Search

Wide-spread use of single-tree harvest methods has inhibited regeneration of yellow birch in shade-tolerant hardwood forests. Shelterwood harvesting can improve recruitment, but incurs higher costs, longer harvesting cycles, and produces an even-aged structure. Group selection (GS) harvesting provides an alternative method with the benefits of single-tree selection (STS; mixed-ages, shorter cycles), yet produces larger gaps that may favour recruitment of mid/intolerant tree species. Recent GS trial studies have shown promise, but results vary and differences in edaphic conditions and competition dynamics associated with climate, historical management, and season of harvesting may influence responses. We evaluated the yellow birch recruitment efficacy of GS in an Ontario shade-tolerant hardwood forest by comparing change in regeneration as percent ground cover (stems 50 cm) over ten years in STS harvested and unharvested forest relative to two types of GS gaps: “typical” gaps placed in suitable microsites, and indiscriminate “systematic” interval gaps harvested on a grid. Autumn-harvested gaps established 2–4× more yellow birch cover and recruited 7–10× more large stems by year ten than STS and winter harvested gaps; unharvested controls remained unchanged. Typical gaps recruited 3× more stems than systematic gaps in autumn-only. Soil disturbance and seed tree proximity were correlated to establishment of yellow birch cover in year 1, which predicted large stem recruitment by year 10. Winter-harvesting favoured sugar maple cover in year 1, which predicted lower yellow birch recruitment by year 10. These results indicate that autumn-harvested typical gaps optimised germination and growth conditions for yellow birch (light availability, soil disturbance, reduced competition, seed proximity/dispersal). Consequently, GS harvesting in autumn can be considered an effective alternative to shelterwood harvesting for yellow birch recruitment in poorly-represented shade-tolerant hardwood stands.

The productivity value of six new Prunus persica genotypes - BN-1, BN-3, BN-4, BN-7, BN-8 and BN-45 for the seedling rootstock production for cultivated peach varieties was investigated. The control seedling varieties were P. persica ‘Mandzurska’ and P. persica ‘Siberian C’. All investigated trees were grown in the Experimental Orchard in Dąbrowice (Central Poland) of the Research Institute of Horticulture. Intensity of flowering and fruiting was evaluated as well as date of fruit ripening, size of fruits and their seeds (stones) including ability to germinate in relation to the age of the seeds (freshly harvested vs stored). The best (highest) yield was collected from trees of genotypes BN-1, BN-4 and BN-8. All of the new tree genotypes were producing smaller fruits and seeds with higher germination capacity compared to control trees. In terms of the characteristics assessed, the best as a seed source tree was genotypes BN-7 and BN-8. The trees of genotypes BN-1, BN-3 and BN-4 were very much comparable to control seedling varieties in terms of fruiting intensity of trees, number of stones obtained from the fruit yield and number of stones contained in 1 kg of their weight. This indicates tremendous usefulness of the evaluated new genotypes for sourcing seeds necessary for the production of rootstocks for peach varieties. They can be used in cultivation of peach not only in Poland but also in countries located in a cooler areas of the moderate climate.

Reduced impact logging (RIL) has been promoted as a cornerstone in sustainable forest management in the tropics, although the ecological implications of RIL guidelines are poorly understood. This study aims to identify the impact of RIL on the regeneration of commercial timber species by comparing the regeneration dynamics of logging gaps with naturally occuring canopy gaps. In the concession of Consorcio Forestal Amazonico in the region of Ucayali in the Peruvian Amazon, a total of 210 circular sample plots were established in 35 gaps in unmanaged natural forest and 35 canopy gaps in forest managed according to RIL guidelines. The size of each canopy gap was estimated by establishing a polygon that followed the vertical projection of the edge of the gap. Three circular plots of 100 m2 were established within each canopy gap. The center points of the plots were placed at the stump, mid-trunk and crown of the fallen tree. It appeared that the total abundance of seedlings did not differ significantly between logging gaps and natural canopy gaps. Instead the response to logging varied between species groups. The Clarisia sp. species group had a significant negative response to logging, while Ormosia sp., Aniba sp., Ocotea sp., Qualea sp. and Terminalia sp. were significantly more abundant in gaps of logged-over forest. A direct effect of seed tree retention on seedling abundance could not be detected statistically. Possible reasons for observed differences between untouched and logged forest and consequences of observed patterns for long-term forest development and management were discussed. It was concluded that issuing and enforcing strict guidelines on sustainable forest management is no guarantee for preserving species composition in tropical forests.

