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Abstract
Oaks (
Quercus spp.) are frequently the most valuable bottomland species, but are often hard to regenerate. In northeastern Texas, operational shelterwoods and strip clearcuts were established in 2014 to test their effectiveness for establishing oak regeneration. Measured in 2022, basal area of the shelterwood areas recovered to 96.2 square feet per acre and the sapling size class [diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) <2 inches] increased from an initial 270 trees per acre (TPA) to 580 TPA with 26 percent oaks. The seedling layer increased to 7,371 TPA with 67 percent willow oak (
Q. phellos), 10 percent overcup oak (
Q. lyrata), and 9 percent water oak (
Q. nigra). In the strip clearcuts, no seedlings occurred in the sampling plots. However, there were 961 TPA in the small sapling size class (<2 inches d.b.h.) with 62 percent
Quercus spp. These results indicate that both techniques successfully enhanced oak regeneration. However, additional treatments are likely needed to ensure recruitment of oaks into the overstory.
Parent Publication
Citation
Brewster, Cason; Heinemann, Robert; Holeman, Randal; Meek, Cassandra; Anderson, Keith; Everett, Josh; Joshi, Omkar; Will, Rodney. 2024. Effectiveness of Shelterwood and Strip Clearcuts for Regenerating Bottomland Oaks in Northeast Texas. 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: 337–340. https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-274-Pap53.
