White Spruce Regeneration on a Blade-Scarified Alaskan Loess Soil

This article was included in the collection contributed by Tom Malone.Following hardwood removal from a mixed spruce-birch-aspen forest stand, portions of the stand were blade-scarified to encourage natural white spruce regeneration. Six years after treat­ment the number and height of white spruce seedlings were significantly greater on scarified than on unscarified plots. Whereas 100% of scarified sample plots contained five or more seedlings, 73% of unscarified plots contained no seedlings. Exposure of mineral soil and removal of grass competition are essential for the sat­ isfactory natural regeneration of white spruce. Detailed regeneration surveys should not be considered for white spruce until seedlings are 15 em tall, typically the fifth or sixth year after site preparation