Factors Affecting Natural Oak Regeneration in Bottomland Hardwood Forests in Northern Missouri: Light Levels, Acorn Losses, or Lack of Acorns?

Abstract

Successful oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration in bottomland forests can be limited by several factors, including number of acorns produced, acorn viability and predation, microsite conditions for germination, and early seedling survival. These factors could influence the development of large oak advance reproduction needed for successful oak regeneration. We designed an experiment to test the importance of some of these factors on oak regeneration in bottomland forests in northern Missouri. We found that low acorn production and high rates of acorn predation were prevalent throughout the stands. Buried acorns showed higher germination rates than acorns placed on the surface of the soil. Our results also indicated that germination of acorns was unaffected by light availability. Thus, our findings suggest that midstory release will not increase germination and therefore should not be expected to increase the initial establishment of new seedlings. However, midstory release could potentially be useful in enhancing development of seedlings following germination.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 22nd Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference

Citation

Hayford, Isaac; Knapp, Benjamin O. 2024. Factors Affecting Natural Oak Regeneration in Bottomland Hardwood Forests in Northern Missouri: Light Levels, Acorn Losses, or Lack of Acorns? In: Bragg, Don C.; Oswald, Brian P.; Koerth, Nancy E., eds. Proceedings of the 22nd biennial southern silvicultural research conference. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-274. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 99–107. https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-274-Pap16.