Forest Tree Notes
Volume 1, Issue 3
November 2000

Your Future Forest: What will it look like?
By: Mike Reichenbach, Extension Educator, Forest Economic Development

The forests along the Gunflint trail will grow back, but what will they look like? Maybe more pertinent to your situation is what will your backyard or your woodland look like in 5, 10 or 20 years?

You can begin getting a picture of what it might look like by examining your property, identifying the species and number of seedlings present, identifying potential seed sources and identifying factors that might limit the growth of the existing trees or the establishment of new trees from existing seed sources.

Many landowners have created a defensible space around their home or cabin in which very little debris remains on the ground, and trees are scattered and well pruned. This situation creates a seed bed for species such as birch or pine. If a seed source is available these areas may seed in to that seed source.

In other areas you may find seedlings already established among the storm debris. To gain a better understanding of what the future forest might look like you can identify and count the seedlings already growing.

One method to do this is to identify and count the number of seedlings growing on small sample plots. If the sample plots are located randomly and if enough areas are included this method can be used to estimate the total number of seedlings growing on your property.  You can choose any plot size and shape. I have chosen a plot that is circular and 1/50th of an acre. Using a 1/50th of an acre plot you can estimate the number of seedlings per acre by multiplying the number of seedlings per plot by 50. One acre has 43560 square feet or is a square approximately 209 on each side. A 1/50th acre circular plot has a radius of 16 feet 7 inches.

Try this for yourself. Locate one or more 1/50 acre circular plots and count all the seedlings within that plot.

To do this you can use a roll of flagging tape or other easily identified item, a rope that can be tied or marked at 16 feet 7 inches and an anchoring staff (a stick that can serve as the center of the plot). Tie the rope to the staff and mark a point on the rope 16 feet 7 inches from the staff. Anchor the staff at the center of your plot and use the rope to determine plot size. Identify all the seedlings in the plot, flagging them so that you do not count them twice. You can estimate the number of seedlings on your property by multiplying the number of seedlings on the plot by 50 and dividing by the number of plots taken (Figure 1).

For example: If you count trees within two plots, and find that you have 10 trees in plot 1 and 5 trees in plot 2. Then you have (10 x 50) 500, and (5 x 50) 250 trees. Add them together (500 + 250) and divide by 2 (750 / 2) to get an estimate of 375 trees per acre.

Figure 1.  Demonstration of a 1/50 acre circular plot for determining the number of seedlings present per acre. Trees outside of the plot are not counted.

If you have questions or need more information about what might grow on your property contact me:

Mike Reichenbach
Extension Educator, Forest Economic Development
Cloquet Forestry Center
175 University Road
Cloquet, MN 55720
Phone: (218) 879-0850, ext. 123
Fax: (218) 879-0855
reich027@umn.edu

The Future of the Boundary Waters
By: Eli Sagor, Extension Educator, Forestland Ecology and Management

 

Eli Sagor and Mike Reichenbach planting a white pine tree near Gunflint Lodge.
Eli Sagor and Mike Reichenbach planting
a white pine tree near Gunflint Lodge.

What will the forests of the Boundary Waters look like in 10 years? 50 years? 100 years? In general there are two possible futures for the forest: unburned and burned.

In areas that don't burn, the seedlings that are already prolific in much of the blowdown area will quickly grow and fight to occupy the growing space that was created so suddenly last summer. Many of these seedlings were already around before the storm, waiting in the understory as what foresters call advance regeneration until the trees that hogged all of their light met their end. The windstorm gave the advance regeneration the opportunity of a lifetime, and these seedlings won't miss their chance.  Before we know it, these seedlings will be trees, and the forest will soon look like a forest again.

Blowdown events are often said to speed the process of forest succession, because they favor species that are typically common in later successional stands. The species that existed as advance regeneration before the storm were those able to live in the shade of the forest floor. They are relatively tolerant of shade, and include species such as balsam fir, sugar maple, red maple, white spruce and white pine.

