Chronic regeneration failure in northern hardwood stands: a liability to certified forest landowners

Abstract: Long-term overpopulation of white-tailed deer (Odocileus virginianus) and a ubiquitous ground cover of Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanica) have dramatically reduced or eliminated regeneration of commercially important northern hardwood species on approximately 35,000 acres of forestland owned by International Paper Company (IP) located in the southern Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. Silvicultural guidelines used for dense hardwood cover types are implemented to create all-aged stands. IP forestlands are certified to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI) Standard. During a 2004 third-party audit on IP lands, it was noted that natural regeneration was not established within five years of a harvest in accordance with SFI Performance Measure 2.1. IP will explore other land management options on the impacted acreage to ensure future compliance with these environmental certification programs