The Fort Valley Experiment Station (now Fort Valley Experimental Forest) has contributed many long-term studies to forest research. This paper focuses on a “Methods of Cutting” study initiated in 1913 on the Coulter Ranch Unit of Fort Valley and how that long-term study yielded important ecological and management lessons. We quantified the historical and contemporary forest patterns at this ponderosa pine–Gambel oak site, which was harvested using three different harvesting systems in 1913 (seed tree, group selection, and light selection) and was partially excluded from livestock browsing in 1919. Using nine historically stem-mapped permanent plots for the following three stand structural scenarios: 1913 pre-harvest (modeled), post-harvest (actual), and 2003–2006 (actual) conditions, we examined the short- and long-term consequences of harvest and livestock grazing land-use and stand dynamics. We assessed changes in spatial pattern under each harvesting system and in each structural scenario, and lastly, we examined spatial and temporal tree recruitment patterns as observed in the contemporary (2003–2006) conditions. The seed tree harvests effectively converted the spatial patterns from aggregated to random and left few trees, while the group selection and light selection had varying effects, but consistently exaggerated the spatial patchiness of the stand. By 2003–2006, all plots were aggregated at all scales and were one large patch of predominately small trees. Sites that were harvested, but excluded from livestock browsing had 40% more trees in 2003–2006. Contemporary recruitment patterns were significantly aggregated under all harvesting systems, but were most strongly aggregated if the site received a group selection or light selection cut. For group and light selection, pine seedlings initially established in stump patches created by harvesting and then proceeded to fill-in the remaining area, with recruitment rarely found under the residual pine or oak trees. Long-term data sets, such as these established by the Fort Valley Experimental Forest in 1913, are essential for quantifying the impact of historical land-use practices on contemporary forest composition and structure. Ignoring land-use legacies may lead to the misinterpretation of stand dynamics and development, and therefore should be explicitly quantified and incorporated into future management and restoration activities.

In production forests in the moist tropics, trees are selected for felling or retention primarily by species and size. Tree regeneration requirements and forest stand responses to harvesting are often ignored, and consequently, the regeneration of the residual forest is not ensured. We developed and tested an alternative approach to tree selection, where seed trees were retained as a proportion of harvestable trees, with the proportion defined as a function of species’ ecological attributes and local abundance (100 ha), in contrast to the conventional approach which retained 10% of harvestable trees, uniformly across commercial species at the compartmental scale (1000 ha). The study was conducted in Democracia Project, a forest management operation in Amazonas, Brazil. The conventional approach failed to retain any seed trees at the 100 ha block scale for 7 of 37 commercial species, whereas the alternative approach retained a minimum number of seed trees per 100 ha block for all commercial species. The conventional approach resulted in the retention of relatively high proportions of potential seed trees for common species (e.g., 22% for Eperua oleifera and 36% for Maquira sclerophila) that are shade bearers and recruit readily at the site; alternately, for species with constraints to regeneration, it retained relatively low proportions (e.g., 2% for Dinizia excelsa and Hymenolobium nitidum). The alternative approach effectively retained lower proportions of common species (e.g., 10% for E. oleifera and 13% for M. sclerophila) and relatively high proportions of species with regeneration constraints (e.g., 20% for D. excelsa and 16% for H. nitidum). Our study demonstrates that it is feasible to implement at an operational scale, species-specific retention rules that take into account local abundance when inventory data are digitised and spatially explicit. Monitoring regeneration in the residual stands over time will provide the evidence to assess the ecological benefits of the adoption of our alternative approach.

