Growth of oak, ash, and cherry reproduction following overstory thinning and understory control in upland hardwood stands of northern Arkansas
| Authors: | David L. Graney |
| Year: | 1989 |
| Type: | Paper |
| Station: | Southern Research Station |
| Source: | Proceedings of the fifth biennial southern silvicultural research conference |
Abstract
A study of reproduction growth following overstory thinning and understory control in mixed upland hardwood stands was initiated in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas in the spring of 1980. Thirty-six plots representing mature upland hardwood stands on medium- tohigh-quality sites were thinned to residual overstory densities of 40- to 60-percent relative stocking density. Subcanopy stems were partially or completely controlled with herbicide applications. Growth of oak (Quercus alba L., Q. velutina Lam., and Q. rubra L.), white as h (Fraxinus americana L.), and black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) reproduction was monitored for 5 years following treatments.Before treatment, total oak, ash, and cherry reproduction averaged 3,000 stems per acre with a mean height of less than 1 foot, and there were fewer than 10 stems per acre taller than 5 feet. After treatment, growth of oak reproduction increased with the intensity of understorycontrol, while ash and cherry grew best under the 40-percent overstory stocking treatment.