But there is another likely scenario: burning. With so much dead wood on the ground, there is a high likelihood that wildfires will burn at least part of the storm area. And these fires could be very intense. If so, they will consume not only the dead wood, but also any live seedlings, shrubs, and other vegetation in the area. In intensely burned areas, most of the trees that will dominate future stands will have to grow from seeds--to start from scratch on bare ground. Although they won't have the head start that the advance regeneration will have in unburned areas, in many areas these seedlings too will quickly grow and return the forestland to trees.

In some areas, it appears that the trees are growing on bedrock; there is little soil available. In these areas what soil exists is in the form of undecomposed moss and other organic matter. This will be consumed in an intense fire, leaving these areas barren for many years, until new soil can develop. This is the extreme case, and will not occur in all burned areas.

Fires, unlike blowdowns, return the forest to an earlier successional condition. Rather than speeding succession along, they set the process back to the beginning, where "pioneer" species such as aspen, jack pine, and birch will likely colonize and predominate. Red (or Norway) pine also regenerates well following fire.

Whatever the future holds, it will be fun to watch the forest change and develop. If you haven't yet, get off the trails and into the blowdown. You might be surprised at what you see. You just might find that the forest that was "devastated" and "destroyed" last summer is actually alive and well (and growing incredibly fast!) today.

We may have temporarily lost our postcard views, but we've been given a wonderful opportunity in exchange: to learn about how the forest works. Don't waste your opportunity indoors--get outside and have some fun learning from the best teacher we have, Mother Nature.

Eli Sagor is a new member of the University of Minnesota Extension Service, specializing in forestland ecology and management in northern Minnesota. He can be reached at 612-624-6948 or esagor@umn.edu.

Your Future Forest? Just Because “It’s Planted” you’re not out of the woods!
By Mitch Taylor, Oregon Department of Forestry, Edited by Mike Reichenbach, Extension Educator University of Minnesota Extension Service.

This article originally appeared in Oregon State University’s Forest Tree Notes in August of 1995. While the species discussed are different from Minnesota, the principles are the same.

The Taylor’s purchased ten acres near Bald Peak. The previous owner had harvested the merchantable timber two years previously and the area was pretty ugly, but, there were scattered maples and small fir trees on the site that still had aesthetic value. The area had also been replanted with 400 fir seedlings per acre. Although the seedlings were hard to see because of the brush and weeds that had invaded, the Taylor’s saw the potential and dreamed of a beautiful forest developing in the years to come.

Four years after the purchase they could no longer see the logging scars. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the planted seedlings, either. The brush was now dense and had choked out the little trees. They couldn't even walk over portions of the property. Some of the small fir that were left were now dead. The beautiful forest they had envisioned was not developing as they had hoped. The dream was now a bad dream. What went wrong? Anyone can find themselves in this situation. It is a far too common occurrence and not just a problem for owners of harvested land, but for those trying to convert fields and brushland, too. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that once you've planted trees they can take care of themselves.

There is not a successful farmer anywhere who prepares a field, plants the crop and goes on vacation until harvest time. The same is true for the successful gardener. The work really begins after the seed is planted. Many more hours are spent weeding and nurturing than in the initial planting. Similarly, the monitoring and maintenance that should be done after trees are planted is as critical as the planting itself, especially for the first few years. Aggressive invading weeds and brush can quickly out compete the frail newly planted seedlings.

An abundance of technical advice and information is available about reforestation through a variety of public and private sources. For more information, contact one of the Extension Educators in Forestry at the Cloquet Forestry Center at (218) 879-0850.

Protecting Trees from Browse Damage
By: Mike Reichenbach, Extension Educator, Forest Economic Development

Deer, rabbits, gophers and other animals can stunt and kill seedlings and small trees.

Seedlings and small trees can be protected from animal damage using tree shelters, bud caps, mesh tubing and repellents.