Tropical forests are characterized by diverse assemblages of plant and animal species compared to temperate forests. Corollary to this general rule is that most tree species, whether valued for timber or not, occur at low densities ( −1 ) or may be locally rare. In the Brazilian Amazon, many of the most highly valued timber species occur at extremely low densities yet are intensively harvested with little regard for impacts on population structures and dynamics. These include big-leaf mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla ), ipe ( Tabebuia serratifolia and Tabebuia impetiginosa ), jatoba ( Hymenaea courbaril ), and freijo cinza ( Cordia goeldiana ). Brazilian forest regulations prohibit harvests of species that meet the legal definition of rare – fewer than three trees per 100 ha – but treat all species populations exceeding this density threshold equally. In this paper we simulate logging impacts on a group of timber species occurring at low densities that are widely distributed across eastern and southern Amazonia, based on field data collected at four research sites since 1997, asking: under current Brazilian forest legislation, what are the prospects for second harvests on 30-year cutting cycles given observed population structures, growth, and mortality rates? Ecologically ‘rare’ species constitute majorities in commercial species assemblages in all but one of the seven large-scale inventories we analyzed from sites spanning the Amazon (range 49–100% of total commercial species). Although densities of only six of 37 study species populations met the Brazilian legal definition of a rare species, timber stocks of five of the six timber species declined substantially at all sites between first and second harvests in simulations based on legally allowable harvest intensities. Reducing species-level harvest intensity by increasing minimum felling diameters or increasing seed tree retention levels improved prospects for second harvests of those populations with a relatively high proportion of submerchantable stems, but did not dramatically improve projections for populations with relatively flat diameter distributions. We argue that restrictions on logging very low-density timber tree populations, such as the current Brazilian standard, provide inadequate minimum protection for vulnerable species. Population declines, even if reduced-impact logging (RIL) is eventually adopted uniformly, can be anticipated for a large pool of high-value timber species unless harvest intensities are adapted to timber species population ecology, and silvicultural treatments are adopted to remedy poor natural stocking in logged stands.

We examined the short-term effects of group-selection harvesting with seed-tree retention on ground-dwelling and bark-dwelling arthropod communities in a northern hardwood forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Arthropods were sampled in 16 group-selection openings and 8 closed canopy reference plots. Two opening sizes were examined—radii of 0.5 (320 ± 27 m2, n = 8) and 1.0 (1217 ± 62 m2, n = 8) times the mean canopy height (22 m). Each opening and reference plot was centered on a single Betula alleghaniensis Britt. (yellow birch). Ground-dwelling arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps that were opened for two 1-week periods (rounds 1 and 2), and bark-dwelling arthropods were sampled with sticky traps attached to the centrally located B. alleghaniensis trees. Family-level diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods was lower in reference plots than in the openings, but the only significant difference occurred during round 2, between the matrix and large openings (P

We propose a scalable technique called Seeded Clustering that allows us to maintain R-tree indices by bulk insertion while keeping pace with high data arrival rates. Our approach uses a seed tree, which is copied from the top k levels of a target R-tree, to classify input data objects into clusters. We then build an R-tree for each of the clusters and insert the input R-trees into the target R-tree in bulk one at a time. We present detailed algorithms for the seeded clustering and bulk insertion. The experimental results show that the bulk insertion by seeded clustering outperforms the previously known methods.

Red oaks – cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.), willow oak (Quercus phellos L.), water oak (Quercus nigra L.), and Nuttall oak (Quercus texana Buckley; aka: Quercus nuttallii Palmer) – are not regrowing in Mississippi Delta river floodplain forests in the southeastern United States in sufficient numbers to sustain the former species composition and timber and wildlife values. Even if vigorous red oak reproduction becomes established, partial harvesting that does not remove the taller trees will suppress understory red oak height growth more than it will suppress height growth of such other species as sugarberry (Celtis laevigata Willd.), American elm (Ulmus americana L.), cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia Nutt.), swamp dogwood (Cornus foemina Mill.), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.). Consequently, the red oaks in these partially harvested stands become increasingly suppressed and probably die; and there is a shift in species composition to the other species. In addition to ensuring vigorous oak reproduction, silvicultural clearcutting or rapid removal of the residual trees following shelterwood or seed tree harvesting to provide full sunlight is needed to ensure red oaks become a dominant part of these future river floodplain stands.

One-year-old logging gaps were sampled in dry and humid selectively-logged Bolivian tropical forests to determine the density of commercial tree regeneration. The efficacy of liberation treatments designed to enhance the growth and survival of sapling regeneration was evaluated over a period of 2 years. Liberation treatments included manual cleaning of competing vegetation around commercial tree saplings occurring in logging gaps, or spraying competing vegetation near these saplings with one of two herbicides (2,4-D or glyphosate). Of the nine species harvested in each forest type, only two species in each type had relatively abundant regeneration in logging gaps (Hura crepitans L. and Schizolobium parahyba (Vell. Conc.) S.F. Blake in the humid forest and Centrolobium microchaete C. Martius ex. Benth. and Caesalpinia pluviosa DC. in the dry forest). After 1 year, liberation treatments significantly increased the diameter growth of saplings in the humid forest, but not during the second year (P=0.09). In the dry forest, liberation treatments did not affect the diameter of liberated plants. Liberation treatments did not significantly affect sapling survival or height growth in either forest. Treatment costs were relatively low (US$ 1–2.3 per gap), but time until return on investment is long (20–30-year cutting cycles). Adjustments to liberation treatments, such as season and intensity of application may increase effectiveness of treatments. Problems observed in this study with the recruitment of commercial tree regeneration in logging gaps suggests the need for site preparation treatments and more judicious seed tree retention.

