Research Forester USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station DAVIS, California, United States
Stand density management is one of the fundamental concepts of silviculture. Yet existing tools were largely developed for young, even-aged, monoculture stands. We will investigate how stand density management tools can be adapted to guide the management of mature, old growth, and mixed species forests under global change.
Learning Objectives:
Articulate the challenges of applying traditional density management tools that were primarily developed in young, even-aged stands to mature/old growth stands
Understand how diverse, mature and old-growth stands may warrant different different density management guidelines compared to young monoculture stands
Anticipate the conditions under which mature and old-growth forests may be most vulnerable to decline due to tree mortality or lack of recruitment under climate change
