Article
Oak Regeneration After Clear Felling in Southwest Virginia
Forest Science
(1986)
Abstract
Oak advance regeneration and stump sprouts were studied during a 2- to 3-year period after clear felling and whole-tree removal in ten midslope stands in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province of southwest Virginia. Site quality ranged from poor (oak site index 8-16 m, base age 50) to medium (site index 17-22 m). Chestnut oak was the dominant oak species in most pre-harvest stands. Two years after clear felling, chestnut oak also had a higher density of advance regeneration, a higher frequency of stump sprouting, and greater sprout growth per stump than scarlet or black oak. However, shoot growth of advance regeneration following clear felling did not differ among oak species after correcting for initial stem size and vigor. Both height increase and diameter growth of oak advance regeneration during the 2-year post-harvest period were significantly greater on medium sites than on poor sites, and stump sprouts were taller on medium sites. Regression equations for predicting 2-year stump sprout growth from characteristics of the parent tree usually explained less than 40 percent of the variation among stumps, while equations for predicting 2-year growth of advance regeneration from pre-harvest measurements accounted for as much as 82 percent of total variation. Density of well-established oak advance regeneration 3 years after clear felling was greatest in stands of site index 17-20 m, and decreased on both better and poorer sites. The success of advance oak regeneration following clear felling was most highly correlated with pre-harvest advance regeneration density when small stems (i.e., <30 cm tall) as well as larger stems were included in the pre-harvest inventory.Â
Disciplines
Publication Date
1986
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/32.1.157
Citation Information
Terry L. Sharik. "Oak Regeneration After Clear Felling in Southwest Virginia" Forest Science Vol. 32 Iss. 1 (1986) p. 157 - 169 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/terry_sharik/149/