Our Vermont Woods

Most mixed-oak forests in the eastern United States originated almost one century ago from agriculture, pasture and cut-over forest lands. Today, many of these forests are being regenerated but the oak component of the new stand is often missing. We present a variety of irregular shelterwood methods that change in relation to topographic position and species composition for upland mixed-oak forests of southern New England. Our regeneration methods are based on thirty years of experimental work and observation on securing oak in mixture with other species. We provide illustrations on the changes in spacing of the parent trees, timing of operations, and site treatments to secure oak across topographic gradients and soil types. We show how, when, and in what arrangement additional structures and age-classes can be left, and their relation to competitive influence on newly regenerating stands.

Presenter: Mark S. Ashton, Morris K. Jesup Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University.