Five Mile Spruce (MN DNR)

Stand Information

State or Province:

Minnesota

Nearest city or town:

Big Falls

Describe the location:

Big Falls District, Littlefork Forestry Area, Koochiching State Forest

Landowner:

State - Swamp Trust

Cover-type:

Peatlands

MN ECS Native Plant Community System:

Other MN ECS

Forest Health Threats:

Black spruce/dwarf mistletoe

Estimated year of stand origin:

2006

Additional information about stand origin:

Aerial seeded Spring 2006

Site Index:

feet

for species:

black spruce

Silviculture System:

Clearcut

Brief silvicultural objective:

Reforest a healthy black spruce even-aged stand that is 95% stocked at 1500 trees per acre after a clearcut.

Soils:

B277A - Greenwood soils, 0-1 percent slope. From the USDA soil survey - The Greenwood series consists of very deep ,very poorly drained soils formed in organic deposits more than 51 inches thick on outwash plains, till floored lake plains, or lake plains. These soils have moderate or moderately rapid permeability. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 29 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

Stand area:

65 acres

Treatment area:

65 acres

Overview

This stand represents a typical lowland harvest of spruce in the Littlefork DNR Forestry Area.

Silviculture Objective(s)

Regeneration is considered a success in the lowland black spruce sites on State DNR forestry lands when 95% of a stand is stocked with desirable crop species 5 years after harvest with an acceptable number of trees per acre (1500 for black spruce). In black spruce, an additional concern is spread of dwarf mistletoe, which is evaluated at the stand level and may include additional treatment.

Pre-treatment stand description and condition

Stand establishment and management history:

Stand was natural in origin and had unknown management history.

Pre-treatment species composition:

Stand was approximately 142 years old with 25 cords per acre black spruce at the time of clearcutting. Spruce averaged 4 sticks and 6 inch diameter. Scattered tamarack were present and averaged 0.3 cords/acre.

Pre-treatment forest health issues:

Dwarf mistletoe was present in stand and surrounding stands.

Silviculture Prescription

Stand was harvested with conventional equipment in winter 2005-2006.

Harvest restrictions included: