Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Department
Forest Resource Management
Committee Chair
Jamie Schuler
Committee Co-Chair
Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy
Committee Member
Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy
Committee Member
David McGill
Abstract
The deferment harvest method is a new forest management treatment in central Appalachian hardwood forests. It is intended to primarily improve aesthetics by leaving select residual trees in the forest stand beyond the establishment of the regeneration cohort. However, there are concerns with residual tree quality due to the development of epicormic branches and if the presence of forest canopy influences the species composition and development of the regeneration. Topographic aspect can influence differences in productivity in both the residual and regeneration cohorts. This study examined if residual tree quality for timber value and a desirable species composition of the regeneration cohort differed by aspect (i.e., south and east). Epicormic branches were present on majority of the residual trees but did not reduce the quality nor the presumed lumber value of these trees. Forest canopy had no effect on the species composition and development of the regeneration cohort, while there were differences between the south and east aspects in species diversity and stem density of the mid-tolerant species. The regeneration cohort was dominated primarily by commercial species with both shade-intolerant and shade-tolerant species present. These results suggested that maintaining timber value of residual trees and regenerating commercial tree species is possible with the deferment harvest method.
Recommended Citation
Held, Breanne, "Aspect influence on productivity when applying the deferment harvest method in mixed-oak hardwood forests in West Virginia" (2019). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4104.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4104