Application of Complex Cutting

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Abstract

Forest fires in the first half of the 20th century as well as large-scale clear-cuttings in the second half of the last century in spruce forests reduced their area for more than a quarter. In place of spruce phytocenoses, there appeared secondary deciduous stands nowadays occupying about 50 % of the total area of the Vologda Region forests. We studied forming spruce forests from advance regeneration in a specially created study area where we carried out clear-cutting of the dominant deciduous tree storey and thinning of the spruce part with four variants of undergrowth preservation: 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 thousand units per ha. The study aimed to define the silvicultural efficiency of complex cutting with simultaneous harvesting of deciduous wood and undergrowth thinning of various intensity. Forest inventory and analysis of the experimental material were carried out according to the methods commonly used in valuation and forestry. Regular observations showed that there was practically no loss of growing spruce after cutting in each of the four variants. The spruce growth is characterized by the first class of the current site quality. Under 8 years after the cutting, the growing capacity at preservation of 1,500 units per ha of spruce undergrowth increased by the factor of 3.9. In this variant and during the entire 27-year period, the highest growth rates in terms of both height and diameter were preserved. The larger the quantity of undergrowth after thinning (3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 thousand units per ha), the lower the values of radial increment. The differences in increment height are less significant.  From the silvicultural point of view and on the basis of the research results, the efficiency of complex cuttings in deciduous stands was substantiated. A complete harvest of the dominant deciduous tree storey with simultaneous thinning of spruce undergrowth provides a more stable and improved forest structure. Complex cutting is applicable in deciduous stands having spruce undergrowth. The annual height increment of spruce undergrowth before cutting should not be less than 10–15 cm, while the age of the dominant part should not exceed 30–35 years.

Authors

F.N. Druzhinin, Candidate of Agriculture, Associate Professor

Affiliation

Vologda State Dairy Farming Academy by N.V. Vereshchagin

Keywords

complex cutting, secondary forest, forestry efficiency, morphological structure of the stand, spruce undergrowth, growing capacity.

References

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