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Cartier Lake Study
130-109
Description: Mixed stands of eastern white pine and intolerant hardwoods are found throughout the commercial range of pine in Canada. White pine is frequently the younger species in mixedwood stands, where it occurs in the understorey before eventually outgrowing or outliving the surrounding hardwood species. The pine is by far the most valuable component of these stands, and sawlogs are its most sought-after product. Measures to increase white pine growth for sawtimber production to meet a continuing demand warrant further investigation.
The Cartier Lake Silvicultural Area was set up following an experimental design to examine the effects of releasing immature white pine from an overstory of aspen and white birch. The idea was to harvest the hardwoods for pulp and assess the development of the released white pine, while maintaining stand structure and visual quality. The study was visited by many forest managers during the last three decades. It is difficult to say exactly how the results were or will be applied, but the results so far have contributed to present forest management guidelines for white pine.
Understorey 55-year-old white pine in mixedwood stands were released in 1971 from an (ca. 80-year-old) overstorey of intolerant hardwoods using wheeled skidders in a commercial logging operation within the Petawawa Research Forest. The main aim was to increase the growth and yield of white pine by releasing suppressed pine. Growth of released, healthy white pine was assessed after logging in 1981 and 1991 for a range of stand densities.
White Pine is a very valuable species for current sawmill operations. The Cartier Lake Silvicultural Area Study contributed significantly to efforts aimed at improving white pine growth and yield. The project team involved with this study is committed to achieving the goal of meeting the demand for wood supply through continued work on long-term studies like this one at Cartier Lake.
The Project Team: Darwin Burgess, Suzanne Wetzel, Craig Robinson, CFS.
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Dr. Darwin Burgess, CFS - Petawawa Research Forest
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