Abstract
Old growth forests are important for ecological resilience, especially in temperate rainforest ecosystems. There are presently 3,000 acres of old growth forest within the 7,472 acres of the Headwaters Forest Reserve (HFR) in Humboldt County, California. Remaining acres were subjected to unsustainable logging practices, such as clearcutting, that resulted in a severely overstocked second-growth forest. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) created a management plan for the reserve to restore previously harvested areas to their historic condition. The goal for the BLM is to accelerate growth rates of residual forests, to align them on a trajectory of achieving old-growth forest conditions. Silviculture treatments can be used to achieve this objective. This study examined the effects of “Accelerated Recruitment” and “Thinned” treatments on understory vegetation and fuel loading levels along the Elk River Trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, by comparing percent cover of understory vegetation and fuel loading in plots receiving different treatment types. The results from the study revealed that the “Accelerated Recruitment” treatment had both the highest species diversity of understory plants and the highest amount of fuel load (tons/acre) in the understory, on average. These preliminary results show that treatment types should be tailored depending on the needs of the project.
Date
Fall 2024
Department
Environmental Science & Management
Concentration/Emphasis
Ecological Restoration
Advisor/Professor
Daniel Lipe
Citation Style
APA