Skip to main content
Book cover

USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges pp 201–223Cite as

Development of the Selection System in Northern Hardwood Forests of the Lake States: An 80-Year Silviculture Research Legacy

Abstract

The northern hardwood research program at the Dukes Experimental Forest in Michigan and Argonne Experimental Forest in Wisconsin has been adapting to changing management and social objectives for more than 80 years. In 1926, the first northern hardwood silviculture study was established in old-growth stands at the Dukes Experimental Forest. In response to social demands for more “natural” forestry, the study included then-contemporary practices (e.g., liquidation of old-growth forest) and new approaches (e.g., partial cuttings). By 1953, the partial cutting treatments were deemed most sustainable (Eyre and Zillgitt, Partial cuttings in northern hardwoods of the Lake States: twenty-year experimental results. Technical Bulletin LS-1076, 1953), and led to the creation of an uneven-aged stand structural guide that is still widely used today: the famed “Arbogast Guide” (Marking guides for northern hardwoods under the selection system. Station Paper 56, 1957). Charismatic figures such as Raphael Zon, Windy Eyre, William Zillgitt, and Carl Arbogast Jr. were important to establishing this research and its early application in the Lake States region. Since then, research at the Dukes and Argonne Experimental Forests has expanded to evaluate a range of management alternatives for northern hardwood forests, including approaches designed to sustain biodiversity, habitat, and timber production. In addition, the long-term studies provide new opportunities for larger-scale applications and research unforeseen at the studies’ establishment. The lessons learned from the 80 years of research on northern hardwood ecosystems at the Dukes and Argonne Experimental Forests have led to numerous publications and management guides and have impacted thousands of forestry professionals and millions of hectares of land.

Keywords

  • Uneven-age silviculture
  • Long-term research
  • Permanent plots
  • Technology transfer
  • Applied science
  • Upper Peninsula (Dukes) Experimental Forest
  • Argonne Experimental Forest
  • Arbogast structure

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-1818-4_9
  • Chapter length: 23 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-1-4614-1818-4
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Hardcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Fig. 9.1
Fig. 9.2

References

  • Adams DM, Ek AR (1974) Optimizing the management of uneven-aged forest stands. Can J For Res 4:274–287

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Adams MB, Loughry L, Plaugher L (2008) Experimental forests and ranges of the USDA Forest Service. General Technical Report NE-321, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, Newtown Square, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Adams MB, McNeel J, Rodriguez-Franco C (2010) Meeting current and future conservation challenges through the synthesis of long-term silviculture and rande management research. General Technical Report WO-84, USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbogast CJ (1957) Marking guides for northern hardwoods under the selection system. Station Paper 56, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedard S, Huot M (2006) Long-term silviculture research on northern hardwoods in Quebec. In: Long-term silvicultural & ecological studies: results for science and management. Global Institute Sustainable Forestry Research Paper 005, Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedard S, Majcen Z (2001) Ten-year response of sugar maple-yellow birch-beech stands to selection cuttings in Quebec. North J Appl For 18:119–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Bengston DN (1994) Changing forest values and ecosystem management. Soc Nat Resour 7:515–533

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Buongiorno J, Michie BR (1980) A matrix model of uneven-aged forest management. For Sci 26:609–625

    Google Scholar 

  • Canham CD, Loucks OL (1984) Catastrophic windthrow in the presettlement forests of Wisconsin. Ecology 65:803–809

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Choi J, Lorimer CG, Vanderwerker J, Cole WG, Martin GL (2001) A crown model for simulating long-term stand and gap dynamics in northern hardwood forests. For Ecol Manage 152:235–258

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Clements FE (1916) Plant succession: an analysis of the development of vegetation. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Coates KD, Burton PJ (1997) A gap-based approach for development of silvicultural systems to address ecosystem management objectives. For Ecol Manage 99:337–354

