Developing a silvicultural framework and definitions for use in forest management planning and practice

Lack of a management framework on which to base silviculture options has plagued the forest management planning process in Ontario. The Forest Management Planning Manual for Ontario's Crown Forests directs that strategic silvicultural options be developed and identified in terms of the (i) applicable forest unit, (ii) associated assumptions, and (iii) extent to which they can be used on a forest management unit. In this paper, we describe a framework for classifying management (or silviculture) intensity and propose definitions for extensive, basic, intensive, and elite intensities of silviculture to support the framework's use in planning and application. We outline how the Canadian Ecology Centre - Forestry Research Partnership, a research partnership between Tembec Inc., the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Natural Resources Canada, is considering applying these in the forest management planning process. The framework and definitions can be used to develop strategic silviculture options within an active adaptive management approach. This framework should help to reduce uncertainties associated with forest development, treatment costs, response to treatments, and success rates provided appropriate monitoring. The framework and definitions described were specifically developed for silviculture related to reforestation of even-aged boreal forests.