Patterns in Forest Harvesting in New England and New York: Using FIA Data to Evaluate Silvicultural Outcomes

The application of silviculture has major implications for forest health, stocking levels, and landowners' long-term economic interests, yet little information exists about what treatments are applied across the landscape. We developed a classification tree that uses objective inventory data to classify harvests into one of twelve harvest types, based on pre- and post-harvest stocking levels, size distribution, and tree quality. Results indicate that exploitative treatments like commercial clearcutting and high-grading may be more common than is desirable, while some "classic" silvicultural techniques, like silvicultural clearcuts and seed tree harvesting, are comparatively rare. The distribution of treatments varies across New York and New England, and bears little resemblance to the historical distribution of natural disturbances. Furthermore, pre- and post-harvest species compositions show a tendency in some treatments to preferentially remove valuable species. Results suggest further efforts are needed to bring harvesting practice in line with the latest silvicultural and ecological research.