Thinning in a 28-year-old Water Oak Plantation in North Louisniana: Seven-Year Results

Abstract

A 2l-acre, 28-year-old water oak (Quercus nigra L.) plantation on in old-field loessial site near Winnsboro, LA was subjected to three thinning treatments during the winter of 1987-88: (1) no thinning, (2) light thinning to 180 dominant and codominant trees per acre, and (3) heavy thinning to 90 dominant and codominant trees per acre. Prior to thinning, the plantation averaged 356 trees and 86 ft² of basal area per acre, with a quadratic meati diameter of 6.7 in. Thinning reduced stand basal areas to 52 and 34 ft² per acre for the light and heavy thinning treatments, respectively. After 7 years, thinning did not significantly increase stand-level basal area growth, but both thinning treatments produced shifts in stand structure. Diameter distributions of thinned stands were skewed to the larger diameter classes and crown class distributions of thinned stands were skewed to the upper crown classes. Both thinning treatments increased diameter growth of residual trees, but there were no significant differences between the two levels of thinning. Diameter growth of residual trees in the lightly thinned stand averaged 1.63 in. after 7 years, whereas those in the heavily thinned stand averaged 2.02 in. on this relatively poor site. Trees in the unthinned stand grew an average of only 1.04 in.

Citation

Meadows, James S.; Goelz, J.C.G. 1999. Thinning in a 28-year-old Water Oak Plantation in North Louisniana: Seven-Year Results. USDA, Proceedings of the Tenth Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, Shreveport, LA, February 16-16, 1999.