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SchoolsFOREST ECOLOGY

“Conservation is a state ofharmony between men and

land.”“A Sand County

Almanac” Aldo Leopold - 1949

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SchoolsWHAT IS A FOREST?

Only trees? A community? An ecosystem?

Includes animals? Fish? Streams & lakes? Houses?

How big of an area?

Regeneration areas? Plantations? Christmas tree farm?

Ecological processes like nutrient or energy cycling? “That portion of a geographically large area

dominated by trees. As an ecosystem, it is meant to include all plants and sometimes the animals dependent upon the trees and plants. Smaller area of largely homogenous tree compositions are called stands”.

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SchoolsFOREST ECOLOGY BASICS

COMPOSITIONSTRUCTUR

EFUNCTION

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SchoolsCOMPOSITION

Genetic Diversity - Gene Pools

Species, Number of Species & Species Abundance

Populations of Animals & Plants

Species Associations & Community Diversity

Ecosystem Diversity

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SchoolsSTRUCTURE

Vertical & Horizontal

Spatial Heterogeneity & Density

Edge Effect

Islands & Fragmentation

Dead Trees & Snags

Micro-Environments

Appearance

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SchoolsVERTICAL STRUCTURE

Vertical structure refers to the “ladder-like” arrangement in a forest.

Co-Dominant

Co-Dominant

Dominant

Intermediate Intermediate

SuppressedShrubs

Ground Cover

Adapted from Baughman, et al., 1993. Woodland Stewardship. P. 17.

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SchoolsHORIZONTAL STRUCTURE

Stand density and crown cover within timber stands and across the landscape is horizontal

structure.

40%

80%

100%

Adapted from Baughman, et al., 1993. Woodland Stewardship. P. 20.

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SchoolsEDGES, SNAGS, ANDFRAGMENTATION

Edge Effect

Forest FragmentationGreen. 1995. Birds and Forests. P.55. UM-Cartography Lab.

Large Snags

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SchoolsFUNCTION

Energy Capture & Trophics

Weathering

Mineral & Nutrient Cycling

Water Movement

Temperature & Humidity

Succession & Disturbance

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SchoolsENERGY CAPTUREEn

erg

y

Cap

ture

Trophic Levels

10%

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SchoolsCYCLING

Nutrient, Mineral, and Water Cycling

Gains Losses

Ecosystem

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SchoolsSUCCESSION

Grasses & Forbs

Shrubs &

Saplings

Young

Forest

Mature

Forest

Old Fores

tWisconsin DNR, 1995. Wisconsin’s Biodiversity as a Management Issue. P. 22.

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SchoolsDISTURBANCE

Forested ecosystems are dependent upon disturbance for renewal and to provide biological diversity. The plants and animals in a forest don’t know whether the disturbance is caused by natural

events or human-caused events.

Natural Events

Fire

Wind

Animals

Flooding

Diseases/Insects

Human-Caused Events

Fire

Harvest

Pollution

Development

Exotic Introductions

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SchoolsFORESTRY AND WILDLIFE

Woodland wildlife is managed by manipulating the forest to provide the kind and variety of

habitat needed.Forestry practices in the U.P. have many effects:

• encourages plant diversity

• encourages forest regeneration

• causes multiple age distributions

• provides “edge”

• creates horizontal and vertical structure

• adds more micro-environments

• accelerates system metabolism & nutrient cycling

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SchoolsIDEAS FOR YOUR LAND

1. Modify timber harvests (time & space).

2. Leave large snags & large fallen logs.

3. “Create” future tree cavities.

4. Construct brush piles.

5. Mix areas of varying vertical structure.

6. Create small openings.

In most parts of the country, forest is a small part of the landscape. In the U.P., forest is the dominant cover type. This causes resource

managers to rearrange priorities for habitat management that differ from the general opinion.