The objective was to study the influence of vegetation cover, humus depth, microrelief and distance to seed tree edge on natural regeneration of Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in five small clear-cuts on bilberry woodland in southeastern Norway. The impact of the vegetation was considered at tree different scales: at the growing point, in the nearest square decimetre around the seedlings and at a 1 m 2 scale. Most of the regeneration (95%) developed in 1996, after a rich seed year in 1995. The microhabitat was of crucial importance to seedling establishment. Litter, Sphagnum spp. and Polytrichum commune were good substrates for establishment, while areas dominated by Deschampsia flexuosa , Dicranum spp. and Pleurozium schreberi had very few seedlings. Seedling survival after five growing seasons was slightly better in litter than in Sphagnum and other mosses, but the differences were not statistically significant. Increasing humus depth had a positive influence on regeneration, probably due to shallow soils at the sites. Even though depressions covered only 4.9% of the ground, 24.1% of the seedlings occurred here. Survival was, however, lower in depressions than in the other microrelief classes. Distance to the seed tree edge had a significant influence on establishment, with more seedlings establishing close to the edge.

The effect of release cutting on seed production was investigated in six Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seed tree stands and four unreleased stands (forests) in central Sweden. The study was restricted to the uppermost 2 m of the tree crowns. Correlations were analysed between concentrations of nutrient elements in the needles, seed characteristics and numbers of conelets. The mean number of conelets was ca. 65% higher in released seed trees than in control trees in unreleased stands. The mean 1000-seed weight was about 15% higher in the released trees, while the mean percentage of viable seeds was lower in released trees (94%) compared to control trees (98%). However, the number of viable seeds per cone was not significantly different between released and unreleased trees. The concentration of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus in needles was ca. 23, 10, and 13% higher, respectively, in released trees. The mean needle dry weight was 20% higher. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus concentrations in needles were significantly positively correlated to numbers of conelets as well as to mean 1000-seed weight. None of the other analysed mineral nutrients were significantly correlated to seed production. The mean needle dry weight was significantly positively correlated to the number of conelets, but not to the mean 1000-seed weight. Our conclusion is that improved nutrient status in the seed trees is an important factor explaining the increase in seed production that occurs after release cutting.

Swedish foresters are placing increasing reliance in burning of forestland and green tree retention, in order to enhance biodiversity in the Swedish boreal forests. However, much remains to be learned about how to optimise nature conservation goals by different logging and burning procedures. We monitored the survival of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi as mycorrhizas, at a clear-cut, a seed tree stand and an uncut stand of Scots pine in central Sweden, with and without burning at two levels of fire severity. The abundance of mycorrhizas and the EM fungal diversity declined with increased logging intensity and with increased depth of burn. Deep burning fires in combination with logging or fire-caused tree mortality can kill much of the existing EM community. Logging intensity, fire intensity and fire severity are all factors that can be manipulated, thus changing the effects on EM fungi and other soil biota.

A series of surveys and experiments were conducted on four sites to identify constraints to seed production and natural regeneration in western larch seed-tree systems in the southwestern interior of British Columbia, Canada. These surveys included pollen monitoring, a cone analysis to evaluate seed production potential, seed trapping to estimate seed rain and the installation of field germination trials to assess the effects of germination substrate and seed losses due to bird and rodent predators. Pollen shedding was found to be adequate for moderate seed production with filled seed counts ranging from 9 to 30 per cone (10–34% of all seeds/cone). No significant differences in seed yields per cone and cone characteristics were observed between uncut control stands and seed-tree stands. Seed rain was generally good in 1995, ranging from 70,000 to 4.6 million seed/ha. For the four seed-tree stands, the average filled seed percentage of the trapped seeds ranged from 9–30%. Seed rain and seed quality were much reduced in 1996. Field germination trials showed western larch seeds germinated and survived best (15–70%) on mineral soil but rodent and/or bird predation reduced germination success significantly. Germination/germinant survival on undisturbed forest floor, covered with predator exclusion screens, was intermediate.

