MSU Forestry graduate student wins for Kirtland's Warbler research poster
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EmailMSU Forestry master's student Daphna Gadoth-Goodman won third place for her poster during the 2016 National Society of American Foresters Convention in Madison, Wisc.
MSU Forestry master's student Daphna Gadoth-Goodman won third place for her poster during the Forest Science and Technology Board contests at the 2016 National Society of American Foresters Convention in Madison, Wisc. Below is her abstract:
Can Short-Rotation Biomass Harvests Increase Options for Management of the Endangered Kirtland’s Warbler?
Thousands of acres of high-density jack pine (Pinus banksiana) plantations have been planted every year in northern Lower Michigan since the early 1980s to serve as habitat for the federally-endangered Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii). The planned rotation length for these plantations is 50 years, despite the fact that they only provide suitable habitat for the first ~18 years following planting. Because jack pine in this region produces very little merchantable roundwood by age 50, we investigated the potential to incorporate shorter-rotation biomass harvests into the management approach for this endangered species. We used space-for-time substitution to assess biomass and volume accrual over time, sampling a total of 22 warbler plantations ranging from 8 to 52 years of age. We also harvested 26 trees and developed our own local allometric biomass equations specifically for jack pine growing in these warbler plantations. The age range of maximum accumulation for biomass was 15-25 years with mean annual biomass increment declining in stands older than 25 years. After 25 years, aboveground biomass appears to stabilize between 30 and 35 tons ac-1. Our results suggest that if biomass markets improved, land managers could use shorter rotation biomass harvests to regenerate warbler habitat on a portion of the 200,000 acres of land currently set aside for warbler management, allowing them to extend rotation lengths and produce more valuable roundwood products in other areas.
Description
Aboveground biomass of jack pine (Pinus banksiana) planted for the federally-endangered Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) stabilized after 25 years following planting, at 30-35 tons ac-1, suggesting that short-rotation biomass harvests on a portion of warbler habitat would allow remaining areas to be managed for roundwood on a longer rotation.
