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Decision Support Tools to Inform the Rehabilitation and Management of High Graded Forests
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Abstract
Numerous forests in the eastern United States have been degraded due to past exploitative timber
harvesting known as high grading. High graded forest stands may not improve without active re-
habilitation and may require targeted silvicultural treatments. This study focuses on high graded
mixed-oak (mixed-Quercus spp.) stands and aims to develop a model that can identify past high
grading and to determine modifications that may improve forest management recommendations provided
by the prominent decision support tool, SILVAH. We present a model that uses standard forest
inventory measurements and does not require knowledge of preharvest stand conditions to predict
with moderate to high accuracy whether a stand was high graded, which could be par- ticularly
useful for nonindustrial private forests. Results indicate that modifications to SILVAH may be
necessary to improve its utility for prescribing silvicultural treatments in high graded stands.
Study Implications: High graded forest stands are often not readily apparent and likely require
specific forest management practices. We present a tool that uses standard forest inventory meas-
urements to predict past high grading, which can be used to inform and prioritize forest manage-
ment decisions. We also present suggested modifications to the prominent decision support tool,
SILVAH, that may improve its ability to prescribe optimal silvicultural treatments for high graded
stands. Results from this study provide forestry professionals/landowners working in the mixed- oak
forests of the northeastern United States with tools to inform forest management decisions
that aim to return degraded stands to healthier and more productive states.
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Seeing past the green: Structure, composition, and biomass differences in high graded and silviculture-managed forests of similar stand density
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Forests of the eastern United States (US) mostly comprise a mix of stands managed following silvicultural
principles and stands managed with exploitative timber harvesting practices. These stands can have similar stand
densities (e.g., basal area per hectare) but vary vastly in structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage.
High grading, a prevalent exploitative timber harvesting practice in the eastern US, is of particular concern
because it can negatively affect future forest health and productivity. This study quantifies differences in forest
structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage between high graded stands and stands that received a
seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood regeneration sequence treatment, which is a comparable and
well-established silvicultural method used to regenerate mixed-oak forests. It focuses on mixed-oak forests
(mixed-Quercus), where the effects of high grading have been understudied, and uses a sample with broader
spatial coverage than previous studies. The sample comprised nine stands that were known to have been high
graded 8–15 years ago and nine stands that received the seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood
regeneration sequence. Stand were systematically sampled using fixed-area plots. Field measurements were
collected and used to calculate metrics describing forest structure and function. The structure of high graded
stands was characterized by a higher proportion of trees with poor health and/or form compared to shelterwood
stands, with 18.3 % less acceptable growing stock and trees with lower crown compaction. Diameter distributions
of high graded stands were characterized by numerous small trees and few large-diameter trees. Spatial
variability of overstory trees was contingent on the tree size range evaluated, with a larger variability of
sawtimber-sized trees (trees ≥ 29.2 cm in diameter at breast height) in high graded stands. High graded stands
also had 2.2 times fewer oak trees (Quercus spp.) in the overstory canopy, 17,897 fewer seedlings per hectare
(ha), and 45 Mg/ha less biomass than shelterwood stands. These results indicate that high grading generally
degrades mixed-oak forests and impairs their long-term capacity to supply vital ecosystem services such as
habitat for specific wildlife species, carbon storage, and high-quality wood products.
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Poster Presentation: Seeing Past the Green: Quantifying the Characteristics of High-graded Forests
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Download the Poster Presentation for "Seeing Past the Green: Quantifying the Characteristics of HIgh-Graded Forests
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Conservation Choices for Wildlife: Golden-winged Warbler and Other Forest-dependent Species
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This guide outlines seven key conservation practices recommended to forest landowners who want to sustainably manage forests to benefit wildlife and forest health. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and conservation partners work with forest landowners to plan and implement these practices that benefit a variety of species, including the golden-winged warbler. This assistance includes the development of a custom forest management plan as well as financial support to help cover part of the costs of implementing the practices. Technical and financial assistance are available through the Farm Bill, the largest source of federal funding for private lands conservation.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Golden-winged Warbler Conservation Initiative Brochure
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This printable brochure from the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group highlights research priorities as well as key management strategies for private landowners and public land managers.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Golden-winged Warbler Poster
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This poster from the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group provides simple ways to help the Golden-winged Warbler, as well as outlines threats to Golden-winged Warblers during migration and the nonbreeding season.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Golden-winged Warbler Non-breeding Season Conservation Plan
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The Golden-winged Warbler Non-breeding Season Conservation Plan (Chapter 4 of the Goldenwinged
Warbler Conservation Plan) describes the non-breeding ecology of the Golden-winged
Warbler and proposes concrete actions to maintain habitat throughout its stationary nonbreeding
range (hereafter winter range). The plan is intended for use by conservation
practitioners, land managers, and governmental agencies both in North America and Latin
America. This plan provides guidance on where conservation investment in Latin America will
have the greatest impact on Golden-winged Warbler habitat and recommends conservation
actions to address the specific threats to habitat retention in the winter range. This plan is also
intended for use at the country level for all Latin American countries within the Golden-winged
Warbler winter range. For each country, this plan prioritizes areas where conservation action
should begin immediately, defines five-year conservation goals, and proposes a conservation
strategy to meet those goals by the year 2020.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Golden-winged Warbler Status Review and Conservation Plan
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The Golden-winged Warbler Status Review was initiated over a decade ago when David Buehler, John Confer, and Ron Canterbury were funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to elaborate on what was originally a status assessment begun by Chuck Hunter in 1999. Over time, that original project received input from others and underwent numerous stalls, revisions, and reviews. The continuous stream of new information that so rapidly outpaced the writing of the document is actually a tribute to the tremendous dedication and energy of the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group and its partners. In this version of the Status Review, survey and trend estimates have been updated to include 2009 BBS trend information. Genetic data were updated to include birds sampled during the 2010 breeding season. We are pleased finally to release the Status Review, at the same time acknowledging that new research and conservation action will just as quickly outdate much of the information it summarizes. We prefer to think of this document as a Status Transition to a more hopeful future.
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Golden-winged Warbler Landowner Outreach Mailer Template
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This editible mailer template from the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group is a great way to generate private landowner interest in your area! It outlines the importance and benefits of Golden-winged Warbler habitat and how landowners can participate or get more information.
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Golden-Winged Warbler General Fact Sheets
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Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Appalachian Region: A Guide for Land Managers and Landowners
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This guide is intended to provide land managers and landowners with regional, habitat-specific strategies and techniques to begin developing and restoring habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This document includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Appalachian region and should be used along with supplemental documents dedicated to the management of specific regional habitat types (deciduous forests, minelands, abandoned farmlands, grazed forestland/montane pastures, utility rights-of-way, forest and shrub wetlands) most important to Golden-winged Warblers.
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Golden-Winged Warbler Appalachians Fact Sheets
