The Potential of the Alder Resource: The Potential of the Alder Resource: Challenges and Opportunities Challenges and Opportunities

David Hibbs and Andrew Bluhm

Hardwood Silviculture CooperativeDepartment of Forest Science

Oregon State University

Outline:Outline:

•Why care?•The needs•HSC role•Comparing alder and conifer management•Why manage alder?

“Capture” alder Growth Rates, Yield targetsLandscape diversity, disease resistance, N fixation, wildlife diversity

•Plantations vs. natural standsDBH growthHeight growth

•A step: Taper and volume equations•Targets and unmet needs

•10,000 direct jobs in the hardwood industry generating $300 million in wages and salaries  

•Multiplier effect: estimates of 20-40,000 additional jobs with another $300-600 million in wages and salaries

Dave Sweitzer, WHA

LARGE ALDER INDUSTRYLARGE ALDER INDUSTRY

The Alder ResourceThe Alder Resource

• An accidental crop in Douglas-fir country

• Harvest has far exceeded replacement for at least a decade

• Forest managers have poor experience with alder

• Timber land owners do not believe that alder is an economically viable crop

• Forest managers do not know how to grow alder

The Challenge: Demonstrate the Potential of The Challenge: Demonstrate the Potential of AlderAlder

• Grow alder deliberately in plantations

• Develop tools forest managers need

• Teach management methods

• Demonstrate yields

•The HSC is a research and education program begun in 1988 and focused on the silviculture red alder and mixes of red alder and Douglas-fir.

•The goal of the HSC is to improve the understanding, management, and production of red alder.

Hardwood Silviculture CooperativeHardwood Silviculture Cooperative

HSC: OverviewHSC: Overview

•Thirty-six study installations from Coos Bay, Oregon to Campbell River, BC

•4 thinning studies in natural stands (Type 1)

•26 variable density plantations with thinning and pruning treatments (Type 2)

•7 replacement series of red alder/Douglas-fir mixtures (Type 3)

Red Alder vs. Douglas-firRed Alder vs. Douglas-fir

•Red alder usually has: Lower basal area and volume in older stands More rapid early growth High-grade lumber/veneer as key product

Red alder vs. other hardwoods:Red alder vs. other hardwoods:

•Red alder has: Local processing and utilization Wide geographic range and large volume Much higher value

Gains from managementGains from management

• Sawtimber yields and economic return can be greatly improved with management of most tree species - both red alder and conifers - but the return for alder is greater

• With red alder, management may be needed to make the difference between good and poor results

Alder sitesAlder sites

• Millions of acres of better conifer ground in PNW west of Cascade crest

• Can grow as well in Oregon and BC as it does in Washington

Growth RatesGrowth Rates

• Red alder exhibits very rapid juvenile growth rates

• Therefore, a primary management objective would be to capture this difference

• Although height growth rates decline rapidly after 20 years, a short-rotation, high-value crop can be achieved

From: Peterson, et. al., 1996. Red Alder Managers’ Handbook for British Columbia,

Swiss Needle Cast

•First observed in the OR Coast Range in the 1990’s

•Covers about 50,000 hectares today

•May be causing as much as 50% volume growth loss in some areas.

Landscape Diversity- Disease ResistanceLandscape Diversity- Disease Resistance

Source: Swiss Needle Cast Cooperative, USDA Forest Service

Laminated Root Rot •Various root diseases are estimated

to affect about 10% of Douglas-fir stands in the PNW

•Annual losses are estimated at 4.4 million m3 (157 million ft3) of timber in the PNW and BC

•Infected areas may can remain a hazard to new Douglas-fir planting for as long as 100 years

Landscape Diversity- Disease ResistanceLandscape Diversity- Disease Resistance

Source: USDA Forest Service, Dr. Bob Edmonds

•Red alder fixes atmospheric nitrogen

•Symbiotic relationship with Frankia

•Rates vary but usually range between 100-200lb/ac/yr

•Therefore, alder has the ability to enrich/improve soils

Landscape Diversity- Nitrogen FixationLandscape Diversity- Nitrogen Fixation

Landscape Diversity- Landscape Diversity- Wildlife/species diversity

From: Wipfli, M., et. al. 2003. Managing Young Upland Forests in Southeast Alaska for Wood Products, Wildlife, Aquatic Resources, and Fishes

Plantations and Natural StandsPlantations and Natural Stands

Natural Stands vs. Plantations:Natural Stands vs. Plantations:

•Research results indicate that the growth and yield of managed alder plantations exceeds that of natural stands.

