Longleaf pine dynamics on a flatwood site: A study on the croatan national forest

Abstract

Natural regeneration of longleaf pine is one of the most important management tools natural resource managers have at their disposal to perpetuate existing longleaf pine stands in the Southern United States. Some studies indicate a tendency for longleaf to regenerate in gaps within the already open park-like stand structure. However, high variation and unpredictability in year-to-year cone production make natural regeneration problematic. Most longleaf pine gap studies have been conducted on sandhills or excessively drained site; however, the more poorly drained flatwood and savana sites are generally more productive and contain higher numbers of rare and endangered species. Research sites on the eastern Coastal Plain of North Carolina, in the Croatan National Forest, have been established to examine natural regeneration issues. These sites, on moderate to poorly drained soils, contain second-growth longleaf with intact understories, and have been winter burned every two to four years for the last 20 years. We propose to relate stand management, cone production and regeneration rates with measures of site productivity.

Citation

Cohen, Susan; Kush, John S.; Ludovici, Kim. 2000. Longleaf pine dynamics on a flatwood site: A study on the croatan national forest. Proceedings of the Third Longleaf Alliance Regional Conference, Alexandria Louisianna, October 16-18, 2000