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Basic silviculture includes site
preparation, tree planting, brushing, and a variety of
surveys that monitor the establishment and success of the
regenerating trees.
Site Preparation
Site preparation involves making an area
suitable for planting. Most of the areas in the QCIFD
require no site preparation. Sites here that may
require some work are sites with heavy salal or very heavy
slash left from logging.
If site preparation is needed, a machine
would prepare the plantable spots, while leaving the forest
floor as undisturbed as possible.
Planting
Tree planting is the most common method of
establishing regeneration after harvesting has occurred in
this district. Species selection for regeneration is
largely limited to cedar, cypress, and spruce. Hemlock
and pine are sometimes planted to achieve free growing or
green-up status more quickly, but they are usually left to
regenerate naturally. Alder, if desired as a crop
tree, can be planted, or relied on for natural regeneration
in suitable sites.
The seed orchard seeds that are produced for
replanting forests in this district are all collected from
trees grown in the Queen Charlotte Islands. The trees
that are planted are usually 1 year old plug stock, not bare
root stock. Planted cedar and cypress trees are
fertilized using a balanced fertilizer. The "tea bag"
of fertilizer contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK).
Protection
Seedling protection is necessary for cedar
and cypress regeneration due to heavy deer browse in this
district. Seedlings are protected using plastic tubes
that are at least 1.2 metres in height so that the seedlings
will be above the deer's ability to browse. There have
been some failures in working out the best method of
protection, but the system currently in place generally
works well.
Brushing
Brushing treatments are prescribed for areas
with high amounts of competing vegetation. Competing
vegetation can be in the form of shrubs and grasses or as
other tree species.
Competing vegetation in the
HGFD such as
salmonberry and devil's club is usually not a problem due to
deer browse. The main impediment to conifer succession
is alder.
No chemical pesticides are used in this
district to deal with vegetation competition. To
remove alder from the site, a manual girdling tool is used
on alder trees that are 4-5 cm in diameter. If the
trees are girdled while they are smaller, they generally
break off and re-sprout at the site of the girdle.
Girdling usually kills an alder within 1-2 years of
treatment.
Silvicultural Surveys
A variety of surveys are completed from the time of
harvest until the block is declared free-to-grow.
A plantability survey may be conducted on an area to
determine if planting is needed for that site.
Some sites may be left to regenerate naturally;
however, most are planted to aid in quick
establishment.
A regeneration survey is completed between 3-6 years
after harvest to assess the quality and condition of
the trees. If the trees are not performing
well, the opening may be fill-planted to ensure all
the land base is being used effectively, and the
minimum stocking standards set out for the area are
being met.
A brushing or other silvicultural treatment survey
may be carried out next.
A free-to-grow survey is completed 8-14 years after
harvest depending on the site conditions. Good
growing sites may be declared free-growing before
poor growing sites. Once an area is declared
free-to-grow, the management of the land reverts
back to the Crown from the licensee.
Depending on the site, sometimes only a regeneration
and free-to-grow survey are all that will be
completed.
Free To Grow and Green Up Status
An area is considered to be free-to-grow when the
regenerating trees are free of reasonably foreseen
impediments to growth. The trees are surveyed
and found to have good growth rates, are growing
vigorously free from any insects or diseases, are
free from high levels of competing vegetation, and
are the appropriate species for the site.
A free-to-grow declaration is different from an area
being classed as having "green-up" status.
Green-up status is related to the management of
landscape and visual values. Green-up status
must be reached before logging can commence on a
block adjacent to a regenerated area. Green-up
status can be granted regardless of if the trees on
the site are crop trees, whereas for a free-to-grow
declaration, the trees must be suitable crop trees
for the site.
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