Biomass flow in western forests: Simulating the effects of fuel reduction and presettlement restoration treatments

Fuel treatment silviculture and the resulting long-term flow of biomass wer e examined using data from selected western stands. An uneven-aged manageme nt regime with reserve trees was modeled, using a canopy closure of 40 perc ent for the dominant trees as a target and a harvest cutting cycle of 20 ye ars. Fuel reduction treatments in currently overstocked stands resulted in an initial peak of removal for the first and second cutting cycles. Yields stabilized in subsequent cutting cycles. Removal of some large reserve tree s was crucial for maintaining stand structure and fire resilience.