Penobscot Experimental Forest historical photo archive: Research and operations from the 1950s through the 1980s

Metadata:

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

not applicable

Logical_Consistency_Report:

not applicable

Completeness_Report:

Photos were selected for inclusion in this digital archive from the physical photo collections housed at the Penobscot Experimental Forest (PEF) based on the following criteria: photo was positively identified as being taken on the PEF, photo is not a duplicate of another photo.

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

DIGITIZING

Print photos were digitized using an office scanner and saved as .jpeg documents without further processing.

Image descriptions and attributes were composed from various records and notes made over the decades and were compiled to reflect the photo contents as completely as possible.

Photos may be added to this archive in the future as they are located or made available.

Process_Date: Unknown

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

KEYWORDS

Keywords were assigned to each image in order to help provide additional information. Below is an alphabetized list of these image keywords and their meanings. (A categorized list of these keywords is also available as a separate download: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0090)

aerial photo – photos taken from aircraft

Biomass Harvesting Study – Began in 1964. The study in MU33 consists of a series of strip clearcuts with blocks receiving one of three treatments (each replicated three times): whole-tree harvest, stem-only harvest, or stem-only harvest followed by prescribed burn. Results of this study compare changes among treatments in productivity, species composition, and soil conditions. Buffers between strip clearcuts were regenerated using the shelterwood method in a separate study in 1978. The Biomass Harvesting Study was still active when this photo collection was published (2021). For more information, see Muñoz Delgado (2019)

commercial clearcut – views before, during, and after commercial clearcutting (removing all merchantable trees without attention to residual stand stocking or composition, i.e., high-grading); maps and graphics depicting results of studies involving commercial clearcutting

Compartment Management Study – Began in 1952. The largest study on the Penobscot Experimental Forest includes two replicates each of 10 treatments (there were four replicates of some treatments until half were assigned to another study in 1975). This long-term study allows researchers to quantify tree and stand response to harvesting practices and silvicultural alternatives on twenty stands averaging 20 acres each. Treatments include single-tree selection with 5-, 10-, and 20-year cutting cycles, uniform shelterwood with two- and three-stage overstory removal (with and without precommercial thinning), diameter-limit cutting, commercial clearcutting, and no treatment. Treated stands provide a variety of forest compositions and structures for use in other short-term studies. The Compartment Management Study was still active when this photo collection was published (2021). For more information, see Granstrom (2019). Data are available at https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2012-0008-2 (Kenefic et al. 2015)

Cutting Practice Level Study – Began in 1950. This is also called the Management Intensity Demonstration, and it is the oldest study on the Penobscot Experimental Forest. This study is intended to demonstrate common harvesting practices and silvicultural alternatives on four 10-acre stands. Results from this study examine the long-term effects of single-tree selection with 5- and 15-year cutting cycles, diameter-limit cutting, and commercial clearcutting. The Cutting Practice Level Study was still active when this photo collection was published (2021). For more information, see Rogers et al. (2018). Data are available at https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2014-0003 (Waskiewicz et al. 2014)

damage – damage to trees and soil by equipment or natural causes

diameter-limit cut – views before, during, and after diameter-limit cutting (removing all merchantable trees above species-specific size thresholds, a form of high-grading; also applied in a modified (guiding) variant in which removals are constrained to net periodic growth and some stand tending is conducted); maps and graphics depicting results of studies involving diameter-limit cutting

EP1 – management unit name, White Pine Provenance Study (planted stand)

EP2 – management unit name, Hybrid Spruce Provenance Study (planted stand)

equipment – logging equipment and machinery, idle and in use

Farm Woodlot Study – Began in 1951. Few details are available. The main objectives were to investigate management practices to improve growing stock on small woodlots typical of poorly stocked private rural ownerships, and to determine the advantages and disadvantages of owner operations. After an initial salvage cut, selection cutting was performed in one-fifth of the stand each year. The Farm Woodlot Study was later closed. One stand (MU2) was subsequently used for the Logging Study, and the other stand (MU7) was added to the Compartment Management Study.

