Abstract:
The current spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) epidemic in interior Alaska is leaving large expanses of dead spruce with little spruce regeneration. Many of these areas are habitat for moose (Alces alces). To establish spruce regeneration and improve browse production for moose, paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh), willow (Salix spp.), and three stocktypes (plug+1 bareroot, and 1+0 plugs from two nurseries) of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were planted in freshly cutover areas on Fort Richardson, near Anchorage. Four vegetationmanagement treatments were compared: broadcast site preparation with herbicides, banded site preparation with
herbicides, mechanical scarification, and untreated control. Spruce seedlings had the greatest growth in the broadcast
site preparation treatment (p < 0.01). Stocktype was the most important factor in spruce growth, with bareroot
transplant seedlings being the tallest and largest 5 years after planting (p < 0.001). In the first 3 years, relative stem
volume growth was greater for plug seedlings than for bareroot seedlings (p < 0.001). By year 4, relative growth rates
were similar among all stocktypes. Treatment effects for paper birch and willow were confounded by moose browsing.
Results indicate spruce can be regenerated and moose browse enhanced simultaneously in forests in interior Alaska.
