Thinning the 1927 “Common Sense” young Norway-jack pine stands in the Cutfoot Experimental Forest

We provide historical silvicultural data from the “Common Sense” plots located on the Cutfoot Experimental Forest which is in north-central Minnesota within the Chippewa National Forest (known as the Minnesota National Forest at the time of plot establishment). Four plots were established in 1927 and were reassessed in 1932, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1949, and 1955. All plots were 0.5 acres in size and included a control plot along with three other plots that were cut to remove different proportions of the basal area of jack pine. The data are provided in three comma-delimited ASCII text files which contain 1) diameter at breast height (DBH), crown class, and height for red (Norway) and jack pine on four different plots (plots 18-21) measured multiple times between 1927 and 1955; 2) sleet damage measurements from 1940; and 3) abundance of vegetation within the plots as of 1932.
The purpose of these data was to determine the effect of removal of jack pine in pole stands of Norway pine upon the growth and development of the remaining stand.