Tree shelters: Tree shelters can be used to protect trees from beaver, deer, rabbits, small rodents and other animals. Tree shelters are sold in a variety of forms. Some are solid translucent plastic tubes or sheets rolled into tubes and placed around the seedling. Some are round plastic mesh tubes. The diameter of these tubes is generally 3 to 4.5 inches. They come in various heights from 2’ to 6’. They are held in place by a stake. A tree shelter protects the seedling until it grows out the top of the shelter. The shelter selected should be taller than the expected reach of the animal grazing on the trees. Different tree species react differently in the tube type shelters. Some trees such as the oaks may show a dramatic increase in height growth while other trees may be damaged by frost and disease. With any of the tree protection products select a few and try them to see what works for you, your trees and your specific site.

Animal repellents: Commercial repellents are available to help reduce browse damage. Some of these, clip onto the trees much like the “air-fresheners” used in cars, others are sprays. Often repellents must be sprayed several times per year to be effective.

Bud capping: Bud capping uses paper sleeves or plastic mesh to protect the terminal buds and top leader of the tree. The paper sleeves can be purchased or made. To make a paper bud cap, cut strips of paper 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. fold these in half length-wise over the terminal buds of the tree and staple.

Fencing: If deer browse is especially heavy, or if you want 100% control, fencing may be needed.

The following lists several suppliers of forestry products. This list is not complete. Check with local foresters for additional suppliers.

Forestry Suppliers
PO Box 8397
Jackson, MS 39284-8397
1-800-647-5368
www.forestry-suppliers.com

Ben Meadows
PO Box 20200
Canton, GA 30114
1-800-241-6401
www.benmeadows.com

Terra Tech Inc.
International Reforestation Suppliers
PO Box 5547
Eugene, OR 97405-0547
1-800-321-1037
www.terratech.net

Baileys
P.O. Box 9088
196 Edwards Dr. (38301)
Jackson, TN 38314
901-422-1300
www.baileys-online.com

Announcements:

 

Woodland Owner/User Conference:
A Million Acres in Minnesota: A Conference and Celebration for Woodland Owners and Users.” March 2 & 3, 2001 at the DECC in Duluth. Contact Mimi Barzen at (218) 327-4119 or mimi.barzen@dnr.state.mn.us for details. 

Driving Tour:
We are investigating the establishment of a permanent driving tour of various sites that have been impacted by recent blowdown events in the Gunflint Region. We would like to find sites that can be used to demonstrate forest regrowth and clean-up activities. If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please contact: Mike Reichenbach, Extension Educator at: 

Cloquet Forestry Center
175 University Rd.
Cloquet, MN 55720
Phone: (218) 879-0850, ext. 111
Fax: (218) 879-0855
reich027@umn.edu

Acknowledgments:

Thanks to the Northeast Region Sustainable Development Partnership, we have been able to produce this newsletter, and three workshops for private landowners during the summer of 2000. There will be one more issue of the newsletter this year. There are no more workshops planned for 2000. 

We would like to thank all of the people who presented at the workshops, and those who provided materials for the newsletters. Their help is greatly appreciated.

It is our hope that through these efforts, private landowners gained some insight into the issues that federal, state and local agencies are dealing with after the 1999 storm. In addition, we hope that landowners have more information to guide the choices that they are faced with, and contacts to whom they will direct future questions.

Your Response is Needed:

The third issue of this newsletter is being sent to all landowners along the Gunflint Trail. Funding provided by the Northeast Region Sustainable Development Partnership was used to produce four issues of the newsletter. After the fourth issue, the newsletter will only be sent to landowners who request it.

If you would like to continue to receive this newsletter, please contact Susan Seabury either by mail at the University of Minnesota, Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Road, Cloquet, MN 55720, telephone at (218) 879-0850 ext. 108 or email at sseabury@umn.edu.

Also, PLEASE help us reduce costs further by providing us with an email address where we can send you an electronic copy of the newsletter.

In Partnership with the College of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota Extension Service