Beech management

[Peter Smallidge]

 

	Management strategies to control American beech in northeastern woodlots. .
	Funding support and partners Cornell University Cooperative Extension Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
	People involved with the project Project Leader – Peter Smallidge.  (607) 592 – 3640.  [e-mail]. Owners, Managers, and Field Site Collaborators: Cornell  Agric. Expt. Station forest lands Cornell’s Arnot Teaching and Research Forest Herb Boyce, Clinton County Judy Gianforte, Saratoga County Mike Greason, Greene County Karl Pierce, Lewis County Ed Neuhauser, Tompkins County Paul Osborn, Genesee County Ron Pedersen, Broome County Kevin Virkler, Adirondack League Club   Colleagues, Organizational Partners and Students Dr.  Ralph Nyland Dr.  Jeff Kochenderfer Dr. Steve Horsley Mike Ashdown Dr. Paul Curtis Adirondack League Club Mike  Wine (2008) Dan Schneider (2008) Mark Baran (2009) Gavin MacKellar (2009)
What issue or problem does this project address?	Beech and other clonal species (i.e., those that reproduce vegetatively via the root system) often interfere with commercially valuable hardwoods or reduce the availability of wildlife habitat.  Few options exist to economically and effectively control beech on small parcels.  Cut-stump herbicide treatments may provide a cost-effective tool to manage clonal species on small parcels
Project objectives	1.  Identify and refine applications for stem-selective treatments of herbicides that forest practitioners can use to control interfering vegetation. 2.  Increase the ability of forest practitioners to correctly select and apply the appropriate management technique for their forest and circumstances. 3.  Provide current and comprehensive educational materials to CCE educators who help forest practitioners maintain healthy forests.
Research and Extension Activities	Inspected plots from 2008 to determine impacts of cut-stump treatments using full strength Accord concentrate, 1:1 dilution, and a mixture of Garlon 4 and Stalker.  Results analyzed by undergraduate student intern Mark Baran. Established plots on Cornell woodlands and collaborator research sites to compare the effects of resurfacing and hole drilling with the use of full strength Accord Concentrate. Established plots on Cornell woodlands to compare the effects of cut-stump treatment applications to sapling sized trees on two grid configurations.  Grids were configured at 8’ x 8’ and 13’ x 13’ with the largest beech within 4.5 feet of the grid point cut and stump treated with full strength Accord concentrate. Provided workshop and conference presentations for woodland owners, maple producers, and foresters at locations throughout NY. Established pilot plots for use of maximum labeled applications of Garlon 4 at time of cutting and one day after cutting.
Project outcomes	Summary of findings: The management options recommended based on this work and that of other forest scientists is provided in the beech management fact sheet linked below. Mechanical controls of beech were not intensively studied, except as control plots.  Consistent with other efforts, cutting to control beech typically results in a proliferation of root sprouts.  Flame treatments to beech sapling resulted in beech death, but only after several years.  Flame treatments to saplings were not assessed for root sprout development. The most cost effective and efficient way to control beech is when the management area has trees greater than 6” diameter breast height (dbh, 4.5’ above ground) that can be extracted for fuel wood.  Glyphosate is applied at a 25% active ingredient solution (always follow label instructions) to the outer two inch of cut surface.  Control of up to 85% of root sprouts is possible.  Resurfacing of previously cut stumps become less effective in control of root suckers through time, with approximately 50% control of stumps resurfaced within 6 months of initial cutting.  Resurfacing controls almost all stump sprouts. Other work has documented that basal bark treatments are most effective when there are fewer than 400 to 500 stems per acre and stem diameter is less than 6”.  If more than 500 stems per acre, a broadcast foliar treatment offers the best control, noting that broadcast treatments impact all ground level species.
Project reports or documents and other resources	Beech management fact sheet by P. Smallidge and R. Nyland.  http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/FC%20factsheets/american%2... Woodland applications of integrated vegetation management.  Smallidge, 2009.  Cornell University Cooperative Extension Mark Baran’s beech management webinar.  2009 Summer Intern at Arnot Forest.  http://breeze.cce.cornell.edu/p65419222/ Peter Smallidge’s January 2010 Beech Management webinar via ForestConnect.  http://breeze.cce.cornell.edu/p35316678/ Video of low-impact logging to remove beech logs cut for project treatments.  www.youtube.com/user/petersmallidge
Other materials that relate to this project	Effect of herbicide concentration and application of timing on the control of beech root and stump sprouts.  Kochenderfer, 2009.  http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_nrs48.pdf Cut-stump control of American Beech.  Kochenderfer, 2006.  Northern Journal of Applied Forestry http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2006/ne_2006_kochenderfer_001.pdf Preharvest herbicide control of American beech in West Virginia.  Kochenderfer, 2004.  Northern Journal of Applied Forestry.  http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2004/ne_2004_kochenderfer001.pdf Herbicides and forest vegetation management.  Jackson, 2007.  Penn State University.  http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/UH174.pdf Interfering plants in Northeastern United States. Bashant, 2005.  University of Maine Agricultural Experiment Station  http://www.umaine.edu/mafes/elec_pubs/miscpubs/mp753.pdf



Picture 1. Dr. Paul Curtis talks with members of the Adirondack Chapter of the Society of American Foresters at the Adirondack League Club.  Research plots at ALC evaluated herbicide treatments to beech and the effects of deer exclusion fencing.  Photo by Mike Ashdown.

 

Picture 2. Dr. Peter Smallidge, project leader, applies glyphosate to the freshly cut stump of American beech.  Glyphosate is most effective if applied immediately after felling the tree.  Glyphosate is applied to the outer two inches of the cut stump.  Results indicate that a glyphosate concentration of approximate 25% is essentially as effective as the 53.8% concentrate.

Picture 3.  Cut stump treatments, or in this case a resurfacing of a one month old beech stump, require a chainsaw, personal protective equipment, and herbicides.  Because many loggers in NY are not certified applicators, techniques such as resurfacing and hole drilling were investigated in 2009 and 2010.

Picture 4. The effects of cut stump treatments on beech are evident within one month of treatments.  A comparison among research sites suggests that areas having approximately 75 or more beech saplings per acre greater than 3” diameter can significantly reduce the effectiveness of glyphosate treatments.