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Fall 2005 |
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Redwoods Restoration
Redwood National and State Parks were created in 1968 “to preserve significant examples of the primeval coastal redwood forests.” To protect these ancient forests and watersheds from intensive logging that continued on its borders, the new park was expanded ten years later.
The park, however, acquired significant acres of logged redwood forests that regrew to unnaturally high tree densities of undersized Douglas fir, with simplified canopy architectures, and minimal understory. Though Redwoods have resprouted from cut stumps, their size and dominance in the canopy have been suppressed by faster-growing Douglas fir. One 1,700-acre stand in the South Fork of Lost Man Creek logged 45 years ago has on average 600 canopy trees per acre of primarily Douglas fir, while nearby ancient redwood forests, by comparison, have about 60 canopy trees per acre of primarily redwood.
Two experimental thinning projects conducted by park researchers in dense, Douglas-fir dominated second-growth forests show improved stand structure and species composition relative to unthinned sites. Encouraged by these results, the park is proposing to conduct restorative thinning in the South Fork of Lost Man Creek. This area was chosen because it is relatively accessible and would restore forest conditions over an array of habitats, including riparian zones, and would close the height gap between old growth forests and adjacent clearcuts. The goal of thinning is to enhance development of late-seral forest characteristics. Proposed treatments will emphasize reducing tree density and increasing redwood dominance. Thinning prescription will vary based on slope steepness, stand characteristics, and proximity to streams and old-growth forest.
This proposal is the park’s first attempt toward developing a long-term forest restoration program. The degraded condition of many acres of second-growth forests has generated strong impetus to manage these areas to restore not only the trees but the entire forest ecosystem. These stands exist as habitat “holes” of exceedingly limited wildlife value, especially when compared to more structurally developed forests. The proposed thinning is intended to help the park meet its mission of restoring and preserving significant examples of coastal redwood forests for the use and enjoyment of visitors and future generations.
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