Predicting Sapling Recruitment Predicting Sapling Recruitment Following Partial Cutting in the Following Partial Cutting in the Acadian Forest: Using Long-Term Data to Acadian Forest: Using Long-Term Data to Assess the Performance of FVS-NE Assess the Performance of FVS-NE David Ray 1 , Chad Keyser 2 , Robert Seymour 1 and John Brissette 3 1 School of Forest Resources, The University of Maine, Orono ME 2 Forest Management Service Center, USDA-FS, Fort Collins, CO 3 Northeastern Research Station, USDA-FS, Durham, NH
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Predicting Sapling Recruitment Following Partial Cutting in the Acadian Forest: Using Long-Term Data to Assess the Performance of FVS-NE David Ray 1, Chad.
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Predicting Sapling Recruitment Following Partial Predicting Sapling Recruitment Following Partial Cutting in the Acadian Forest: Using Long-Term Cutting in the Acadian Forest: Using Long-Term
Data to Assess the Performance of FVS-NEData to Assess the Performance of FVS-NE
David Ray1, Chad Keyser2, Robert Seymour1 and John Brissette3
1School of Forest Resources, The University of Maine, Orono ME2Forest Management Service Center, USDA-FS, Fort Collins, CO
3Northeastern Research Station, USDA-FS, Durham, NH
Outline
• Background– Motivation– Findings from past work
• Objectives• Methods
– Dataset– Analysis
• Results• Conclusions
Creation of Stand Structures Over the Creation of Stand Structures Over the Past 25-yrs in MainePast 25-yrs in Maine
Structure Type
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Pro
port
ion
of to
tal h
arve
st a
rea
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Pro
port
ion
clea
rcut
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Even-aged (OSR & CC)MultiagedClearcut
FPA
The Northeastern Variant (FVS-NE)The Northeastern Variant (FVS-NE)
• Covers the 14 Northeastern States– Formerly NE-TWIGS (Teck and Hilt 1991)– Lacks a “full” establishment model
• Newly coded Beta version incorporates some major changes– Small tree height and diameter growth– Background and density dependent mortality– Growth modifier function
• US Forest Service Compartment Study– 50 yrs of remeasurement data (numbered
trees since the mid-70s)– Inventoried before and after harvests and at
approximately 5-yr intervals between harvests– 2 reps/treatment (~10 ha units)
• Tolerant Northern Conifers (BF, RS, EH)• Range in silvicultural intensity
– From 5-yr selection to commercial clearcutting
Live BA Following Partial Cutting at the PEFLive BA Following Partial Cutting at the PEFObserved vs. FVS PredictionsObserved vs. FVS Predictions
Ray, Seymour, and Keyser (2006)Proc. ECANUSA Conference
Diameter class midpoint
Summary of Net Growth Comparison Summary of Net Growth Comparison based on ~25 yr Simulation Runsbased on ~25 yr Simulation Runs
~40% above observed production rates
(0.5 cd/ac/yr)
2.5 10 14 >166
Methodology
Code Description Cutting cycle (yrs)
Harvests Plot count
FDL Fixed diameter-limit
20* 3 33
MDL Modified diameter-limit
20 3 32
S05 Single-tree/small groups
5 10 33
S10 Single-tree/small groups
10 5 35
S20 Single-tree/small groups
20 3 37
URH Commercial clearcut
30* 2 41
NAT Untreated control
n/a n/a 20
Characteristics of the Partial-Cut TreatmentsCharacteristics of the Partial-Cut TreatmentsStem density
TP
A
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Basal area
BA
(ft
2 /ac)
0
50
100
150
200
Stand density index
SD
I
0
100
200
300
400
500
Conifer stockingPro
por
tion
of B
A
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
Large regeneration density
FDL MDL S05 S10 S20 URH NAT
TP
A
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
Nested Plot Design
Simulation Run Details
• Focus on 5-yr runs at the plot level– 250 plots; 1,182 plot/interval combinations
• Calibration of LT diameter growth (≥1-in dbh)• Forest wide SI for balsam fir set at 55-ft• Large regeneration only- issues with SDImax
• Regeneration specified by mid-point of height class interval– Beta model equations used to derive species
specific heights for trees ≥ 4.5-ft tall but <0.5-in dbh• Key in on saplings crossing the 0.5-in dbh
threshold (1-in dbh class)
Performance Criteria
• Presence absence of new recruits
• Compare diameter distributions
• Rates of sapling recruitment and mortality (BA, ft2/ac/5-yr)
• Correlation analysis between residuals and plot attributes
Results
Large TreeLarge Tree Calibration StatisticsCalibration Statistics
The Nested Plots• Recruitment was observed on 55% (653/1,182)
of the plot/interval combinations– Tall regeneration was present on 68% of plots where
recruitment was observed (‘appeared’ on 32%)
• Simulated recruitment was limited to plots with large regeneration present (n=729)– Recruitment was observed on 61% of these plots– PRODFVS predicted recruitment on 35%– BETAFVS predicted recruitment on 68%
• Agreement between observed and predicted– For PRODFVS was 29%– For BETAFVS was 56%
more on The Nested Plots
• Backwards extrapolation of observed diameter growth– 10% may have been smaller than large
regeneration (URH- intolerant broadleafs)
• Sufficient abundance of large regeneration– 96% of plot/intervals had more than enough to
• Difficult hoop for the model to pass through• Large tree calibration statistics were closer for
BETAFVS than PRODFVS
• Recruitment rates were underestimated by PRODFVS (~50%) and overestimated by BETAFVS (~100%) relative to that observed on partially cut plots at the PEF (~2 ft2/ac/5yr)
• Mortality rates were too high, particularly for BETAFVS
Conclusions II
• The changes implemented in BETAFVS should improve model performance
• Model biases were related to– Large regeneration density for BETAFVS (strong)– QMD, % SW regen, Harvests for PRODFVS (weak)
• Resetting GMOD to 0.5 (from 0.15), too high?– Shade tolerant saplings can just sit there in the
understory (GMOD by shade tolerance?)• The Northeastern Variant covers a large
geographic range; the Acadian Forest Region represents a relatively small part
Acknowledgements
• US Forest Service– PEF Dataset– Support with FVS