Pacific Southwest

Title: Clearcutting and natural regeneration: management implications for the northern Sierra Nevada

Author: McDonald, Philip M.

Date: 1983

Source: General Technical Report PSW-070.Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 11 p.

Station ID: GTR-PSW-070

Description: In the young-mature mixed-conifer and hardwood forests of north-central California, a dense and persistent hardwood understory competes with the conifers for space, nutrients, and water. Clear-cutting with intensive site preparation often is the most appropriate silvicultural regeneration method. This report, the result of 20 years of research on the Challenge Experimental Forest in Yuba County, California, evaluates one approach to clearcutting. Topics discussed are broadcast burning, windrow and burning, seedfall, rodents, woody shrubs, seedling stocking, and early growth of conifers. Variation in seedbed and seedfall, uncertainty of amount of rodent damage, and competition from woody shrubs can result in inconsistent and unpredictable amounts of natural reproduction. Windrow and burning of slash and planting of conifer seedlings are recommended alternatives to broadcast burning and natural seeding.

Keywords: Cutting methods, slash disposal, natural regeneration, ponderosa pine

View and Print this Publication (3.1 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pubrequest@fs.f ed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

McDonald, Philip M.  1983.  Clearcutting and natural regeneration: management implications for the northern Sierra Nevada.   General Technical Report PSW-070.Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 11 p..