Treesearch

The choice of planting density and tree genotype are basic decisions when establishing a forest stand. Understanding the interaction between planting density and genotype, and their relationship with biomass production and potential water stress, is crucial as forest managers are faced with a changing climate. However, few studies have investigated this relationship, especially in areas with highly productive forests. This study aimed to determine the interaction between biomass production and leaf water potential, as a surrogate of potential water stress, in different clonal Eucalyptus...

Wildfire is a natural disturbance, though elemental losses and changes that occur during combustion and post-fire erosion can have long-term impacts on soil properties, ecosystem productivity, and watershed condition. Here we evaluate the potential of forest residue-based materials to rehabilitate burned soils. We compare soil nutrient and water availability, and plant recovery after application of 37 t ha-1 of wood mulch, 20 t ha-1 of biochar, and the combination of the two amendments with untreated, burned soils.We also conducted a greenhouse trial to examine how biochar influenced soil...

Proceedings from the 2016 Central Hardwood Forest Conference in Columbia, MO. The published proceedings include 31 papers pertaining to research conducted on artificial and natural regeneration, biomass and carbon, forest dynamics, forest health, modeling and utilization, prescribed fire, soils and nutrients, and wind disturbance. A correction to Table 2, on page 270, was made on May 18, 2017.

This study used a participatory group brainstorming process called the Futures Wheel to identify and evaluate the direct and higher-order implications of this trend: Central Hardwood forests lack age-class diversity and will uniformly grow old. Five 1st-order consequences of this trend were identified: continued significant decrease in early-successional forest, continued significant increase in late-successional forest, decreased resilience to many types of forest disturbances, decrease in carbon sequestration rates, and increase in the popular perception that this is the way all forests...

Dense rhizomatous fern layers compete with desirable tree seedlings for light, which suppresses development and even kills seedlings. Sulfometuron methyl (Oust XP®) herbicide can be safely and effectively used to control ferns. Previous research showed that depending on application timing, as little as 2 ounces of Oust XP per acre controlled ferns while hardwood tree seedlings growing beneath them survived. It was recently suggested that some sites may require higher rates because of soil differences. This study uses a wider variety of site conditions than previous studies to reevaluate...

A mature upland yellow-poplar/red oak stand was harvested using an alternating strip clearcut method. Red oak seedlings were planted across a light gradient between the cut and residual strips to assess the potential ability of the residual strips to foster the development of competitive oak seedlings over time. After one growing season, no differences in seedling diameter and height growth or survival were detected across the planting positions. Planting shock and drought were assumed to have affected year 1 results.

Anecdotally, higher retention levels after harvest are believed to have a negative impact on oak (Quercus) regeneration accumulation. For this study, harvests with four retention levels of 0, 15, 30, and 45 percent were established to determine the impact of overstory retention on the success of oak regeneration after harvest. Previous research has shown that an increase in reserve trees can increase the accumulation of the intermediate shade-tolerant oak and of other species with similar shade tolerance and reduce the abundance of more intolerant species such as aspen. Seven to eight...

Timber harvesting operations generate brush and other vegetative debris, which often has no marketable value. In many western U.S. forests, these materials represent a fire hazard and a potential threat to forest health and must be removed or burned for disposal. Currently, there is no established, consistent method to estimate brush disposal production rates in the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Region, which spans Montana and parts of Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Production rates developed specifically for one Northern Region national forest over a decade ago are...

Soil functions that control plant resource availability can be altered by management activities such as increased organic matter (OM) removal and soil compaction during forest harvesting. The Long Term Soil Productivity study was established to evaluate how these practices influence soil and site productivity using experimental treatments that span a range of forest types and soil conditions at sites across North America. Here we report on the effects of these treatments on soil properties after 20 years at three of the oldest sites in the study. The sites all are located in aspen (Populous...

Silvopasture is the intentional combination of trees, forage, and livestock on a parcel of land to optimize multiple outputs and has been shown to have benefits for production in various parts of the world. There is strong interest in silvopasture in the Southern United States, likely driven by multiple motivations. However, silvopasture practices have not been adopted or studies widely in Virginia or surrounding states, and lack of familiarity and information is a key hurdle to adoption. Potential adopters need research in order to make sound establishment and management decisions, but...