I would tend to agree with the view expressed by Phil Burton
that "old-growth" can be engineered by traditionally trained
foresters "quite readily". That is to say, I think it
should be biologically and technically feasible to foster
late successional or old-growth-like forests through
silvicultural means.
A study is underway in Oregon to evaluate thinning regimes
in 35-50 year-old second-growth Douglas-fir stands as a
means of steering them toward late-successional status more
expeditiously than they would naturally acquire it (among
other objectives). A major emphasis is the evaluation of the
potential for silvicultural creation and maintenance of
wildlife habitat.
However, even if all agreed that silviculturally created
"old-growth" were a feasible and desirable goal, the fact
remains that its realization could not be achieved in ten
or twenty years. The question that comes to my mind is
whether social and organizational momentum can be maintained
over periods long enough to reap the benefits of such an
enterprise. This is a fairly big if, IMHO.
James Warila
warilaj@ccmail.orst.edu
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