Hybrid Spruce Provenance Study – Seed collection began in 1955; planting at the Penobscot Experimental Forest began in 1958. This study investigates the possibility of distinct morphological and physiological varieties of white spruce and the potential ability of these to hybridize. Along with several other locations, the EP2 stand on the Penobscot Experimental Forest was planted with white spruce grown from seed collected throughout northern North America in a 10-randomized block, four-tree layout to establish a plantation for long-term data collection. Additional stands were subsequently planted at the Penobscot Experimental Forest.

infrastructure – buildings, bridges, displays, gates, and other structures

logging – logging (harvesting) operations

Logging Study – Began in 1984. The Logging Study compares whole-tree and stem-only harvesting. The stand (MU2) used for this study is the site of the former Farm Woodlot Study. The stand was divided into two sections regenerated with the irregular shelterwood method (shelterwood with reserves) using different harvesting methods. The Logging Study was still active when this photo collection was published (2021).

map – maps showing study locations and study designs

marking – trees marked with paint or an axe for cutting; personnel marking trees

MU1 – management unit name, Cutting Practice Level Study; various treatments (includes MUs 90, 91, 92, and 93)

MU2 – management unit name, Farm Woodlot Study (1951); Logging Study (starting 1984); selection system (beginning 1951); shelterwood system (starting 1984)

MU3 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU4 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; diameter-limit cut

MU5 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU6 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU7 – management unit name, Farm Woodlot Study (starting 1952); Compartment Management Study (beginning 1968); selection system (beginning 1952); shelterwood system (two-stage overstory removal) (beginning 1968)

MU7B – management unit name, Farm Woodlot Study (starting 1952); Compartment Management Study (beginning 1968); selection system (beginning 1952); shelterwood system (two-stage overstory removal) (beginning 1968)

MU8 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; commercial clearcut

MU9 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU10 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study: selection system

MU12 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU13 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; diameter-limit cut

MU14 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU15 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; diameter-limit cut

MU16 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU17 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU20 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU21 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; shelterwood system (two-stage overstory removal)

MU22 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; commercial clearcut

MU23 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; shelterwood system (three-stage overstory removal)

MU24 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; modified (guiding) diameter-limit cut

MU26 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU29 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; shelterwood system (three-stage overstory removal)

MU31 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; selection system

MU32 – management unit name, Compartment Management Study; untreated (control, reference)

MU33 – management unit name, Biomass Harvesting Study (beginning 1964); strip clearcut (beginning 1964); shelterwood system (in buffer strips, beginning 1978)

MU90 – management unit name, Cutting Practice Level Study; selection system

MU91 – management unit name, Cutting Practice Level Study; selection system

MU92 – management unit name, Cutting Practice Level Study; diameter-limit cut

MU93 – management unit name, Cutting Practice Level Study; commercial clearcut

personnel – PEF staff, associates, contractors, and visitors on the Penobscot Experimental Forest

photo point – photos documenting plots and sites of interest

planting – trees planted in experimental plots

plot – photos taken in sampling and inventory plots

pruning – trees that have been pruned (lower branches removed); personnel pruning trees

regeneration – forest regeneration following natural disturbance or silvicultural treatment; regeneration sampling and plots

reference – views of control (untreated, unharvested) stands

release – trees before and after release from competition by cutting or chemical means

road – roads and trails

selection system – views before and during selection cutting; views of stands managed with selection silviculture; graphics depicting results of studies involving selection silviculture

shelterwood system – views before and during shelterwood cutting; views of stands managed with shelterwood silviculture; plot sampling in shelterwood stands; graphics depicting results of studies involving shelterwood silviculture

sign – entrance signs, interpretive signs, and signs depicting silvicultural treatments and study areas

site preparation – sites being burnt or having been burnt to remove logging debris (slash, fuels) to prepare a seedbed for regeneration

strip clearcut – views before, during, and after strip clearcutting; map depicting the study area

Study 58 – Began in 1976. This study is also called the Precommercial Thinning x Fertilization Study. A portion of MU21 was removed from the Compartment Management Study and used for Study 58. Precommercial thinning was applied to release crop trees in thirty-two 100 x 100-feet plots using one of four silvicultural treatments (replicated four times with fertilization and four times without fertilization): row thinning with no release in the residual strips, row thinning with release, spacing to 8 x 8 feet, and no thinning. Results show tree- and stand-level effects of precommercial thinning and inform management for the cultivation of crop trees. Study 58 was still active when this photo collection was published (2021). For more information, see Weiskittel et al. (2009, 2011). Data are available at https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2012-0009 (Brissette et al. 2021)

study results – images of graphs and models illustrating study results

thinning – stands being thinned or following thinning in shelterwood stands, for crop tree release

timber stand improvement – views of stands marked for timber stand improvement; views of stands during and after timber stand improvement

vehicle – cars, trucks, and logging trucks

White Pine Provenance Study – Seed collection began in 1955; planting at the Penobscot Experimental Forest began in 1959. The EP1 stand on the Penobscot Experimental Forest was one of a number sites in the northeastern US involved in this study of genetic variation among eastern white pine populations. Eastern white pine seedlings were planted in four-tree row-plots with each of 32 provenances at a spacing of 7 x 7 feet. Results of this study revealed variation in the morphology and growth of pine provenances from across the species’ range which informed site-specific recommendations for pine planting. The White Pine Provenance Study was still active when this photo collection was published (2021).