This article presents the concepts and models of diversity-oriented silviculture in the Boreal Zone of Europe based on literature, Finnish national forest inventories and field experiment data. The basic idea following the natural processes of forest ecosystems in silvicultural practices has been known since the last century but appropriate comparison materials for modelling have been scanty previously. Stand structure classification used in this study is based on the range and shape of stem distribution. The two main groups are even-sized and uneven-sized. A subclass of the latter, regularly all-sized, with dbh distribution resembling a reversed J, forms the primary basis for treatment models. This kind of structure, following the development and dynamics of natural mixed stands, fulfils the requirements for biodiversity according to international resolutions. Single tree selection and group selection are primarily the main treatments and seed tree and shelterwood cuttings are secondary treatments in diversity-oriented silviculture. In addition, regimes aiming to diversify even-sized stands in different development stages are discussed.

The effects of logging on wood-decomposing Basidiomycetes were studied in the boreal forests in northern Finland. The study area consisted of pine forest sites felled 3, 18 and 42 years before our study. The species composition of fungi in cut plots was compared to that of uncut old-growth forest sites. Altogether, 47 species were recorded on 570 logs. The species compositions reflected the amount and quality of coarse woody debris (CWD) available in the stands. In the old-growth stands, the species diversity was high, but the distribution of fungi was strongly affected by the patchy occurrence of CWD. Pioneer white-rot fungi predominated in the 3-year old logging sites. In the 40-year old logging sites, the number of species on the logging waste was 50–60% lower than in the old-growth forests, but the residual CWD from the pre-logging time still hosted a large portion of the species of the virgin forests. The species regarded as old-growth forest indicators showed different ecological tolerance to the effects of logging: the majority was confined only to naturally produced CWD, while some species were able to invade logging waste. The results showed that some polypores known to prefer old-growth forest habitats can survive for decades in managed forests. However, the species diversity of lignicolous fungi after logging greatly depended on the availability and diversity of decaying wood created before the management.

We discuss the main ecological factors that influence tree recruitment in neotropical moist- and wet forests within the context of timber management based on selective logging. We argue that setting aside protection areas in managed forests as a way to preserve ecological processes may not be sufficient to ensure sustainable levels of tree regeneration, and that a thorough understanding and application of tree seed ecology can help to refine management prescriptions. We review relevant aspects of tree reproductive biology, seed production and dispersal, spatial and temporal constraints on seed availability, disperser behavior, and the potential consequences of hunting and forest fragmentation on tree regeneration, and discuss their implications for biological sustainability in managed forests. Tree seed production can be influenced by the selective removal of neighbors of the same species (due to insufficient pollen transfer), flowering asynchrony, and attributes of the species' sexual system. The extent to which an area is supplied by seed can be affected by dispersal mechanism, spatio-temporal limitations to seed dispersal, and tree size-dependent levels of seed production at the species level. Studies of vertebrate-disperser behavior and tree seed deposition in logged forests are scarce and warrant further attention in order to refine our understanding of the dependency of sustained timber production on vertebrate fauna. Although much remains to be learned about tree seed ecology in neotropical logged forests, the baseline information presented here may offer a starting point for developing ecological criteria for seed tree retention. Furthermore, it may contribute in improving ecologically-based management prescriptions in order to enhance or at least maintain sufficient levels of natural regeneration without the need to rely on artificial regeneration.

In this study a model for the economic optimization of natural regeneration with seed trees is presented. The objective is maximization of the present value of profits. The model is used, given an initial stand, to determine the optimal harvesting time of the initial stand, the number of seed trees, the length of seed tree period, the density of the future stand after precommercial thinning, the timing and intensities of thinnings in the future stand and the rotation age of the future stand, simultaneously. The results obtained in the numerical analysis of Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) stands in northern Sweden show that: (1) A combination of a low number of seed trees with a long seed tree period is better than a combination of a high number of seed trees with a short seed tree period; (2) The optimal density of the future stand after precommercial thinning depends on the cleaning cost function. A higher average cost of precommercial thinning leads to a denser stand after this treatment; and (3) It is economically optimal not to thin the Scots pine stand established with seed trees.1998 Academic Press

