Ohio Hills - Resilience

Treatment: allow some change in current conditions, but encourage eventual return to original conditions

Management Goals

Forest with dense canopy.
The Ohio Hills project site comprises upland mixed-oak forests.
Photo Credit: Courtney Peterson, Colorado State University.
  • Multi-cohort stand with diversity of ages, structures, species, and light conditions within natural range of variation
  • Natural regeneration of oaks and hickories
  • Maintain large oaks
  • Promote wildlife habitat and herbaceous understory
  • Introduce fire throughout treatment
  • Low incidence of invasive plant species
  • Protect state endangered and threatened wildlife species
  • Resilience to wind, drought, ice storms, fire, and disease

Strategies & approaches

  • Pre-commercial and commercial treatments
      • Lower stand basal area to 80% of density to ~70% relative density through a thin from below
      • Overstory thinning as needed
  • Include 16 reserve clusters 1/10 acre to1/2 acre in size
  • Expanding gap / irregular shelterwood with variable retention (two entries).
      • Range of 1/10th acre to 1/4 acre gaps based on desired species
  • Mechanical and chemical site prep
  • Shelterwood prep cut
  • Prescribed burn following harvest
  • Natural regeneration of oaks and hickories; accept yellow-poplar, sassafras, and others in gaps 

Check Out other Treatments

Resistance

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Transition

Site Leads & Partners

Bryce Adams (USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station) is the Ohio Hills ASCC site lead. Melissa Thomas Van-Gundy and William Borovicka (USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station) are site co-leads. The management site leads are Gregory Guess, Courtney Cawood, and Jared Craig (Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry). Key partners and collaborators include Stephen Matthews (The Ohio State University), Rebecca Snell (Ohio University), and Laura Kearns (Ohio Division of Wildlife).

Bryce Adams
Site lead

Research Forester,
USDA Forest Service
Northern Research Station
359 Main Road,
Delaware, OH 43015
Phone: 740-368-0054
bryce.adams@usda.gov

Mellissa thomas van'gundy
Site Co-lead

USDA Forest Service
Northern Research Station,
459 Nursery Bottom Road,
Parson, WV 26287
melissa.thomasvangundy@usda.gov

William Borovicka
Site Co-lead

USDA Forest Service
Northern Research Station,
35700 Ball Diamond Road
Hamden, OH 45634
william.borovicka@usda.gov