In 10 minutes the wind storm threw down the even-aged plantation like so many matches from a spilled match box.
One good reason to transform an even aged plantation to a more structured and species rich forest is stability. On this windy island of Ireland, a lot of our plantations suffer from wind damage. The tall conifers, planted close together, lose crown size as they grow. Each tree is wanting more of its share of light, and as the trees grow up, they are also growing out. The crowns become crowded and eventually constricted. Sitka spruce is a surface rooting tree. It doesn’t produce a big tap root to anchor it into the earth. When strong wind hits and a few trees are blown over, it becomes a domino effect and often large swathes of trees are blown over. This photograph was taken in Slovenia in September 2008. Some areas of forest were felled during the second world war years, and after the war the area was replanted with spruce plantation. The wind that caused this damage came through the valley like a small cyclone in June 2008 and all the damage occurred in just 10 minutes. Clearfell forestry is now forbidden in Slovenia as it has been found to be unstable, unsustainable and uneconomic.
Can wind damage a close-to-nature forest? Yes. Below is an area that suffered wind damage some years before this photograph was taken. But here only a few big trees were blown over and the small gap that was created quickly filled in with a variety of species,- seed from the surrounding forest. The remaining tall ‘frame’ trees are there to draw up the saplings, and in this way the forest makes itself more stable or wind-firm, more diverse in age and size structure and the forest perpetuates itself.
Diverse, multi structured forest in Slovenia after storm.
