ISO: recommended reading on restoring manmade forests for diversity

I can't seem to find any good resources or books on specifically restoring forests to their natural state after they have been planted with monoculture tree crops. My woodlot is made up of almost entirely Douglas fir (probably some genetically modified version that grows super fast) they are all about 80 years old. I want to do some research into the best way to rectify the situation for the life of the forest and better biodiversity. location: Coastal British Columbia
elevation: 800ft

Aida Alene wrote:I can't seem to find any good resources or books on specifically restoring forests to their natural state after they have been planted with monoculture tree crops. My woodlot is made up of almost entirely Douglas fir (probably some genetically modified version that grows super fast) they are all about 80 years old. I want to do some research into the best way to rectify the situation for the life of the forest and better biodiversity. location: Coastal British Columbia
elevation: 800ft

I am not sure there is any information available unfortunately.

I am on the whole other side of the country so things are far different here, but we have never had good luck with monoculture forests either. Our white pine plantation got White Pine Blister Rust, our Hackmatack got a Bark Beetle infestation, our Spruce got nailed with Spruce Budworm...it is enough to make a landowner cry.

I wish I had more information for you.

I have had great success with circle cutting. That has created a lot of diversity in the stand, as well as allow wildlife to thrive. Now that I really think about it, that has been our best luck so far getting the most diversity back in the stand. Our wild rabbit, deer and moose are really rebounding despite a lot of coyote's here killing them all off. Here is a picture of those circle cutting efforts..

I did an internet search and found some books on restoring forests. While some may not appear to be focused on Canadian forests in your area Aida, there may be some useful information within them to help guide you.

Restoration of Boreal and Temperate Forests: https://www.routledge.com/Restoration-of-Boreal-and-Temperate-Forests-2nd-Edition/Stanturf/p/book/9780367868826

Restoration of Forests- Environmental Challenges in Central and Eastern Europe: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780792346340

Forests Forever : Their Ecology, Restoration, and Protection by John J. Berger: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/forests-forever-their-ecology-restoration-and-preservation-center-books-on-natural-history_john-j-berger/1575282/#isbn=193006652X&idiq=11155317

The Once and Future Forest: A Guide To Forest Restoration Strategies by Leslie Sauer: https://www.amazon.com/Once-Future-Forest-Restoration-Strategies/dp/1559635533

These titles were on the first page of search results, and I imagine there are many more titles out there.

Travis Johnson wrote:

Aida Alene wrote:I can't seem to find any good resources or books on specifically restoring forests to their natural state after they have been planted with monoculture tree crops. My woodlot is made up of almost entirely Douglas fir (probably some genetically modified version that grows super fast) they are all about 80 years old. I want to do some research into the best way to rectify the situation for the life of the forest and better biodiversity. location: Coastal British Columbia
elevation: 800ft

I am not sure there is any information available unfortunately.

I am on the whole other side of the country so things are far different here, but we have never had good luck with monoculture forests either. Our white pine plantation got White Pine Blister Rust, our Hackmatack got a Bark Beetle infestation, our Spruce got nailed with Spruce Budworm...it is enough to make a landowner cry.

I wish I had more information for you.

I have had great success with circle cutting. That has created a lot of diversity in the stand, as well as allow wildlife to thrive. Now that I really think about it, that has been our best luck so far getting the most diversity back in the stand. Our wild rabbit, deer and moose are really rebounding despite a lot of coyote's here killing them all off. Here is a picture of those circle cutting efforts..

yes I think many of our Douglas fir are rotten, maybe at their expected lifespan since I'm suspicious they are genetically altered for the timber industry. I'll look into circle cutting, thanks!!

james freyr wrote: I did an internet search and found some books on restoring forests. While some may not appear to be focused on Canadian forests in your area Aida, there may be some useful information within them to help guide you.

thats weird! when I looked, nothing came up, but maybe at the time I was really searching for PNW forest info. Thanks for finding those for me, looks like some interesting reading