A whole-forest management approach integrating forest structure, timber harvest and wildlife dynamics

• Main Author: Das, Jitendra Kumar
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1998
• Subjects: Alces alces
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/13011; http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0005/NQ41419.pdf

grantor: University of Toronto A whole-forest management plan must consider timber as well as nontimber benefits of the forest. Difficulties in quantifying nontimber benefits have led to ignoring nontimber benefits in the formulation of forest management plans. Joint determination of two forest products (timber and wildlife) on a sustainable basis while maintaining certain characteristics of the forest desired by society is a useful approach. A vector of forest variability, consisting of forest stand diversity index and compactness index, has been defined. Forest stand diversity depends on the unevenness of the forest. The unevenness of a forest is characterized as a continuum from an even-aged forest with only one patch to a perfectly uneven-aged forest with infinite number of patches. A method elaborated to quantify the point at which a forest may fall on this continuum leads to construction of a forest stand diversity index. A measure of the shape and fragmentation of a forest through compactness index has also been analyzed. Forest stand diversity and compactness both affect the potential of a forest to support wildlife. Analytical relationship between compactness index and the closeness of the wildlife population to its potential helps perform trade-off analysis. Quantification of forest structure through forest maturity index (which is a measure of timber yielding capacity) and forest stand diversity index is shown to be a useful tool for decisions in forestry. Interactions among timber harvest, prey and predator have been analyzed using a simulation model technique. The basic promise of the model is that a timber harvest that alters the forest structure will also affect wildlife habitat. A combination of modified logistic equations and difference equations has been used to simulate deterministic and stochastic moose ('Alces alces') populations. Forest management scenarios depicting a timber harvest that achieves a certain wildlife population density, and a desired forest maturity have been generated. More scenarios can be developed easily. Thus, long run moose population density for different long-term timber harvests has been obtained. This is the timber-moose product transformation curve and can be used for management decisions. The forest manager can thus select the best scenario that fits her/his selection criteria. Ph.D.