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Crow TR, Buckley DS, Nauertz EA, Zasada JC (2002) Effects of management on the composition and structure of northern hardwood forests in Upper Michigan. For Sci 48:129–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Crow TR, Tubbs CH, Jacobs RD, Oberg RR (1981) Stocking and structure for maximum growth in sugar maple selection stands. Research Paper NC-199, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis RO (1997) The role of extended rotations creating a forestry for the 21st century: the science of ecosystem management. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 165–170

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso PJ, Nyland RD (2006) Interference to hardwood regeneration in northeastern North America: the effects of raspberries (Rubus sp.) following clearcutting and shelterwood methods. North J Appl For 23:288–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Erdmann GG (1986) Developing quality in second-growth stands. In: The northern hardwood resource: management and potential, Houghton, MI, August 18–20, 1986. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, pp 206–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Erdmann GG, Oberg RR (1973) Fifteen-year results from six cutting methods in second-growth northern hardwoods. Research Paper NC-100, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Erdmann GG, Peterson RMJ (1971) Crown release increases diameter growth and bole sprouting of pole-size yellow birch. Research Note NC-130, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Eyre FH, Zillgitt WM (1950) Size-class distribution in old-growth northern hardwoods twenty years after cutting. Station Paper No. 21, USDA Forest Service, Lake States Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Eyre FH, Zillgitt WM (1953) Partial cuttings in northern hardwoods of the Lake States: twenty-year experimental results. Technical Bulletin LS-1076, USDA Forest Service, Lake States Forest Experiment Station, Bromall, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin JF, Mitchell RJ, Palik BJ (2007) Natural disturbance and stand development principles for ecological forestry. General Technical Report USDA FS NRS-19, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Frelich LE (2002) Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes. Cambridge University, Cambridge

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Frelich LE, Lorimer CG (1991) Natural disturbance regimes in hemlock-hardwood forests of the upper Great Lakes region. Ecol Monogr 61:145–164

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Frothingham EH (1915) The northern hardwood forest: it’s composition, growth, and management. Technical Bulletin No. 285, USDA, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert AM, Jensen VS (1958) A management guide for northern hardwoods in New England. Station Paper NE-112, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Upper Darby, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Godman RM (1992) Northern hardwood notes. USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Godman RM, Books DJ (1971) Influence of stand density on stem quality in pole-size northern hardwoods. Research Paper NC-54, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Godman RM, Tubbs CH (1973) Establishing even-age northern hardwood regeneration by the shelterwood method—a preliminary guide. Research Paper NC-99, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Goff GF, West D (1975) Canopy-understory interaction effects on forest population structure. For Sci 21:98–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Gronewold CA, D’Amato AW, Palik BJ (2010) The influence of cutting cycle and stocking level on the structure and composition of managed old-growth northern hardwoods. For Ecol Manage 259:1151

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Guldin JM (1991) Uneven-aged BDq regulation of Sierra Nevada mixed conifers. J For 89:89–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson J, Lorimer C (2007) Forest structure and light regimes following moderate wind storms: implications for multi-cohort management. Ecol Appl 17:1325–1340

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen GD, Nyland RD (1987) Effects of diameter distribution on the growth of simulated uneven-aged sugar maple stands. Can J For Res 17:1–18

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs RD (1987) Silvicultural systems for northern hardwoods in the mid-west and Lake States. In: Proceedings of the symposium on managing northern hardwoods, Syracuse, NY, SUNY College of Environmental Resources and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, pp 383–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Janowiak M, Nagel LM, Webster C (2010) Minimum tree size and interpretation of stand structure in uneven-aged northern hardwoods. North J Appl For 27:34–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Keeton WS (2006) Managing for late-successional/old-growth characteristics in northern hardwood-conifer forests. For Ecol Manage 235:129–142

