Cases: Mixed Woods | Great Lakes Silviculture Library

Post-treatment view of a pre-commercial thin.

Pre-commercial aspen thinning (UPM Blandin)

Utilize pre-commercial thinning in a quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stand to increase diameter growth and decrease rotation age.

Cover type: Aspen-Birch

Cones protecting tree seedlings from herbivory poke above wetland sedges.

Swamp tree planting using mounding (Fond du Lac)

Restore this wetland to a culturally useful forested condition that is more resilient to human stressors, particularly climate change, than the previous forest.

Cover type: Ash

Mature red and white pine tower over regenerating conifers in the understory.

Comparing Pine Regeneration Methods and Tactics in the Cloquet Valley State Forest (MN DNR)

The goal on all three stands was to decrease the overall abundance of trembling aspen, paper birch, and balsam fir while increasing the abundance of long-lived conifers such as red pine, white pine, white, and black spruce.

Cover type: Pine

These two photos compare exposed tree seedlings to those growing vigorously in a fenced deer exclosure.

Goose Island Deer Repellent Test (US Army Corps)

The objective of the planting was to test the effectiveness of deer fence and animal protein-based deer repellent on growth and survival of swamp white oak and river birch seedlings.

Cover type: Other

Mississippi River Pool 3 Floodplain Forest Silvicultural Trials (US Army Corps of Engineers)

Promote regeneration of floodplain tree species and prevent conversion of site to reed canary grass. Provide wildlife habitat for the next 50 to 100 years.

Cover type: Other

Conditions on part of the study area in 2023, after harvest and patchy blowdown

Variable Overstory Density Management for White Pine Regeneration in Two Native Plant Communities (MN DNR)

Establish or maintain uneven aged pine-mixed hardwood stands with a significant white pine component using natural regeneration.

Cover type: Mixed Woods

Drone imagery of the project area; the slash wall stands out amidst the scattered overstory.

Shelterwood and slash walls to regenerate northern red oak and eastern hemlock (USFS)

Objectives of this stand include a shelterwood harvest, tending of the stand via understory cutting, constructing a slash wall for deer exclusion, and evaluating the effectiveness of excluding deer and the natural regeneration success.

Cover type: Northern hardwoods

Project summer site in 2020, with black walnut in the background.

Direct Seeding of Hardwoods on a Former Agricultural Site with Observations on Soil Compaction (MN DNR)

Improve water quality, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation opportunities and produce forest products by establishing a mixed hardwood stand on a former agricultural field.

Cover type: Other

A mature red pine forest stands among dense fog and thick layer of ground cover.

Fuels Reduction Thinning in Multi-Aged Red Pine (UMN-CFC)

To lower stand density in a spatially heterogeneous fashion, reduce fuel-loading in a mature stand by disconnecting foliage between the canopy and sub-canopy, and increase aesthetic appeal of a multi-aged red pine stand.

Cover type: Pine

A dozer tears up the ground behind it as it drives through the stand.

Oak Scarification Trials using Good Neighbor Authority (USFS/WDNR)

Promote mixed oak-pine stands for quality sawtimber and wildlife habitat associated with the Northern Dry-Mesic Forest natural community. Test various mechanical scarification techniques to create favorable seedbeds and increase oak and white pine regen.

Cover type: Central hardwoods

The Silviculture Library is maintained by the Sustainable Forests Education Co-operative, based at the University of Minnesota's Cloquet Forestry Center.