Nutrient Drain Associated with Hardwood Plantation Culture

Abstract

Past research and a tentative evaluation indicate that nutrient drain and possible site degradation could occur in southern hardwood plantations. The extent of nutrient drain on a given site would depend on the species, length of the rotation, and harvesting system used. The evaluation for cottonwood plantations in Mississippi indicates that nutrient drain is most likely to occur when short-rotation management and wholetree harvesting are employed. Of the systems evaluated, wholetree utilization in a 2-year coppice operation was most demanding on soil nutrient pools and removed 3 to 7 times more nutrients from the soil each cutting cycle than were returned.

Citation

Baker, James B. 1978. Nutrient Drain Associated with Hardwood Plantation Culture. In: Proceedings, Second Symposium on Southeastern Hardwoods. Stoneville, MS: USDA-Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 43-58.