Comparing structure and development of Douglas-fir old-growth, plantations, and young natural forests in western Oregon

Graduation date: 2004Ages, diameter growth, density, tree size, and species were studied in old-growth,\ud plantation, and young natural Douglas-fir stands in three areas in western\ud Oregon: the western and eastern Coast Range and the western Cascades. The\ud purpose was to compare the development of these three stand types and to\ud determine whether plantations and young natural stands would develop old-growth\ud structures and characteristics.\ud The Douglas-fir age ranges in plantations (8 to 15 yr) were much narrower\ud and than the ranges of tree ages found in the young natural (21 to 102 yr) and in\ud the old-growth stands (300 to 354 yr). This wide range of tree ages, along with\ud diameter growth rates and tree and stand structural characteristics, supported the\ud hypothesis that old-growth developed at low initial stand densities. These low\ud initial stand densities, probably the result of prolonged stand establishment, likely\ud enabled height and crown size advantages among old and younger trees.\ud Dominant and large codominant trees maintained live crown ratios and sustained\ud diameter growth resulting in large stable trees indicated by low height-to-diameter\ud ratios. The mean diameters of the dominant trees in the old-growth and the\ud dominant trees in the young natural stands were not significantly different at age\ud 40 and 100, indicating the young natural stands appear to be growing at the same\ud rates as the old-growth in its first 100 years. The mean dominant diameters in the\ud plantations and old-growth at age 40 and 100 were significantly different,\ud indicating the plantations are growing and developing differently than young\ud natural and old-growth forests. Plantations had grown rapidly for the first 20 to\ud 30 years, and computer simulation indicated that a significant rapid decline in\ud radial growth would occur between ages 30 and 55. Simulations also indicate that\ud during this period, the mean diameters of the dominant plantation trees would fall\ud below those of the old-growth in two of the three stands by age 85. Pre-commercial\ud thinning 20 to 25 years ago in the plantations has helped sustain high\ud early growth rates for a longer period of time than would have occurred if\ud thinning had not been performed. Additional thinning in the future is likely\ud needed to maintain rapid current rates. When simulated to age 250 both the\ud young natural stands and the plantations maintained higher densities of smaller\ud diameter trees than the old-growth stands. This simulation result indicates the\ud possible inability of these stands to self-thin to the densities found in old-growth\ud stands without some sort of density-reducing disturbance. The broad range of tree\ud ages in the old-growth stands suggests that stand disturbances are a normal part of\ud old-growth development on these sites.\ud Five different plantation thinning options were also simulated to age 250,\ud including additional options with thinning of understory trees and ingrowth. The\ud projections indicate that when the plantations are left unthinned they would\ud generally develop trees with small live crowns and mean diameters but still\ud produce stable dominant overstory trees (low H:D ratios).\ud Shade tolerant understory trees and ingrowth, such as western hemlock,\ud are a key part of old-growth development. These trees may reduce the rate of\ud growth and alter crown structure of the overstory trees over extended periods of\ud time (200+ years). Additional thinning, possibly in multiple entries, in both the\ud overstory and understory may be necessary for dense plantations to develop the\ud tree size heterogeneity found in local old-growth forests.\ud I also demonstrated a methodology to determine site-specific management\ud targets or goals for creating old-growth structure from plantations. This was\ud performed using past and current forest structure and composition information\ud within a local landscape scale of 500 to 1000 acres, typical of the public land\ud checkerboard ownership pattern. Stand types making up the historical landscape\ud are identified and described retrospectively using historical and current aerial\ud photographs and digital orthophotos, cruise records, previous studies, and sample\ud plots of standing and harvested forests. The degree of detail provided through this\ud methodology will likely help forest managers to define complex late-successional\ud characteristics of stands and landscapes. My results indicate that stand and\ud project area-specific definitions of old-growth and clearly defined goals for young\ud stand management will facilitate development of old forest characteristics