A study comparing two scarification intensities (single and double passes) was established 3 years after harvesting a black spruce-mosses stand using the group seed-tree method. The effects on black spruce (Picea mariana) (Mill.) B.S.P.) advance growth, natural seedling establishment and competing vegetation were examined in relation to seedbed changes over a 5-year period. Scarification was effective in controlling ericaceous shrubs and it greatly changed seedbed types. It removed 50–70% of the feather moss coverage, the effect being related to intensity of treatment. The F horizon was the dominant seedbed produced by scarification which also exposed underlying layers more favorable for seed germination. After 5 years, the two scarification intensities improved black spruce stocking from natural seeding (40–47%) compared with elearcut only (32%). Stocking decreased linearly with distance from seed-tree groups which appeared to be efficient up to 50 m only. Scarification greatly increased paper birch (Betula papyrifera (March.)) regeneration proportionally to intensity; the number of seedlings was doubled by the single pass (6333 ha−1) and more than tripled by the double pass (11 625 ha−1) compared with the control (3417 ha−1). The treatment also removed between 50 and 60% of the black spruce advance growth of layer origin, which resulted in a 20% decrease in stocking (absolute value). However, when layers and seedlings of black spruce were taken together the stocking reached 60% in both scarification intensities. In terms of total number of stems, scarification caused a 40% decrease in density coupled with a strong reduction of the layer:seedling ratio (2.7 to 1.6). The general trend shows a significant increase in the growth of layers 6 years after logging. Growth patterns of individual stems suggest that layers with a good growing potential started their height growth increase 3–4 years after logging.

Logging of boreal riparian old-growth white spruce took place in Wood Buffalo National Park from 1951 to 1991. In this study we focus on one of the areas, Timber Berth 408, logged from 1966 to 1991. Regeneration surveys of white spruce were conducted in clearcuts and undisturbed vegetation during June 1994. The age of a clearcut is unrelated to either white spruce stocking or density over a 25 year period. Post-logging natural regeneration in clearcuts has failed: median stocking (% frequency in 10 m2 plots) and density (stems ha−1) of seedlings are 18.2% and 300 ha−1, and of transgressives are 14.3% and 200 ha−1. Median stocking and density of spruce (including residual growth) in the cutover areas are 36.4% and 848 ha−1. In order to achieve the level of stocking found prior to logging, ≈93% of the logged area, or 9300 ha, would require planting. There is a clear relationship between spruce stocking rates and densities in clearcuts and the distance to the nearest white spruce seed tree. White spruce seed tree distance is important in determining the ability of a clearcut to regenerate naturally. Failure of post-logging natural regeneration in Wood Buffalo National Park is attributable primarily to two factors: (1) large size of the clearcuts, placing most of any area logged beyond the effective dispersal distance of white spruce seed; (2) destruction of advance growth and lack of residual growth. Clearcutting and site preparation are shown to degrade boreal riparian ecosystem structure and function. Recommendations are provided whose goals are to maintain biodiversity and healthy ecological structure and function in boreal riparian ecosystems.

White pines that survived late nineteenth century logging and wildfires in the Great Lakes region act as seed-sources for white pine regeneration in aspen and oak ecosystems that developed following these disturbances. The local abundance of remnant white pines may influence the direction of succession following disturbance, yet no studies have quantified relationships between characteristics of remnant white pine seed-sources and the structure of post-disturbance white pine populations. The objective of the present study was to relate the number, size, and location of remnant white pine seed trees to the structure of post-disturbance white pine populations. The study was conducted in a 75–80 year old bigtooth aspen-dominated forest in northern Michigan. White pine seed-source characteristics varied considerably across the study area, as did stem densities and the age and height structures of post-disturbance white pine populations. Regenerating white pine populations which were located close to several large remnant trees were larger, began establishing sooner after disturbance, and contained a greater diversity of age and height classes relative to populations with less favorable seed-source characteristics. Additionally, plots with small post-disturbance white pine populations often had large populations of red maple advanced regeneration. Variable successional pathways in the study area may reflect the influence of remnant white pine seed-sources, and ultimately, a disturbance history that allowed some seed trees to survive logging and wildfires. Retention of large white pine seed trees in commercial aspen forests may be an important silvicultural tool if a goal of management is to maximize structural and compositional diversity in managed stands.