our legal system for years, so we wisely understand that they are more qualified than we are to work through the legal system on our behalf.

How does forest management relate to cars and court cases? Well, I propose that forests are very complex systems. And while some still believe that they can just cut trees and grow new ones, my education and experience has shown me that it is not that simple! I will not try to present all the complexities of forests in this one article, but I would like to try to express some of the complexities that revolve around one aspect of forest management - growing new trees. Actually, I think this is a fundamental topic when we think of forest management. If we say we are managing forests we must have a goal to grow new trees.

This seems simple. Surely, when trees are cut there is a good plan to grow new trees, right? Results from a 1995 Penn State University study showed scary results – almost half of the PA timber harvests did not include the proper steps necessary to grow new trees. Then, in 2004 the US Forest Service documented statewide problems in PA with growing new trees. They concluded, “In forest stands where light conditions are adequate for regeneration development, less than 50 percent have adequate seedlings and saplings to regenerate the forest.” When we take a closer look and begin to delve into the complexities of forest systems, it becomes apparent that our forests are not easily managed, not easily sustained and not easily understood.

In my former position as a Penn State University Extension Educator, I co-authored a publication called, “Regenerating Hardwood Forests: Managing Competing Plants, Deer, and Light” (part of the Forest Stewardship Series, number 15). In that publication, we described crucial concepts for forest managers to consider when attempting to grow new trees. Those crucial concepts are: managing competing plants, controlling deer impact, and enabling sufficient light to reach the forest floor. These concepts are fully developed and explained in the publication. You can view the publication online at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uh181.pdf or you can contact me for a copy.

In brief, competing plants (such as striped maple, fern, ironwood, and beech sprouts) can outgrow and smother more desirable seedlings that you would like to grow. Deer prefer to eat some plants and dislike others. If they prefer what you are trying to grow, they can completely dismantle your plans. Light is crucial for germinating and developing some of our most desirable tree species (such as oak, cherry, tulip poplar, ash, sugar maple and hickory). The amount of light that is allowed to reach the forest floor can determine what will grow there. While these concepts seem simple on the surface, the complexity level is raised several notches when we consider that we can’t fully control any without fully controlling all three. These factors interact with each other and a successful forestmanager fights the battle to grow new trees on numerous fronts simultaneously.

Here is where the idea of keeping your head down comes in to the picture. The new trees are way down by your feet, on the floor of the forest. They are very easy to ignore or overlook. Competing plants often exist below knee height as well, although some, like striped maple may be up to 15 feet tall. Browsing impacts of white-tailed deer will be most obvious below 4 or 5 feet. Look down at your seedlings and examine the small buds at the ends of branches - have they been chewed off? Finally, proper amounts of light will need to reach way down to the ground in order to grow new trees. As you look down, can you see evidence of sunlight reaching your feet?

Since partnering with Appalachian Forest Consultants (www.appalachianforestconsultants.com) in the summer of 2007, our forest management efforts have included spraying competing plants with herbicide on 3 logging sites with plans to spray 1 more. Without eliminating the competing plants, we would not be able to grow new trees. Also, our management efforts have included over 5,000 feet of 8-foot high deer fence which will keep deer out of a 30 acre area long enough for us to grow new trees. Finally, we have allowed proper amounts of light to reach the forest floor on all these and other logging sites so that oak, maple, cherry, poplar, ash, hickory and other light-loving seedlings can flourish. In all cases, the forest management process started many months earlier when options were discussed with landowners and strategies were designed.

The purpose of this article is not to get you to the point where you feel confident to tackle your own auto mechanic work, defend yourself in court, or manage your own forest. The point is to make you aware of just enough complexity to see that forest management is not simplistic and the idea that we can just cut trees and grow new ones easily is absurd.

In fact, the next time you talk to someone about cutting trees or harvesting timber see for yourself how qualified they are as a forest manager. Ask yourself if their conversation and instruction to you includes phrases like growing new trees, competing plants, deer, or light to the forest floor. Determine if they share your concern for the future of your forest or are they more interested in the amount of timber you are willing to put out to market. Pay close attention to their planning process – does it seem simple and involve a short list of variables (like “I can start your timber when I’m done with your neighbor”) or does it seem almost complicated and involve many variables to include market prices, marketing strategies, harvesting types, and taking care of preliminary arrangements such as spraying competing plants and getting cost estimates on deer fences?

This fall, as you cut firewood or hunt or enjoy your forest in other ways, take some time to keep your head down and make some observations about your forest. What do you see on the forest floor? Can you identify the most common plants? Are competitive plants evident? Can you find signs of deer impacting your seedlings? How about light – is any reaching your shoes? Think to yourself about these three factors interacting in your woodlot. Now, think about how these interactions may be affecting your forest ownership goals. Don’t be afraid to get some help in figuring this all out. While I really wish I could do my own mechanical work on my truck, I never hesitate to take it to the person who is truly qualified and trustworthy.

Mike Wolf

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed