New Harvard Forest Publications: New England Old Growth Characteristics, Mapping, and Influence on Management Decisions

Tony D'Amato, former REU and recent Ph.D. graduate, produced an outreach pamphlet with Paul Catanzaro that introduces the habitat features of old-growth forests, outlines management options and resources for restoring these features to woodlands, and discusses the opportunities to obtain economic and ecological benefits from second-growth forests. Management strategies range from hands-off approaches to active management practices and can be implemented in a variety of intensities, stages, and combinations to fit within landowner objectives.

D'Amato, Anthony and P. Catanzaro. 2007. Restoring old-growth characteristics. Outreach pamphlet, Umass Extension, Amherst, MA.

Havard Forest Ecologist David Orwig and Tony D'Amato recently contributed to the New England Society of American Forester's News Quarterly (Oct. 2007). This issue features old growth in the northeastern U.S. as the quarterly theme. They provide an overview of Tony's recently completed Ph.D. work and focus on the old-growth forest remaining in southern New England and how can it help inform management decisions. Findings suggest that relatively frequent, small-scale disturbances were common in the hemlock dominated old-growth forests of western Massachusetts. Structural, compositional, and historical development comparisons between old-growth and second growth hemlock forests are provided as guides to help restore old-growth elements and aid disturbance-based silviculture strategies for forests in this region.

Orwig, D.A. and A. D'Amato. 2007. Southern New England old-growth forests: how much is left and can they help inform management decisions? pp. 10-11 in Old Growth in the Northeast. New England Society of American Foresters Quarterly