Life Sciences Commons^™

B837: New Approaches To Chemical Control Of White Pine Weevil Damage, John B. Dimond, Richard L. Bradbury

Bulletins

There has been little recent research on control of damage by the white pine weevil, and available insecticides have been few and have become obsolete. Tests in Canada suggested that the insect growth-regulating chemical diflubenzeron was effective, and we have successfully repeated those tests in Maine using several formulations of Dimilin and several ground application systems. Aerial trials have not succeeded; the probable reasons for their failure are discussed. We present a general description of the weevil and its damage, approaches to control of damage, and specific recommendations for use of ground applications of Dimilin, which has recently become registered …

B819: The Spruce Budworm Outbreak In Maine In The 1970'S–Assessment And Directions For The Future, Lloyd C. Irland, John B. Dimond, Judy L. Stone, Jonathan Falk, Ellen Baum

Bulletins

This report was initiated by the Maine Forest Service (MFS) in response to concerns that a serious effort was needed to capture the experiences and lessons learned during the 1970-85 spruce budworm outbreak in Maine. The report synthesizes the observations and experiences of land managers, as well as the principal results of recent scientific research on spruce budworm in Maine. This report briefly reviews budworm population dynamics and interactions with the forest, then describes the budworm's impacts in detail. It then reviews the three principal responses: survey and detection; spraying; and silviculture and salvage. It then offers an overview of …

B818: Preliminary Protocols For Sampling And Analysis Of Ash And Sludge Amended Forest Soils, Ivan J. Fernandez

Bulletins

Over the past decade there has emerged a clear recognition that the escalating production of waste materials by society poses a serious problem, and that significant amounts of many waste materials must be recycled or disposed of by more ecologically integrated means. In Maine, we are fortunate to enjoy the benefits of a rural state rich in natural resources. It is these resources that provide the basis for many of our industries, well demonstrated by our forest resources so vital to the forest products industry and to Maine's economy.

In recent years forests have also been looked to as a …

B815: A Comparison Of Small Single- And Double-Drum Cable Systems For Prebunching Partial Cuts, Frederick M. Hathaway, Benjamin F. Hoffman

Bulletins

This study evaluated two single-drum and two double-drum winching systems for prebunching small-diameter, tree-length stems from partial cuts. Three farm tractors with Farmi winches and one sled-mounted winch were used. One single-drum system was run by professional woods workers and the others were operated by forestry students. Three different types of chokers were used and a skid cone was used with two systems.

The professional crew used a self-release block at the back of the trailside pile to avoid piling delays while the other systems used a spar tree. All systems were evaluated by time studies. The professional crew was …

B813: Harvesting Small Trees For Biomass, Benjamin F. Hoffman Jr.

Bulletins

This study evaluated precommercial, full-tree thinning of saplings and small poletimber (1-8 inches dbh) using chainsaws and modified farm tractors for skidders. To facilitate cutting large numbers of small trees (1-5 inches), the chainsaw was fitted with a felling frame. The cutter felled and manually bunched up to 145 trees/ 2.7 tons per productive man- hour. Average production, assuming 73% efficiency, was 90 trees/1.8 tons per scheduled hour at a cost of $6.22/ton. Skidding was done by a two-wheel drive grapple skidder and a four-wheel drive farm tractor with double-drum winch. The grapple skidder produced 3.8 tons per scheduled hour …

B802: Base-Age Invariant Polymorphic Site Index Curves For Even-Aged Spruce-Fir Stands In Maine, Bret P. Vicary, Thomas B. Brann, Raph H. Griffin

Bulletins

The spruce-fir forest cover type, occupying nearly 8 million acres in Maine, accounts for approximately 50 percent of the growing stock volume in the State. A similar portion of Maine's commercial forest land is owned and managed by forest industry, with spruce and fir being the mainstay of the industry.

Analyses in recent years of Maine's timber supply have shown softwood removals to exceed growth. The dramatic effects of the spruce budworm (Choristoneura.fumiferana (Clemens)) on the spruce-fir forest of Maine has heightened concern over the timber supply. A greater emphasis on management is necessary if timber growth is to keep …

B800: Manual Thinning Of Northeastern Species Using Conventional Cutting Methods, Benjamin F. Hoffman Jr.

Bulletins

Harvesting small trees- 4-8 inches in diameter at breast height -has not been common in North America, but as average tree size declines, loggers must cut smaller stems. Many softwood stands in the Northeast contain 2000-4000 stems per acre with mean stand diameters of six inches or less (see Fig. 1). If diameter averages ten inches, there may be 6-7 trees per cord, but if it declines to six inches, loggers may handle four times as many trees for the same volume. Handling this increased number of pieces per unit requires changes in operating techniques.

