Forestry

Tree terms Saw log- 6-8 inches for soft wood, inches for hardwoods

Cut types

More Cut Types Selection cut- promotes uneven aged stands Selective cut- removes oldest, most valuable trees, bad for forest growth Shelterwood retains 30-70% of canopy Clear cutting is good for PA forests because it allows sun loving trees like black cherry and oak to regenerate

Stand Types

Forest Structures

Fires 98% ignited by humans, mostly burning debris

PA Forestry 30% of PA economy is based on forestry 17 million Acres of forest cover, almost 60 % of the State Produces more than a billion board feet of hardwood and three-quarters of a million cords of pulpwood Most of PA white pine & hemlock forests cut by early 1900s Now even aged mixed hardwoods 90% of PA trees are hardwoods

Forest Affect on Water Incepts & infiltrates water Trees Consume Storm Water Removes Pollutants Phytoremediation – examples trees in parking lots Riparian Buffers

Forestry Problems Skidding is the process of dragging logs from the stumps to a central location, called a log landing, where they are loaded onto trucks and transported to the mill. Log landings create large areas of unprotected, exposed soil Roads disturb soil, increase erosion Sewage removal Pesticide use

More facts Trees are plants that can reach at least 15 ft tall Forest is land with at least 10% trees

Forest Fragmentation Increases spread of invasives Decreases mobility and habitat size of natives

Mixed-oak forests Contain primarily the oaks; including northern red oak, chestnut oak, white oak, scarlet oak; along with the maples, yellow-poplar, ash, hickories, and miscellaneous deciduous species. The understory vegetation is mountain laurel and blueberry.

Northern hardwood forests Contain primarily black cherry, the maples, American beech, the birches Understory composition often comprised of ferns, striped maple and beech brush. Hemlock and eastern white pine are common to both forest types and both produce valuable wood products

Succession

Forest Types Forest Openings- herbaceous rather than woody growth; insects, small mammals Brush stage- small, dense, woody vegetation; browse and fruit, nesting cover Pole timber- less wildlife value, more timber value Mast/Mature timber- (mast is the fruit of woody plants) high protein and fat for animals,

Tree Types Large old- nesting cavities, roosting, mast Snags and cavity- dead but standing, perches, cavities Evergreens- cover from cold and snow Vines, shrubs, fruit- form understory Riparian- form fish and wildlife habitats, act as sponges

Special Habitats Wetlands- most productive, but least common in PA; greatest biodiversity Seep Springs- Snow free in winter, providing water and food Cliffs- secure nesting and unique habitats Caves- shelter, nesting, and roosting

Biodiversity Levels

Factors the Increase Extinction Specializers Sought by People Rare Codependent Top of the Food Chain Low Reproduction Rate