Hardwood Reforestation and Restoration

• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2019
• Subjects: Biology, life sciences; abandoned agricultural field; agroforestry; assisted migration; avian guilds; Bioclimatic niche; biological diversity; Carya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch; Central Hardwood Forest region; competition; cultural diversity; deer abundance; deer browsing; deer herbivory; Durango; ecosystem services; enrichment planting; facilitation; Fagaceae species; floristic quality index; forest diversity; forest regeneration; forest restoration; growth efficiency index; hardwood restoration; hardwoods; herbicide effects; indicators; invasive plants; inventory; Juglans nigra; Juglans nigra L.; MaxEnt; Mexican tree species; monitoring; Native Americans; native mixed forests; nitrate; non-parametric correlation; non-timber forest products; oak regeneration; phosphorus; Pinus strobus; Pinus strobus L.; precision restoration; predation; protected landscape area; Quercus macrocarpa; Quercus rubra; Quercus rubra L.; riparian forest restoration; seed predation; seedling establishment; shelterwood; soil disturbance; species composition; sub-tropical hardwoods; sugar maple; tolerance; tree plantation; tree selection; tree shelter; tree vigor; understorey; unmanaged forest; vegetation management; weed control; wildfire; yellow birch
• Online Access: Open Access: DOAB: description of the publication; Open Access: DOAB, download the publication

 Hardwood-dominated temperate forests (mostly in Eastern North America, Europe, North East Asia) provide valuable renewable timber and numerous ecosystem services. Many of these forests have been subjected to harvesting or conversion to agriculture, sometimes over centuries, that have greatly reduced their former extent and diversity. Natural regeneration following harvesting or during post-agricultural succession has often failed to restore these forests adequately. Past harvesting practices and the valuable timber of some species have led to a reduction in their abundance. The loss of apex predators has caused herbivore populations to increase and exert intense browsing pressure on hardwood regeneration, often preventing it. Particularly important are fruit, nut and acorn bearing species, because of their vital role in forest food webs and biodiversity. Restoring hardwood species to natural forests in which they were formerly more abundant will require a number of forest management actions (e.g., resistant hybrids, deer exclosures/protectors, enrichment planting, underplanting, etc.). Similarly, reforesting areas that were once natural forests will also require new silvicultural knowledge. Global warming trends will intensify the need for interventions to maintain the diversity and function of temperate hardwood forests, as well as for increase hardwood reforestation.