Manual felling and limbing may …

B758: A Biomass Study Of The Thinning Potential And Productivity Of Immature Forest Stands In Maine, Harold E. Young, John H. Ribe, Donald C. Hoppe

Bulletins

The purpose of this study is to establish the degree of reliability that can be placed in biomass as a means of assessing thinning potential and site productivity of immature forest stands in Maine. The above ground biomass on 205 plots representing a variety of age classes in immature hardwood and softwood stands on meso, wet, and dry sites was cut and weighed including the standing dead trees on softwood sites. In addition, 45 point sample biomass plots were located and measured in mature all aged stands. Graphical analysis was used to relate stand characteristics to age by site and …

B751: The Effects Of Mechanized Harvesting On Soil Conditions In The Spruce-Fir Region Of North-Central Maine, Gregory T. Holman, Fred B. Knight, Roland A. Struchtemeyer

Bulletins

The impact of the new harvesting methods on soil with respect to soil disturbance is largely unknown. One objective of this study was to determine the extent of soil compaction and disturbance to the organic cover of the soil resulting from the use of mechanical harvesters and rubber-tired skidders during logging operations in north-central Maine.

B740: Effect Of Soil And Urea Fertilization On Foliar Nutrients And Basal Area Growth Of Red Spruce, L.O. Safford, H.E. Young, T.W. Knight

Bulletins

In this experiment we studied the effect of nitrogen fertilizer and soil on the nutrient content of foliage and average basal area growth of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees in stands that were approaching economic maturity. These trees were on three common soil series of eastern and central Maine. We conducted foliage analyses for 5 years after fertilization, and measured the basal area growth for 9 years after treatment.

B682: A Recreational Study Of The Upper St. John River Watershed, Jeffrey L. Hengsbach

Bulletins

The purpose of this study was to prepare a series of alternative plans for three time periods (1968, 1975, and 2000) for the Upper St. John River watershed. The plans contain proposals for a primitive type of recreational development based on private investment. One set of plans is an integration of recreational use with the existing timber use, and another set provides for recreational use of the area surrounding the reservoir in the event the proposed Dickey Dam is constructed.

B658: Susceptibility And Vulnerability Of Forests To The Pine Leaf Aphid Pineus Pinilolile (Fitch) (Adelgidae), John B. Dimond, Robert H. Bishop

Bulletins

In the late 1950s, early 1960s, Maine and surrounding regions experienced an outbreak of the pine leaf aphid (or adelgid). The population progression began about 1955, as indicated by tree growth reductions (2), a peak was reached about 1961, after which populations gradually regressed through the late 1960s. As a result of the outbreak, there was considerable growth reduction of white pine in some regions and scattered tree mortality. Among the many observations on the insect made during the outbreak were (a) the aphid was abundant in only certain portions of Maine and remained uncommon in the remainder of the …

B640: An Evaluation Of The Distribution Of Trucked Pulpwood In East-Central Maine, Thomas J. Corcoran, Daniel I. Schroeder, David B. Thompson

Bulletins

The movement of pulpwood from forest to market can be a critical and costly activity. Many factors influence this movement and contribute to its complexity. In 1963, a study was undertaken to quantitatively describe the distribution patterns of trucked pulpwood for a representative area of the state of Maine.

B627: The Relation Of Tree And Stand Characteristics To Basal Area Growth Of Red Spruce Trees In Partially Cut Stands In Eastern Maine, A. Temple Bowen Jr.

Bulletins

This bulletin reports on a study that evaluated the relationship of red spruce tree growth to various tree and stand conditions. Some of the tree characteristics selected for this study were initial dbh., live crown length, total height, total age at dbh, and the periodic basal area growth five years prior to partial cutting. Stand conditions that were considered included basal area per acre and the number of trees per acre, since both are relative measures of the competition between trees on any given area. The relationships between these factors would be useful in assessing the potential of any given …

B614: A Plan For The Recreational Development Of The Machias Lakes Region In Washington County, Maine, A. Temple Bowen Jr.

Bulletins

The importance of forest land as the medium for wood fiber production has been recognized for some time. Recent developments and trends show that another function of this same forest land is that of providing a playground for millions of outdoor recreationists. This phenomenon has affected some areas to such an extent that certain forest lands are now considered to be more valuable as sources of outdoor recreation than as wood fiber production units. This bulletin presents a plan for landowners of a 90,000-acre tract of commercial forest land located midway between Bangor and Calais, Maine, in Washington County, to …