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Content archived on 2024-04-15

DETERMINATION OF EFFECT OF SITE PREPARATION TREATMENTS ON THE STABILITY OF SITKA SPRUCE ON WET MINERAL SOILS

Objective

TO TEST METHODS IN EXPOSED NEWLY MADE EDGES OF NORWAY SPRUCE STANDS TREATED WITH TOPPING AND HIGH PRUNING AGAINST WIND DAMAGE.
TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF WINDTHROW IN SPRUCE PLANTATIONS.

1. THE EXPERIMENT WILL COMPRISE TOPPING AND HIGH PRUNING AS MEASURES TO PREVENT OR DELAY WINDTHROW ORIGINATING IN RECENTLY EXPOSED EDGES OF MIDDLE-AGED AND OLD STANDS OF NORWAY SPRUCE. THE PLOT BOUNDARIES ARE MARKED IN THE FIELD AND INDIVIDUAL CONTROL OF THE TREES IS SAFEGUARDED BY NUMBERING. A CUSTOMARY MEASUREMENT OF THE TREES OF EACH PLOT WILL THEN BE CARRIED OUT. SHORTLY AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PLOTS HAS BEEN CONCLUDED, THEY SHOULD BE PHOTOGRAPHED FROM THE AIR. DURING THE PROJECT PERIOD A RUNNING REGISTRATION OF DEAD AND OVERTURNED TREES IN THE PLOTS WILL BE MADE AND ONCE A YEAR THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE EXPERIMENTS WILL BE ASSESSED. THE CONDITION OF THE STANDS BEHIND THE PLOTS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO WINDFALL WILL BE REGISTERED ANNUALLY BY SERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

2. TREE PULLING EXPERIMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THREE FIELDS TRIALS ON WET MINERAL SOILS IN THE NW IRELAND. THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT SITE TREATMENTS ON STABILITY WILL BE QUANTIFIED BY MEASURING THE MAXIMUM TURNING MOMENT OF TREES IN MOLE DRAINING AND OPEN FURROW TREATMENTS. THE RESULTS WILL INDICATE THE MAGNITUDE OF ANY IMPROVEMENT IN ROOT HOLD RESULTING FROM MOLE DRAINING. AT THE SAME TIME SOIL SAMPLES WILL BE TAKEN FOR MECHANICAL ANALYSIS. THIS WORK WILL ENABLE PROTECTIONS TO BE MADE ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF INCREASING TREE HEIGHT AND ROOT SHAPE ON SOIL STRENGTH.

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Coordinator

Forest Service
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Address
Leason Lane
2 Dublin
Ireland

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