• Seymour, Robert
  University of Maine, Orono, Forestry
  seymour@apollo.umenfa.maine.edu
  
• Ray, David
  University of Maine, Orono, Forestry
  dray@ttrs.org
  
• Scott, Neal
  Queens University, Department of Geography
  scottn@queensu.ca
  

Increased societal pressures have lead to a dramatic reduction in even-aged management in the Northeast, even among ownerships focused primarily on timber production. While amenable to a wide range of management approaches the conifer dominated forests of northern New England are particularly well suited to multi-aged management, yet there is a lack of accumulated experience with this general approach. This study sought to: (1) assess the viability of the current FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis) sampling scheme for characterizing important differences in forest structure at the stand level; (2) assess the reliability of existing stand dynamics models at forecasting the development of complex structured stands; and, (3) quantify the carbon consequences associated with a range of multi-aged management scenarios in the Acadian Forest Region. To address these issues we: (1) superimposed FIA style inventory plots on an existing long-term sampling grid at the PEF (Penobscot Experimental Forest); (2) used remeasurement data from the PEF to assess the ability of a DMD (density management diagram) and an empirical growth and yield model (FVS; Forest Vegetation Simulator) to reliably predict the development of stands managed using multi-aged approaches; and, (3) applied an existing carbon accounting framework, including the life-cycle of wood products associated with harvests. We found that individual FIA-style plots were generally unable to capture the degree of structural complexity present in the managed multi-aged stands at the PEF. Neither modeling frameworks, the DMD nor FVS, were very satisfactory in terms of providing reliable predictions of stand dynamics, and particularly in the context of long- term forecasts (i.e. 50-100 yr). However, by calibrating FVS and making adjustments to the regeneration module, more reasonable outputs were obtained, at least over modest lengths of time (i.e. 10-20 yr). Consistent with findings from other studies, forest management appears incapable of sequestering additional carbon relative to a no- management scenario, at least barring catastrophic losses.