Blow Down at the Margin of Clear Cuts: ES classes were introduced to problems associated with clear cuts while visiting and working with researchers at the Foothills Model Forest in 1996, 97 and 98. They made the case that in the forest, trees share the "sail" with neighboring trees. The extent to which they are "wind hardened" is influenced by the extent to which the forest canopy acts to share wind pressure. When a section of forest is clear cut, the trees left at the margin of the clear cut fave the full fore of the wind that has dropped to ground level. As a result , many of these trees are blown over following the clear cut. The researchers showed ES classes cutting practices that reduced the "Blow Down" at these margins by arranging a height gradation.
ES classes examined this theory in the Marshal Creek clear cut. With prevailing winds from the south and east, we set transects in all four quadarnts long of clear cut patches inset 20 meters from the margins. We counted course woody debris measurements along these transects, recording blow downs along each. Along the west and north quadrants we found that more than 60% of the trees with DBH greater than 25 cm had blown down. We observed that these trees were heavily beetle struck compared to those still standing. We concluded that the cutting pattern and blow down contributed the the spread of the spruce beetle infestation.
ES classes examined this theory in the Marshal Creek clear cut. With prevailing winds from the south and east, we set transects in all four quadarnts long of clear cut patches inset 20 meters from the margins. We counted course woody debris measurements along these transects, recording blow downs along each. Along the west and north quadrants we found that more than 60% of the trees with DBH greater than 25 cm had blown down. We observed that these trees were heavily beetle struck compared to those still standing. We concluded that the cutting pattern and blow down contributed the the spread of the spruce beetle infestation.