1. Release Treatments

2. How intermediate treatments fit into a silvicultural system

3. Release Treatments: Weeding, Cleaning, Liberation
Release operations are those conducted early on in the development of a stand; by definition, while the stand is in the sapling size class or earlier
A release treatment designed to free young trees from undesirable, usually overtopping, competing vegetation.

4. Release Treatments: Weeding, Cleaning, Liberation
Objectives for a release operation include:
Reduce dense overstocking
Protection of young trees from injury or suppression by competing vegetation
Improving species and quality composition
Early crop tree selection

5. Release Treatments: Weeding, Cleaning, Liberation
Release is typically divided into three classes of treatment:
Weeding
Cleaning
Liberation

6. Release Treatments: Weeding
Conducted during the seedling stage deals primarily with herbaceous weeds and shrubs
Done early in stand establishment to get seedlings out of herbaceous competition
Speeds crown closure, therefore stand achieves maximum production sooner
Objectives
In most cases, the major objective is to increase growth rates of the seedlings.
Secondary objective to reduce mortality that may threaten in some cases, especially when establishing trees in old fields—afforestation.

7. Release Treatments: Weeding
Methods:
Spot or broadcast herbicide
Mechanical
Relative growth rates:
total vegetation control > herbaceous only > woody only > no control

8. Release Treatments: Cleaning
Treatment made in a stand not past the sapling stage in order to free favored trees from less desirable individuals of the same age but different species (or inferior quality) which overtop them or are likely to do so
Major objective is usually to control species composition by reducing mortality of favored species, but also gains many of the same benefits as thinning
A tree needs release if an inverted cone of 90 degrees intersects branches of undesirable trees
Should follow a survey to determine the need for release

9. Release Treatments: Cleaning
Typically seek a minimum of:
free-to-grow trees ac-1 for pulpwood,
free-to-grow trees ac-1 for sawtimber
Timing: the earlier, the better
Usually easier, gives more growth benefits
Methods for cleaning:
Cutting
Herbicide: Can use a selective broadcast or an individual stem treatment
Fire: May be too indiscriminant for most cases

10. Release Treatments: Liberation
A treatment made in a stand not past the sapling stage in order to free the favored trees from competition of older, overtopping vegetation
Primarily to reduce losses from shading (growth loss or mortality)
Commonly removes “wolf” trees
Large, undesirable tree, crowding out smaller, more desirable trees

11. Release Treatments: Liberation
Methods for liberation
Cutting
May treat stump with herbicide to prevent sprouting
May provide some financial return
Girdling
Often ineffective without herbicides
Herbicides
Usually applied by cut surface treatment

12. Release Treatments: Liberation
Liberation is often used to correct past mismanagement in a stand
too many selection thinnings, commercial clearcuts, lack of adequate site preparation etc…
Need to manage the damage caused by removal of these culls
could be a benefit if density is too great

13. Other Intermediate Operations
Improvement Cutting
A cutting made in a stand past the sapling stage in order to improve composition, growth, and quality by removing less desirable trees of any species from the main canopy
Where trees are not merchantable, this is often called TSI (timber stand improvement) and is accomplished by injecting herbicides
Often needed in formerly mismanaged stands
Commonly applied in conjunction with thinning
May provide a commercial return, particularly where there is a good pulpwood market
Note: most good den trees and mast trees would be removed if improvement is applied without restriction

14. Other Intermediate Operations
Salvage Cutting
The removal of dead trees or trees being damaged or killed by injurious agents other than competition (e.g., insects, disease, fire, wind), in order to obtain monetary value that would otherwise be lost
Objective is to reduce the loss of wood and money
Often combined with other types of harvest such as thinning and sanitation
Timing is critical—must be completed before the wood becomes unusable

15. Other Intermediate Operations
Sanitation Cutting
The removal of vegetation to prevent actual or anticipated spread of insects or disease; often combined with other types of harvest.

16. Other Intermediate Operations
Prescribed Burning as an intermediate stand treatment
Applicable primarily in stands of thick-barked conifers
Requires experience and expertise
Requires investment

17. Other Intermediate Operations
Objectives of prescribed fire
Reduce fuel
Reduce competition
Reduce insects and disease
Improve browse and forage
Can improve stand access for harvest or inventory
May improve aesthetics
For some species, improves wildlife habitat

18. Other Intermediate Operations
Potential adverse effects of prescribed fire
Can damage crop trees
May increase erosion on erodible sites due to soil exposure
Smoke management issues
May adversely affect some wildlife—direct mortality or habitat degradation

19. Other Intermediate Operations
Forest Fertilization
An investment, so desirable only where nutrient deficiency is limiting growth significantly
Should apply based on diagnostic criteria
N and P are the most commonly applied nutrients
Timing is critical (spring or early summer)
N application usually not a good idea at time of planting
Fertilization can improve wildlife food availability and quantity

20. Other Intermediate Operations
Tree Pruning
Loss or removal of tree branches, by natural or artificial means
Natural pruning (i.e., self-pruning) is usually initiated by shading
Shade intolerants tend to self-prune faster than shade tolerant species
Encourage natural pruning by maintaining a high stand density
Artificial pruning is an investment, so only use it where it pays
Intended to produce more clear (knot free) wood
Only is justifiable if the landowner is able to sell product for a premium

21. Pruning
Where to Prune?

22. Pruning
How to Prune?

23. What not to do!

24. When to Prune? Dead branches: can be removed any time of the year
Conifers: may be pruned any time of year, but pruning during the dormant season may minimize sap and resin flow from cut branches

25. When to Prune?
Prune hardwood trees and shrubs in the dormant season to:
Easily visualize the structure of the tree
Maximize wound closure in the growing season after pruning
Reduce the chance of transmitting disease
Discourage excessive sap flow from wounds

26. Pruning Tools

27. A Pruning Application: Black Walnut

28. A Pruning Application: Black Walnut
Black walnut trees do not prune themselves readily
Even small branches tend to leave stubs when they die, and large branches may hang on the tree for many years after they die
Lateral branches can be pruned to produce high-value, knot-free wood

29. A Pruning Application: Black Walnut
Pruning can begin once the trees are 10 to 12 feet tall, but should be confined to the lower half of the tree stem
How much to prune?
Leave at least half of the tree stem with branches
Leaf area should be reduced by no more than 25 percent in any one year
Prune live branches during the latter part of the dormant season, but before the trees start to grow in the spring

30. A Pruning Application: Black Walnut
Prune branches when they are small, generally less than 2 inches in diameter
Small wounds are more likely to heal over without becoming infected
Small branches are easier to prune
If the tree is growing well, even fairly large wounds (4 to 5 in) can heal successful

31. A Pruning Application: Black Walnut
Continue to prune periodically until at least the first 9 feet of the tree is clear
Veneer logs are normally 8 feet long
For nut production, stop pruning at 9 feet
For wood production, continue pruning until at least 17 feet
Two veneer logs or one 16 ft sawlog can be produced