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB (1964) An expression of diameter distributions for unbalanced, uneven-aged stands and forests. For Sci 10:39–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB (1999) Species composition and structure of a northern hardwood stand after 61 years of group/patch selection. Northern. J For 16:151–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB (2005) Effects of small patch cutting on sugar maple regeneration in New Hampshire northern hardwoods. North J Appl For 22:68–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB, Gottsacker JH (1985) New approaches to uneven-age management in New England. North J Appl For 2:28–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB, Wilson R Jr (1958) Regeneration after cutting of old-growth northern hardwoods in New Hampshire. Research Paper NE-310, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Upper Darby, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB, Solomon DS, Filip SM (1969) A silvicultural guide for northern hardwoods in the Northeast. Research Paper NE-143, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Upper Darby, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak WB, Solomon DS, DeBald PS (1987) Silvicultural guide for northern hardwood types in the Northeast (revised). Research Paper NE-603, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Broomall, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindenmayer DB, Franklin JF, Fischer J (2006) General management principles and a checklist of strategies to guide forest biodiversity conservation. Biol Conserv 131:433–445

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • de Liocourt F (1989) De l’amenagement des sapinieres, English translation: (2001) On the amelioration of fir forests, translated by Maria Nygren. Bulletin trimestriel, Societe forestiere de Franche-Comte et Belfort, juillet, pp 396–409

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorimer CG, Frelich LE (1994) Natural disturbance regimes in old-growth northern hardwoods. J For 92:33–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Mader SF, Nyland RD (1984) Six-year responses of northern hardwoods to selection system. North J Appl For 1:87–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Metzger FT, Tubbs CH (1971) Influence of cutting methods on regeneration of second-growth northern hardwoods. J For 69:559–564

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer HA (1943) Management without rotation. J For 41:126–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer HA (1952) Structure, growth, and drain in balanced uneven-aged forests. J For 50:85–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuendorff JK, Nagel LM, Webster C R, Janowiak MK (2007) Stand structure and composition in a northern hardwood forest after 40 years of single-tree selection. North J Appl For 24:197–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Niese JN, Strong TF (1992) Economic and tree diversity trade-offs in managed northern hardwoods. Can J For Res 22:1807–1813

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • North MP, Keeton WS (2008) Emulating natural disturbance regimes: an emerging approach for sustainable forest management. In: Lafortezza R, Sanesi G, Chen J, Crow TR (eds) Patterns and processes in forest landscapes: multiple use and sustainable management. Springer, Netherlands, pp 341–372

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Nyland RD (1987) Selection system and its application to uneven-aged northern hardwoods. In: Nyland RD (ed) Managing northern hardwoods. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse. (Misc. Publ. 13 (ESF 87-002))

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyland RD (1998) Selection system in northern hardwoods. J For 96:18–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyland RD (2002) Silviculture: concepts and applications, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Hara KL (1998) Silviculture for structural diversity: a new look at multi-aged stands. J For 96:4–10

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Hara KL (2002) The historical development of uneven-aged silviculture in North America. Forestry 75:339–346

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • O’Hara KL, Hasenauer H, Kindermann G (2007) Sustainability in multi-aged stands: an analysis of long-term plenter systems. Forestry 80:163–181

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver CD, Larson BC (1996) Forest stand dynamics, update edition. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Puettmann KJ, Coates KD, Messier C (2009) A critique of silviculture: managing for complexity. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross AT (2008) Exploring the collections, acquisitions, and treasures of the Forest History Society. Forest History Society, Durhan

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudolf PO (1985) History of the lake states forest experiment station. USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JW, Nagel LM, Webster CR (2005) Effects of uneven-aged management on diameter distribution and species composition of northern hardwoods in Upper Michigan. For Ecol Manage 211:356–370

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS (1995) The Northeast region. In: Barrett JW (ed) Regional silviculture in the United States, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 31–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS (2004) Silviculture: lessons from our past, thoughts about our future. In: Palik B, Levy L (eds) Proceedings of the Great Lake silviculture summit. General Technical Report NC-254, USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS, Hunter M (1999) Principles of ecological forestry Maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 22–61

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS, Kenefic LS (1998) Balance and sustainability in multiaged stands: a northern conifer case study. J For 96:12–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS, White AS, deMaynadier PG (2002) Natural disturbance regimes in northeastern North America—evaluating silvicultural systems using natural scales and frequencies. For Ecol Manage 155:357–367

