Effect of thinning pole stands on soil processes in southern Oregon, central Coast Range, and central western Cascades of Oregon (1994-1995 BLM Study)

This study was conducted in different regions to determine if climatic regimes alter the effects of thinning pole stands. Forest managers are currently faced with increasingly complex demands in designing sulvicultural approaches that fulfill the need to maintain and in some cases, enhance forest health. As mature and old-growth forests with their high degree of structural heterogeneity are replaced by younger plantations with much simpler structure, there is concern that key habitat components are being lost for a number of plants and animals. A silviculture technique that could be used to increase the structural complexity of young stands to thin them; encouraging the development of higher structural complexity. The main purposes of this study is to determine how thinning pole stands influence below-ground processes. The central research question was whether or not this manipulation brings soil characteristics closer to those found in old-growth forests; in essence, accelerating the onset of old-growth-like characteristics via forest management.