Part 2 of 2
Steven Grossnickle, forest ecophysiologist for NurseryToForest Solutions, talks about the importance of giving consideration to ecophysiology and silvics when aiming for successful stand rehabilitation after a Mountain Pine Beetle attack.
He discusses several factors that impact tree growth, such as air temperature and leaf drop, and what happens to the seedling around the air/soil interface, as well as seasonal response to drought. It is important to be aware that sometimes forestry solutions work, but sometimes they won’t and that is because something in this complex ecosystem is causing a limitation and the trick is to figure out what that is.
Mountain Pine Beetle attacked sites have a stand structure with a wide array of environmental conditions, and silviculture practices have a direct influence on the site environment, thereby affecting: crop physiological response, and subsequent morphological development. This presentation was a part of the Mountain Pine Beetle Information Exchange Forum, April 2014.
