Decision Making for Natural Regeneration (Marquis and Twery)

David A. Marquis, USDA Forest Service, Retired, Homosassa, FL 34446
Mark J. Twery, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV 26505

Failure to obtain prompt regeneration of desired species after a harvest cut can leave a stand unproductive for many decades, cost excessive amounts to reclaim through artificial means, and severely limit the suitability of the stand for a wide range of forest values. But prescribing silvicultural treatments that ensure successful regeneration most of the time is a difficult task. Forest managers need to consider all the many factors that could affect regeneration success, weigh the many available silvicultural techniques available to accomplish the task, consider the characteristics of the particular stand under consideration, and make an informed decision that is most likely to achieve the desired conditions. In this paper, decision-making procedures are described that provide a systematic way to analyze stand potential and prescribe regeneration treatments. In the Allegheny region where the system has been used extensively, successful regeneration has been obtained in over 90 percent of the stands harvested, compared to only about 50 percent prior to development of this system. The procedures can be adapted for use in any geographic region or forest type.

• Introduction
• Decision Charts
• Decision Criteria
• Data Requirements