Biomass And Nutrients In Regenerating Woody Vegetation Following Whole-Tree And Conventional Harvest In A Northern Mixed Forest

Biomass and nutrient contents of regenerating woody plants and litter fall were measured after a northern mixed conifer￢ﾀﾓhardwood forest was harvested by conventional and whole-tree methods. Before harvest, the central Ontario study site was occupied by a 95-year-old pine (Pinusresinosa, P. strobus) and aspen (Populustremuloides, P. grandidentata) stand growing on gently rolling, gravel-free outwash sands. Four years after harvest, aspen abundance increased 100-fold in both harvested areas, with higher densities after whole-tree harvest (WTH) (4.1￢ﾀﾂstems/m2) than after conventional harvest (CH) (2.7￢ﾀﾂstems/m2). No self-thinning of aspen occurred between 2 and 4 years after harvest. Total aboveground woody biomass accumulated at 2.0￢ﾀﾂt￢ﾀﾢha￢ﾈﾒ1￢ﾀﾢyear￢ﾈﾒ1 in the WTH area and 1.5￢ﾀﾂt￢ﾀﾢha￢ﾈﾒ1￢ﾀﾢyear￢ﾈﾒ1 in the CH area; the preharvest rate was 2.0￢ﾀﾂt￢ﾀﾢha￢ﾈﾒ1￢ﾀﾢyear￢ﾈﾒ1. Peak autumn litter production occurred earlier in the harvested areas than in an adjacent uncut area. Cycling of N and K in litter fall returned to preharvest rates after 4 years. Cycling of Ca in litter fall was lower after WTH than after CH. Vegetation uptake of N and K (litter fall plus woody biomass) in the harvested areas in year 4 exceeded the preharvest value. Increased N accumulation in woody biomass (3.0￢ﾀﾂkg￢ﾀﾢha￢ﾈﾒ1￢ﾀﾢyear￢ﾈﾒ1 before harvest, 10.6￢ﾀﾂkg￢ﾀﾢha￢ﾈﾒ1￢ﾀﾢyear￢ﾈﾒ1 after WTH) would place a relatively greater demand on forest floor N pools in the WTH than in the CH area owing to lack of N input in logging slash. Although WTH did not reduce initial rates of biomass production, Populus spp. had lower concentrations of N, Ca, and Mg in the WTH area than in the CH area. There may be a danger that WTH on less fertile sites in the region will produce dense, unproductive aspen stands with low rates of self-thinning.