1.05.00 – Unevenaged silviculture
Kevin O'Hara, United States
About Unit
The Uneven-aged Silviculture Research Group is an interdisciplinary organization of researchers from boreal, temperate and tropical forest regions working on all aspects of uneven-aged silviculture including economic, ecological, forest health, and many others.
State of Knowledge
Uneven-aged silviculture is the intentional management of forest stands to include multiple age classes of trees. The Uneven-aged Silviculture Research Group facilitates interaction among researchers studying the dynamics and management of uneven-aged forests and researchers working on related natural resource problems. A resurgent interest in uneven-aged silviculture is occurring all over the world as it is increasingly seen as a viable alternative to even-aged systems where concerns over aesthetics, wildlife management, or maintenance of continuous cover predominate. Because uneven-aged silviculture is of interest for so many objectives and being studied by researchers from so many different disciplines, the Uneven-aged Silviculture Research Group also seeks to create and promote a cooperative network of researchers from disciplines beyond only silviculture.
Research being shared among the Research Group is as diverse as its participants. However, a few themes have emerged: 1) study sites for the Research Group are inclusive of stands with multiple age classes or cohorts, single- or mixed-species, and collectively these stand structures are referred to as “complex stand structures�; 2) the Research Group is a logical conduit for information on the transformation of even-aged stands to stands with complex stand structures; 3) uneven-aged stands may be logical component of management regimes which attempt to emulate natural disturbance processes at multiple scales; 4) approaches to uneven-aged silviculture may vary from simple to very complex, but no single strategy is useful or appropriate for all situations; 5) there are similarities in the dynamics and management of uneven-aged stands that transcend species, forest types, and management operations, and provide natural linkages between uneven-aged silviculture in boreal, temperate, and tropical ecosystems; and 6) limitations to successful practice of uneven-aged silviculture may be related to harvesting technology, site conditions, forest health, species selection, market conditions, and political considerations. A multidisciplinary approach to uneven-aged silviculture is, therefore, ideally suited to solving these problems.
