Northern Hardwood Regeneration Trials - Rexton Area

June 4, 2025
8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Near Rexton- Details provided to registrants before the event 

Topics: overview of harvest treatments, soil scarification, regeneration etc. see below for more detailed abstract.

Abstract: In many areas of northern Michigan, single-tree selection regeneration harvests have failed to produce dense, species-diverse regeneration layers in reasonable time frames following harvest. Multiple factors are likely interacting to limit regeneration success, including historic management practices (e.g., current stand structure/composition), browsing damage from white-tailed deer and low light post-harvest environments in which only the most shade tolerant species can survive. To examine how these factors may be affecting regeneration outcomes, a landscape-scale silvicultural systems experiment was established by Mike Walters and Gary Roloff at Michigan State University with funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 140 30-acre harvests were established, with each receiving one of four regeneration harvests: single-tree/small group selection, shelterwood, large group selection or seed tree. In addition, sites received one of two post-harvest treatments: leaving tree crown residuals on the forest floor (to alter deer use patterns) or an herbicide and scarification treatment (to promote the germination/establishment of small-seeded tree species). Harvests occurred in the Winter of 2017, and regeneration surveys occurred one year prior to harvest, one or two years post-harvest, and six years post-harvest. Results from six-year regeneration surveys are currently being analyzed, and stocking data results are soon to be published.

Cost: FREE