Why manage for red alder?

Observed vs. Predicted Heights

•Planted alder is taller than natural alder

• 13 plantations at 4 alder densities (only 1 shown here)

•Natural red alder stands from Harrington and Curtis (1986). Site index base age is 20 years

•Data is for the 100 largest tpa

PlantationsPlantations

Age (Years)

2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Hei

ght (

ft)

10

20

30

40

50

60

600 tpa

Natural

Diameter growth is rapid and sustained Diameter growth is rapid and sustained except at very high densitiesexcept at very high densities

Age (years)

2 4 6 8 10 12 14

DB

H (

in)

0

2

4

6

8

10

115 tpa275 tpa600 tpa1130 tpa

Thinning responseThinning response

• Compare thinning at age 5 and 8

• Thinning needs to be early – before year 10

• Rapid diameter growth offers the possibility of a later commercial thin

Age (years)

2 4 6 8 10 12

DB

H (

in)

0

2

4

6

8

UnthinnedThin at age 5Thin at age 8

How Big Will They Be At Age 25?How Big Will They Be At Age 25?

Age

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Dia

met

er (

in)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

ManagedUnmanaged

What Is The Volume Of A Tree?What Is The Volume Of A Tree?

•Trees have a form and the form can change with management

•Volume is determined by form

•We developed new taper/volume equations

•Form/volume are affected by management

Stem profile

Diameter (in)

0 3 6 9 12

Hei

ght (

ft)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Tree Volume TableTree Volume Table

DBH (in) Total Tree Height (ft)

  25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110

6 1.43 1.58 1.74 1.89 2.04 2.19 2.34 2.49 2.63 2.78 2.92 3.06 3.20 -- -- -- -- --

7 2.35 2.70 3.05 3.41 3.78 4.14 4.51 4.88 5.25 5.63 6.00 6.37 6.75 7.12 -- -- -- --

8 -- 3.80 4.34 4.89 5.46 6.02 6.60 7.18 7.76 8.35 8.94 9.53 10.12 10.72 11.32 -- -- --

9 -- -- 5.68 6.43 7.19 7.97 8.75 9.54 10.34 11.14 11.95 12.76 13.58 14.40 15.23 -- -- --

10 -- -- -- 8.06 9.03 10.02 11.02 12.03 13.05 14.08 15.12 16.16 17.22 18.27 19.33 20.40 -- --

11 -- -- -- -- 10.98 12.20 13.43 14.67 15.93 17.20 18.48 19.77 21.07 22.37 23.69 25.00 -- --

12 -- -- -- -- -- 14.51 15.99 17.48 18.99 20.51 22.05 23.60 25.16 26.73 28.30 29.89 31.49 --

13 -- -- -- -- -- 16.97 18.70 20.46 22.23 24.02 25.83 27.66 29.50 31.34 33.20 35.07 36.95 --

14 -- -- -- -- -- -- 21.57 23.60 25.66 27.74 29.83 31.95 34.08 36.23 38.39 40.56 42.74 --

15 -- -- -- -- -- -- 24.60 26.92 29.27 31.65 34.05 36.47 38.92 41.37 43.85 46.34 48.85 51.37

16 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30.41 33.07 35.76 38.48 41.23 44.00 46.79 49.60 52.42 55.27 58.13

17 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 34.06 37.05 40.07 43.13 46.22 49.33 52.47 55.62 58.80 62.00 65.22

18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 37.88 41.21 44.58 47.99 51.43 54.90 58.40 61.93 65.47 69.05 72.64

TargetsTargets

• High-quality sawlogs, not pulp• 20 MBF in 25 years?• 25 - 35 year rotations• 12 – 15 inch dbh logs• 4000 – 5000 cubic ft per acre• Commercial thinning option?

Still needed:Still needed:• Older plantations• Growth models

ConclusionsConclusions•Alder industry is vigorous and growing•A lot of change is happening in the woods (+)•Much learned about management•A way to go yet on attitudes •Huge potential

The End h