The benefits of harvest residue and vegetation control on conifer seedling survival and growth

The benefits of harvest residue and vegetation control on conifer seedling survival and growth Mark Kimsey, the Director of the Intermountain Forestry Cooperative, discusses the benefits of harvest residue and vegetation control on conifer seedling survival and growth. A 10-year study examined the interactive effects of site productivity, slash loading, and vegetation control on soil properties, microclimate, and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedling performance within a warm, moist grand fir (Abies grandis) vegetation series of the Inland Northwest, U.S.. The experiment compared basalt- and metasedimentary-derived soils with and without volcanic ash influence under varying slash retention and vegetation control regimes.