Focus Species Forestry - Maine Audubon

7. Stand-Level Management
This section presents general recommendations for stand-level management that should be
implemented whenever applicable. These general recommendations compliment the
recommendations for specific forest ecosystems, special-value habitats, and individual focus
species.
Snags, Cavity Trees, and Downed Woody Material
While traditional forest management has focused on
growing vigorous trees for timber production, death
and decay of trees is an important process of the forest
ecosystem that provides habitat for a wide range of
organisms.
Definitions:
• Snags are dead standing trees.
• Cavity trees are either live or dead trees with
cavities used by wildlife.
• Downed woody material refers to dead
branches or tree trunks on the forest floor.
• Snag and cavity recruitment trees are large
live trees with decay that may become snags,
cavity trees, or downed woody material.
Andrea Sulzer
Management Recommendations:
Record numbers of snags and cavity trees as part of standard inventory practice.
Selection management with a goal of large sawtimber production can be used to maintain
a steady supply of snags, cavity trees, and downed woody material.
With even-aged management, a combination of shelterwood-with-reserves, patch
retention, and long rotations will generate the greatest amount of large deadwood and
decaying trees, but volumes and habitat values may fluctuate widely over the course of a
rotation.
Protect downed logs on the forest floor.
In spruce-fir stands, hardwoods provide a good opportunity to develop deadwood and snag
goals.
Leave tops at the stump or haul them back and distribute them through the stand if wholetree
harvesting.
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