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Site:DS40

REINFFORCE - Arboretum - Wythop
Municipality: Allerdale
Region: Cumbria
Country: England-UK
Website: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestresearch
Partner in charge of the site: FR
Responsible name: Dr V Stokes

Site characteristics

Altitude (m): 250
Topography: middle slope
Orientation: SE
Slope (%): 40.0
Hydrology: Free draining
Soil type: UMBRISOLS
Soil sub-type: dystric-eutric
Parent rock: siltstone

Climate

Average temperature (°C): 7.3
Average precipitation (mm): 1169
Number of frost days: 129
Reference period for climatic data: 1950-2000

History of the site

Under conditions of climate change restocking is likely to become increasingly challenging and require more intensive silvicultural care. This experiment examines the impact of microclimate on growth and survival of planted Douglas fir trees. Seedlings have been planted on open clearfell sites and under an irregular shelterwood to identify relationships between microclimate conditions and growth and survival of seedlings. The two forested compartments comprise of Douglas fir planted in 1927 as an even-aged stand. During the 10 years before planting the stands have been undergoing transformation to irregular shelterwood. One of the stands was thinned in 1996/7 and again in 2009/10 and had patchy understorey regeneration of 10-15 years old. The other stand was thinned in 1993/4 and 2006/7 and had less understorey regeneration. Parts of this stand have already been underplanted with Douglas fir. The two restocking areas were previously Sitka spruce, planted in 1963 and felled in 2006/7. These sites were mounded prior to replanting with Douglas fir.
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