Growth response and survival of American beech, yellow birch, and sugar maple regeneration to partial harvest

In northern hardwood stands, silvicultural treatments aimed at regenerating sugar maple and yellow birch, such as site preparation and mechanical control of American beech saplings, often results in the formation of dense thickets of beech regeneration. The objective of this study was to compare the growth and survival of beech regeneration originating from stump sprouts, root suckers and seedlings, with yellow birch and sugar maple regeneration in partially harvested stands under cervid browsing pressure. Over an eight-year period, 997 individuals of the three species were monitored in three northern hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple, yellow birch, and American beech in Quebec, Canada. Each stand included replicates of four partial harvesting treatments and a control, providing a gradient of light and competition conditions. Beech stump sprouts and root suckers had higher growth and survival probabilities than seedlings of all three species under all light and competition conditions. Results suggest that treatments triggering beech sprouts should be applied with caution and under conditions that ensure sufficient survival and development of desired species. This study also provides evidence that selective browsing by cervids could be an important overriding factor exacerbating the effect of beech competition on yellow birch regeneration.