Treesearch

Noninfectious diseases arise primarily from the harmful effects of wound agents, chemical, and adverse environmental factors. Wounds directly result in damage to trees, but they are important primarily as infection courts for pathogenic organisms. Adverse environmental factors affect trees both directly and indirectly. Trees weakened by environmental stresses become susceptible to insects and fungi that normally are unable to attack. These "declines" of oak have occurred frequently in the Northeast and Southeast and will probably increase as concern for environmental quality restricts the...

Oak is uniquely favored for use in furniture, cabinets, and similar products. The supply is plentiful. Though drying presents some problems, once oak is properly dried it is a stable wood that machines very well, glues well, and accepts a variety of finishes well.

Residues should be thought of as a raw material for specific uses rather than as a waste. Fines and solid wood residues are usually kept separated in waste-collection system, but species are rarely kept separated. The properties of each species dictate what uses can be made of them. Quantity, location, cost, moisture content, physical size, and presence of foreign matter should be known if the raw material is to be marketed for a specific use. Each kind of residue has certain potentials for use. Case examples cited indicate how firms are marketing their residues.

The three largest and fastest growing markets for oak are railroad crossties, reusable pallets, and truck and container flooring. Manufacturers of oak lumber are advised to keep these products in mind when planning their production.

One utilization problem is in pinpointing how to efficiently and effectively recover usable parts from logs, bolts, and lumber. Yields, which are output divided by input, provide a key to managers who make processing decisions. Research results are applied to indicate yields of graded lumber and dimension stock from graded Appalachian red oak (group) logs. How to calculate yields is shown. Managers may use these applications for developing processing alternatives.

Economic evaluation of forest-management opportunities is a vital ingredient of effective forestry programs. Choices among management opportunities are necessary because opportunities inevitably exceed funds available, and they are important because opportunities commonly range from highly productive to decidedly unproductive. Economic evaluation in oak stands shows a wide range in productivity. Primary factors influencing this range include site-productivity, length of the investment period, and division of costs between private owners and public assistance programs such as the Cooperative...

An appraisal of stocking in even-aged upland oak stands is a prerequisite for determining the cultural needs of a given stand. Most oak stands have sufficient stocking to utilize the site, but are deficient in high-quality trees. Thinning such stands offers a good opportunity to upgrade the relative quality of the growing stock and enhance the growth and yield potential. The physical yields of timber products from thinning are greatest when thinning is begun at an early age. Thinnings should be made from below at 10- to 15-year intervals.

Upland oaks can be established by seeding or planting, but additional experience is needed before these methods become economical alternatives to natural regeneration. Recently forested sites are generally more favorable than abandoned fields. Lack of repellents to protect acorns from animals severely limits direct seeding, but oaks can be planted readily by conventional methods and will survive well on suitable sites. They require ample sunlight for best growth, and competing vegetation must be controlled. At best, however, early height growth is discouragingly slow. Advances in cultural...

Acorn production is extremely variable and unpredictable. Flowering is copious, but many climatic factors influence acorn development from initiation of flowers to acorn maturity. Acorns are consumed by birds, animals, insects, and microorganisms. The establishment of seedlings is more closely related to favorable site factors than to size of crops. A majority of oaks originate from advance reproduction that accumulates under the previous stands during several decades.

Advance reproduction is the key to forming the new oak stand. However, the size or strength of the advance stems is just as important as number. Most oak stands approaching maturity have enough advance reproduction, but many do not. In such cases, harvest cuttings must be delayed and overstory densities regulated to favor the establishment and development of new oaks in the understory.