Inventory tree data from the "Partial Cutting Study" at the Dukes Experimental Forest, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

This data publication contains data collected in the Partial Cutting Study (PCS) at Dukes Experimental Forest (DEF) in Michigan, which was previously known as the Upper Peninsula Experimental Forest. The PCS, originally opened in 1926 and closed in 1966, used variations of selection system (uneven-aged silviculture) and diameter-limit cutting methods. The PCS was reopened in 2007 and the location of 15 permanent sample plots (PSPs), representing nine different cutting methods, were relocated. This publication contains inventory data collected in 2007 and 2009 for all merchantable trees species with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of at least 4.5 inches as well as inventory data collected in 2019 for all merchantable tree species with a DBH of at least 4.6 inches. Measurements were obtained for all 15 PSPs and include: DBH, status, merchantability (acceptable or not), and growing stock quality for poletimber and sawtimber-sized trees.
The PCS was developed at DEF in 1926 to investigate selection and other cutting methods for their potential to create continuous timber supplies due to concerns at the time over loss of timber reserves due to widespread high-grading.
Comprehensive information on the study’s history, silvicultural treatments, and data collected between 1927 and 1966, can be found in Kern et al. (2021). Data collection methods differed between the two time periods (1927-1966 and 2007-present) of the PCS and therefore have been published separately.