wildlife – effects of wildlife on the trees and landscape


REFERENCES

Brissette, John C.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Russell, Matthew B. 2012. Precommercial thinning x fertilization study data from the Penobscot Experimental Forest. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2012-0009

Kenefic, Laura S.; Rogers, Nicole S.; Puhlick, Joshua J.; Waskiewicz, Justin D.; Brissette, John C. 2015. Overstory tree and regeneration data from the "Silvicultural Effects on Composition, Structure, and Growth" study at Penobscot Experimental Forest. 2nd Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2012-0008-2

Muñoz Delgado, Bethany L.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Weiskittel, Aaron R.; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Benjamin, Jeffrey G.; Dibble, Alison C. 2019. Northern mixedwood composition and productivity 50 years after whole-tree and stem-only harvesting with and without post-harvest prescribed burning. Forest Ecology and Management. 441: 155-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2019.03.032 or https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/57916

Granstrom, Maren. 2019. Northern conifer forest management: silvicultural, economic, and ecological outcomes from 65 years of study. University of Maine, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3125. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/3125

Rogers, Nicole; Kenefic, Laura; Crandall, Mindy; Seymour, Robert; Sendak, Paul. 2018. Sixty years of silviculture in a northern conifer forest in Maine, USA. Forest Science. 10 p. https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/54810

Waskiewicz, Justin D.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Puhlick, Joshua J.; Rogers, Nicole S.; Brissette, John C. 2014. Overstory tree and regeneration data from the "Management Intensity Demonstration" study at Penobscot Experimental Forest. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2014-0003

Weiskittel, Aaron; Kenefic, Laura S.; Seymour, Robert S.; Phillips, Leah M. 2009. Long-term effects of precommercial thinning on stem form, volume, and branch characteristics of red spruce and balsam fir crop trees. Silva Fennica. 43(3): 397-409. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.196 or https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/35685

Weiskittel, Aaron R.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Li, Rongxia; Brissette, John. 2011. Stand structure and composition 32 years after precommercial thinning treatments in a mixed northern conifer stand in central Maine. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, 28(2): 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1093/njaf/28.2.92 or https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/38478

Process_Date: Unknown

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

Below is a list and description of the files included in this publication:

INFORMATIONAL FILES (1)

_photo_information.csv: Comma-separated values (CSV) file containing detailed information for each image included in this package.

Columns include:

ORIGINAL FILENAME = original name of image

IMAGEID = unique image ID

DESCRIPTION = description of the contents of the image

KEYWORDS = keywords associated with the image contents

ORGANISMS = species depicted in the image

PHOTOGRAPHER = name of the person who took the photo, if known

ORIGINAL COLLECTION ID = internal ID number associated with the image

MEDIA = original form of the image

COLLECTION = category to which the image belongs

QUALITY = quality of the digital image on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is low resolution (< 150 dots per inch [dpi]) and 5 is high resolution (> 750 dpi)

LOCATION = general location where the photo was taken

DATE = date when the photo was taken if known, exact or approximate



IMAGES (382)

\Data\*.JPG: JPEG files (382) containing photographs dating back to the establishment of the Penobscot Experimental Forest in the towns of Bradley and Eddington in Maine. Information about each photograph can be found in _photo_information.csv.



SUPPLEMENTAL FILES (1)

\Supplements\RDS-2021-0090_image_keyword_descriptions.pdf: Portable Document Format file contains a categorized list and description of keywords used in this image library. (An alphabetized list and description of these same keywords is provided in this metadata file.)

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

none provided

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20250407

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Laura Kenefic

Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Penobscot Experimental Forest

Contact_Position: Research Forester

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: physical

Address: 54 Government Road

City: Bradley

State_or_Province: Maine

Postal_Code: 04411

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 207-581-2794

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: laura.kenefic@usda.gov

Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999