Clear Felling & Replanting

[Upright_Man]

Hi,

I am a first year natural resource management student and on a recent Easter trip to the Otway Ranges in Victoria I saw some big swathes of native forest that had been clear felled and then replanted with a eucalypt species. I know this forest was logged years ago during early settlement but it appeared to have regenerated quite well. It was very healthy, with few introduced species or weeds apparent, particularly under the canopy and away from the roads and tracks.

I am wondering about the wisdom of replacing such a diverse forest community with a monoculture. I assume that it is for purely economic reasons, or maybe just for convenience, which I suppose is much the same thing when you get down to it.

If there is a forest manager here who can give me a response and a reference as to where I can learn more I would appreciate it.

Thanx,

Steve

[dadpad]

In particular I draw your attention to topic # 3 native forest and riparian area structural diversity management.





The Faculty of Land and Food Resources is proud to present the following important seminar:


Professor Loren KelloggSenior Research Fellow, School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne
and
Lematta Professor of Forest Engineering, College of Forestry, Oregon State University


will be presenting the seminar:


"Forest Operations: Part of the Solution to Meeting Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management Objectives"Wednesday, 2nd April 2008
5.30pm
Agar Theatre, Zoology Building


More information: www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au (http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/)





Whether forest resource management practices involve fast growing eucalyptus plantations, native forest re-growth thinning, or other ecosystem management activities, the academic discipline and research field that involves planning, conducting and monitoring forest operations, is a crucial link to achieving a broad range of sustainable forest resource management objectives.


This lecture will present three contemporary examples that demonstrate important synergy between ecosystem science and forest operations in meeting resource management objectives that are common to both Australia and the Pacific Northwest Region of the USA:

forest operation changes for harvesting a growing trend toward a small tree size fiber supply;
forest fire hazard reduction and biomass utilization; and
native forest and riparian area structural diversity management.

An understanding of the capabilities and limitations of forest operation techniques is important for future forest ecosystem management education and should be a visible component of the targeted knowledge base and future capacity building.

Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the seminar.


RSVP - Erin Wilson -
e.wilson (at) unimelb (dot) edu ( dot) au

[derekh]

May I suggest you contact Rowan of the Master Tree Growers program: http://www.mtg.unimelb.edu.au/

He may be able to assist.

regards
Derek

[glenn k]

Many years ago I heard a talk from a woman who was paid to work out what to do about lucid borers that were destroying basically Mountain ash monoculture plantations. She was an entomologist but discovered that fungicides helped and insectercides didn't. It was a root rot fungus that was predisposing the trees to borer attack. A old logger who worked this area asked where these trees were growing she said easterly slopes (or was it southern slops?) well he told her that mountain ash never grew on these slopes and it was mainly manna gum (i think?). So it was the mono culture that was causing the problem. She reported back to explain the problem but was paid for another year to work out what to do about the borer problem, makes you wonder if the people who make these decisions actually know whats going on.