Restoration Forestry Research
Oak Ecosystem Management

Objectives

To Verify oak regeneration problems in Wisconsin and identify likely mechanisms, and to develop a detailed study comparing the effects of the most promising silvicultural techniques to the historical or natural mechanisms on both the maintenance of oaks and the whole oak ecosystem.

Background

The oak ecosystem complex (savanna to forests) is a prevalent landscape feature in much of the midwestern and eastern United States. Its immense importance lies with its timber, recreational opportunities, wildlife, and biodiversity. However, this ecosystem's future is precarious.

The once-abundant oak savanna portions rank as some of the most reduced and threatened ecosystems in the world. The forest portions remain abundant, but may not have long-term security. Oak regeneration is suffering a steady gradual decline, while harvest rates have greatly increased in recent years. Intense silvicultural techniques can overcome the oak regeneration problem but only address the trees themselves. Such techniques may not adequately maintain the rest of the oak ecosystem, or they may compromise habitat quality for dependent and associated wildlife.

The decline in oak regeneration has only recently become a problem in the past 50 years or so. Fire, and possibly other human activities, maintained the large-scale dominance of oak ecosystems, but exactly how this occurred is not known. Understanding oak regeneration will aid in developing effective and management strategies to maintain wildlife habitat and community biodiversity.

For more information on this topic please contact:
Richard Henderson (608)221-6347