Relationships between biotic and abiotic factors and regeneration of chestnut oak, white oak, and northern red oak

Abstract

A series of substantial field surveys of 38 mixed-oak stands in central Pennsylvania were carried out during 1996-2000. All the stands were surveyed 1 year prior to harvest, and 16 stands have been surveyed 1 year after harvest. Three abiotic factors at stand scale, four abiotic factors at plot scale, and two biotic factors and one abiotic factor at subplot scale was used to analyze their relationships to the abundance and composition of regeneration. Stand scale factors were the most influential factors on oak regeneration. Stand aspect together with slope position explained most of the variation in abundance of both advanced and post-harvest regeneration. Plot slope shape and exposure angle played an important position in oak regeneration. All biotic factors at subplot scale had a strong correlation with regeneration abundance. In general, light factors (stand aspect and exposure angle), other physical conditions (slope position and slope shape), and canopy composition immediately above the plot played strong roles in regeneration in these mixed-oak stands.

Parent Publication

• 13th Central Hardwoods Forest Conference

Citation

Fei, Songlin; Steiner, Kim C.; Finley, James C.; McDill, Marc E. 2003. Relationships between biotic and abiotic factors and regeneration of chestnut oak, white oak, and northern red oak. In: Van Sambeek, J. W.; Dawson, Jeffery O.; Ponder Jr., Felix; Loewenstein, Edward F.; Fralish, James S., eds. Proceedings of the 13th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-234. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station: 223-227