| Among 11 stands of mature red pine at Itasca, the oldest median age of establishment was 1819 and the youngest was 1902. Five of 11
stands were even-aged, suggesting that they originated as the result of stand-clearing wildfires, and six contained trees of mixed ages,
indicating that stand-clearing fires have not always been required for the regeneration of red pine at Itasca. At these latter sites, we
found adjacent trees that differed in age by as much as 50 - 140 years. This is positive news for forest managers because it implies that
red pine regeneration is possible without the elimination of mature trees. |