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Seymour RS, Guldin J, Marshall D, Palik B (2007) Large-scale, long-term silvicultural experiments in the United States: historical overview and contemporary examples. Allg Forst Jagdztg 177:104–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Shields JM, Webster CR, Nagel LM (2007) Factors influencing tree species diversity and Betula alleghaniensis establishment in silvicultural openings. Forestry 80:293–307

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DM, Larson BC, Kelty MJ, Ashton PMS (1997) The practice of silviculture: applied forest ecology, 9th edn. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns FW (1949) Ninety years of change in a northern hardwood forest in Wisconsin. Ecology 30:350–358

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Stearns FW (1997) History of the Lake States forests: natural and human impacts. In: Vasievich JM, Webster HH (eds) Lake States regional forest resources assessment. General Technical Report NC-189, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN, pp 8–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Strong TF, Erdmann GG, Niese JN (1995) Forty years of alternative management practices in second-growth, pole-size northern hardwoods. I. Tree quality development. Can J For Res 25:1173–1179

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Tarpey RA, Jurgensen MF, Palik BJ, Kolka RK (2008) The long-term effects of silvicultural thinning and partial cutting on soil compaction in red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and northern hardwood stands in the northern Great Lakes Region of the United States. Can J Soil Sci 88:849–857

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Tubbs CH (1977) Manager’s handbook for northern hardwoods in the North Central States. General Technical Report NC-39, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyrrell LE, Crow TR (1994) Structural characteristics of old-growth hemlock-hardwood forests in relation to age. Ecology 75:370–386

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • USDA Forest Service (2004) Land and resource management plan. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Park Falls and Rhinelander, WI

    Google Scholar 

  • Vavra M, Mitchell J (2010) Experimental forests and ranges as a network for long-term data. In: Adams MB, McNeel J, Rodriguez-Franco C (eds) Meeting current and future conservation challenges through the synthesis of long-term silviculture and range management research. General Technical Report WO-84, USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, Washington, DC, pp 15–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster CR, Lorimer CG (2002) Single-tree versus group selection in hemlock-hardwood forests: are smaller openings less productive? Can J For Res 32:591

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Webster CR, Lorimer CG (2005) Minimum opening sizes for canopy recruitment of midtolerant tree species: a retrospective approach. Ecol Appl 15:1245–1262

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Woods KD (2000) Long-term change and spatial pattern in a late-successional hemlock-northern hardwood forest. J Ecol 88:267–282

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Woods KD (2004) Intermediate disturbance in a late-successional hemlock-northern hardwood forest. J Ecol 92:464–476

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors want to recognize Station scientists and administration (former and current) for decades of hard work and leadership. Support staff has always been critical to maintaining this unique legacy over the years. In particular, we want to acknowledge Wilho “Bill” Salimen on the Dukes EF and Gib Mattson on the Argonne EF. We thank Tom Crow for nominating this chapter for the book, Pam Jakes for assisting us with social context, and Ralph Nyland, Cynthia Moser, Tom Schmidt, and two anonymous reviewers for improving the chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1831 Hwy 169 E, 55744, Grand Rapids, MN, USA

    Christel Kern, Gus Erdmann, Brian Palik & Terry Strong

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 686 Government Rd., 04411, Bradley, ME, USA

    Laura Kenefic

Authors
  1. Christel Kern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gus Erdmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laura Kenefic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brian Palik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Terry Strong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christel Kern .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Deborah C. Hayes

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Irvine, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan L. Stout

  3. Northeastern Areas, USDA Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ralph H. Crawford

  4. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Anne P. Hoover

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kern, C., Erdmann, G., Kenefic, L., Palik, B., Strong, T. (2014). Development of the Selection System in Northern Hardwood Forests of the Lake States: An 80-Year Silviculture Research Legacy. In: Hayes, D., Stout, S., Crawford, R., Hoover, A. (eds) USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1818-4_9

Download citation