Do Cones In Tops Of Harvested Shortleaf Pines Contribute To The Stand's Seed Supply?

Abstract

Because success of natural regeneration strongly depends on a stand's seed supply, we conducted a study to determine the potential contribution of cones in the tops of harvested shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata Mill.) if trees were felled after seed maturation but before dispersal was complete. Closed cones, collected in October 1998, were stored in wire cages with periodic removals over the following 9 months to determine the number and viability of extracted seeds. Storage sites were an opening in a seed-tree stand and a closed-canopy pine-hardwood stand. Of the initial average of 30 viable seeds per cone, 93 percent had dispersed in the open site and 83 percent in the closed-canopy stand by the end of February 1999, which is considered the end of the normal dispersal period from cones on standing trees. By May, virtually all viable seeds had dispersed from cones in both sites. Results indicate that cones in tops of trees cut during the 2-month period after seed maturation can make an important contribution to the stand’s seed supply, especially in reproduction cutting methods where most of the trees are harvested.

Citation

Shelton, Michael G.; Cain, Michael D. 2002. Do Cones In Tops Of Harvested Shortleaf Pines Contribute To The Stand''s Seed Supply?. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp 315-319