Lowland forests have always been a bit of a mystery to us foresters and silviculturists, at least here in the Lake States. Disturbance regimes are not well understood, and effective silvicultural systems not well developed. The swamps and floodplains can also be difficult places to actively manage when access is limited, and timber values are low. But increasing research and management attention is being paid to these important forests as invasive species, such as Emerald Ash Borer, and the impacts of climate change threaten ecosystem function and productivity. Today on SilviCast we talk with Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Assistant Professor of Silviculture at the University of Minnesota about her research in the swamps and floodplains of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Can we find silviculture’s secret sauce to help us restore these complicated forest systems.
