Mulches aid in regenerating California and Oregon forests: past, present, and future

McDonald, Philip M.; Helgerson, Ole T.

doi:10.2737/psw-gtr-123

Cited by 28 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…17 Because it significantly reduced the bearclover population and delayed the cheatgrass invasion, albeit for only 1 year, the herbicide treatment in this study was effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Response of young ponderosa pines, shrubs, and grasses to two release treatments

McDonald¹,

Everest²

1996

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“…17 Because it significantly reduced the bearclover population and delayed the cheatgrass invasion, albeit for only 1 year, the herbicide treatment in this study was effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Response of young ponderosa pines, shrubs, and grasses to two release treatments

McDonald¹,

Everest²

1996

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“…We think that further research is required to define adequate protocols to promote efficient plant cover establishment to various sites. Finally we did not test the use of organic or synthetic mulches to control weeds and favour plant establishment although they have been proved as effective as herbicides in controlling vegetation competition in many systems [1,36,39]. At present, the high economic cost associated to their use still restricts their application to specific situations [26].…”

Section: Comparison Of Weed Control Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth, allocation and leaf gas exchanges of hybrid poplar plants in their establishment phase on previously forested sites: effect of different vegetation management techniques

et al. 2007

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-The effect of different vegetation control methods (mowing and cultivation between plantation rows, herbicide application and cover plant sowing) on hybrid poplar (P. maximowiczii × balsamifera) growth, biomass allocation and leaf carbon assimilation was investigated in two plantations (1-and 2-year-old) established in previously forested sites of south-eastern Québec. Any vegetation control treatment applied the same year in which the plantation was established did not have an effect on hybrid poplar aboveground growth. However significant differences among treatments were observed belowground, where the removal of the competing vegetation at the tree base increased the fine root:leaf biomass ratio of plants, thus probably facilitating their establishment. In contrast, 2-year-old plants grew better when treated with herbicides, but no positive effect of the mechanical treatments was detected. In both sites, trees growing on herbicide-treated plots showed considerably higher leaf carbon assimilation and leaf N concentration which were both strongly correlated. We conclude that a strong vegetation competition for nutrients takes effect on hybrid poplar plantations on previously forested sites since there was no water shortage for any treatment during the study period.competition / hybrid poplar / biomass allocation / photosynthesis / vegetation management Résumé -Effet de différentes méthodes de gestion de la végétation compétitrice dans la croissance, l'allocation de biomasse et les échanges gazeux du peuplier hybride pendant sa phase d'établissement dans des milieux anciennement boisés. L'effet de différentes méthodes de contrôle de la végétation compétitrice (fauchage et hersage mécanisé, herbicide, semence de plantes de couverture) a été étudié sur la croissance, l'allocation de biomasse et l'assimilation de carbone du peuplier hybride (P. maximowiczii × balsamifera). Les mesures ont été effectuées sur des individus provenant de deux plantations localisées sur des anciennes terres boisés dans le sud-est du Québec et établies la même année ou l'année précédant l'étude. Lorsqu'elles sont appliquées la même année que l'installation de la plantation, aucune des méthodes de contrôle de la végétation n'a eu d'effets sur la croissance aérienne des individus. Cependant, l'élimination de la végétation autour de la base des peupliers a affecté la partie racinaire des individus en augmentant le ratio de biomasse des racines fines:biomasse foliaire ce qui a probablement favorisé leur installation. Par contre, dans la plantation établie l'année antérieure, une plus forte croissance en diamètre et en hauteur a été observée chez les peupliers traités avec des herbicides alors que les traitements mécaniques n'ont encore une fois pas eu d'effet sur les individus. Dans les deux plantations, les arbres traités avec des herbicides présentaient une meilleure capacité d'assimilation de carbone et une meilleure teneure en N foliaire. Étant donné qu'aucune limitation hydrique n'a été mise en évidence pendant la période de ...

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“…Sheets of plastic, newspaper, and plywood; layers of bark, sawdust, sand, and straw in various thicknesses; sprayed petroleum emulsions; and even large plastic buckets have been tested (McDonald and Helgerson 1990). Most were found to be ineffective or too costly or both.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mulching to regenerate a harsh site: effect on Douglas-fir seedlings, forbs, grasses, and ferns

McDonald¹,

Fiddler²,

Harrison³

1994

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Douglas-fir seedlings on the Arcata District, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior, in central coastal California, were planted in an effort to restore the natural forest to what was then pastureland. Douglas-fir seedlings were released from a complex forb-grass-fern plant community by applying very large (10-ft square) and very small (2-foot square) durable mulches one month after planting. The large mulches were installed directly over the existing plant community, and the small mulches were applied over a similar-sized scalp. Two-foot-square scalps and an untreated control provided additional comparisons. After five growing seasons, stem diameter (measured at 12 inches above mean groundline) of Douglas-fir seedlings with large mulches was 1.61 inches, and of seedlings with small mulches was 1.36 inches. Only seedlings with large mulches were significantly larger than counterparts with small scalps (1.22 inches) or in the control (1.26 inches) after 5 years. In spite of high cost, the promising role of large mulches for establishing fast-growing Douglas-fir seedlings on a harsh site and the increased stability and sustainability that the future trees will bring to the more natural plant community give large mulches a place in the toolkit of ecosystem managers. Retrieval Terms: central California, Douglas-fir seedlings, herbaceous species, mulches, plant community dynamicsAs the 21st century approaches, sustainable ecosystems are receiving increasing attention. Such ecosystems in general are those that contain the species composition, structure, and functions that were present before severe perturbation by humans. Past logging, deliberate burning to promote pasture, and many years of grazing, first by sheep and then by cattle, certainly count as a severe disturbance. Chronic disturbance also leads to an unnatural and unstable ecosystem, and one that cannot provide the full range of commodities and amenities of which it is capable. Foresters in the Arcata District, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior, recognized this and wished to begin restoring the land and its plant and animal components to a more desirable and sustainable future condition.This was a formidable job. The plant community consisted of a complex arrangement of forbs, grasses, and bracken fern. Rabbits and deer were animal components of this community as well. These plants and animals, plus steep slopes, summer drought, and incessant wind, caused this to be a harsh site for conifer regeneration. Planting Douglas-fir seedlings was the first of four steps in the restoration process, getting the seedlings to survive and grow well the second, treating the existing plant community to be less competitive the third, and mitigating animal damage was the fourth.Five years after treatment, Douglas-fir seedling survival ranged from 70 to 98 percent and did not differ signifi cantly among treatments. Also after 5 years, mean stem diameter, measured at 12 inches above groundline, of Douglas-fir seedlings with large ...

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Mulches aid in regenerating California and Oregon forests: past, present, and future

Cited by 28 publications

References 12 publications

Response of young ponderosa pines, shrubs, and grasses to two release treatments

Response of young ponderosa pines, shrubs, and grasses to two release treatments

Growth, allocation and leaf gas exchanges of hybrid poplar plants in their establishment phase on previously forested sites: effect of different vegetation management techniques

Mulching to regenerate a harsh site: effect on Douglas-fir seedlings, forbs, grasses, and ferns

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