On the Origins of Old Growth Forests

Explore the fascinating world of old-growth forests in this hour-long lecture that delves into their common features, development models, and global empirical evidence. Learn about big trees, formal definitions, stand development, and key messages regarding the origins of these ancient ecosystems. Discover the importance of tree cores, rings, and growth patterns in understanding multicohort stands, with a specific example from the Central Highlands. Examine the role of forest management, including retention-based harvesting and silvicultural systems trials, and their impact on biomass and large tree growth. Gain insights into thinning practices and participate in a Q&A session to further enhance your knowledge of these vital ecosystems.

Introduction
Presentation
Outline
Definitions
Big trees
Formal definitions
Stand development
Key messages
Origins of old growth forest
Tree cores
Tree rings
Tree growth patterns
Multicohort stands
Example from Central Highlands
Key message
Role of forest management
Retentionbased harvesting
Silver cultural systems trial
Biomass
Large trees
Bigger trees
Mt Buffalo
Thinning
Questions