Step 2: Zone the 'forest' and riparian sites identified for rehabilitation to regrowth natural forest, by stand development stages (see Fig. 3).
Each natural forest area has species that function optimally in different development stages of that forest system, from pioneer stands after a major disturbance, up to mature forest (Geldenhuys 2011a).
Because food and cover for wildlife are often more plentiful in the early stages of forest development, retardation of succession by prescribed burning may be beneficial to wildlife.
Fig. 2 Illustration of the mosaic cycle concept, where different successional stages of forest development are expressed as a cycle.
Early stages in forest development seem to be especially suitable, but individuals covering mature trees can also occur.
It lists key consideration factors for the stages of forest development: access, land preparation, establishment, tending, protection, and harvesting.
Initial assessment was timed to precede the transition to harvesting because a variety of workforce changes and health risks arise with the use of heavy machinery for tree felling and transport that are not needed during the growing and pruning stages of forest development.
The following criteria have been developed for assessment of the stand development stages in the natural forest zone (Geldenhuys & Bezuidenhout 2011; Geldenhuys 2013b): Development stage 1: Dense, young nurse stands with many small stems of the nurse stand species, including stunted and suppressed stems.
Structural attributes indicate the forests are in the understory reinitiation stage of forest development.
Structural attributes indicate the forest stands are in the understory reinitiation stage of forest development (Oliver and Larson 1996).
Stand-replacing disturbance can reset forest development to "bare ground" from any developmental stage.
