Managed reserves have
been established on many federal forests in western Oregon to
provide habitat for species associated with late-successional
forests. Specifically, these reserves were created to provide
structural elements of older forests such as large-diameter
overstory trees, large standing and fallen dead trees, and one
or more understory layers. Currently, however, many of the reserves
are young (<40 years), structurally simple Douglas-fir stands
that originally were established for timber production. Little
is known about how the
growth and development of these stands compares with old-growth
forest development.
The purpose of this study is to compare growth rates of trees
growing in young stands to rates of growth old-growth trees
experienced when they were young. Understanding differences
in development between old-growth and young-growth stands
may aid in developing silvicultural prescriptions for
managing young stands to achieve old forest characteristics.
For additional information about this completed research study
see the 2001 CFER
Annual Report. (1.1 MB)
