Effects of basal area on survival and growth of longleaf pine when practicing selection silviculture
Abstract
Aim of study: Uneven-aged (UEA) management systems can achieve multiple-use objectives, however, use of UEA techniques to manage longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests are still open to question, because of the species’ intolerance of competition. It was our aim to examine the influence of different levels (9.2, 13.8 and 18.4 m2 ha-1) of residual basal area (RBA) on longleaf pine seedling survival and growth following three growing seasons.
Area of study: This study was conducted at the Escambia Experimental Forest, located on the Southern Coastal Plain of Alabama, in the southeastern United States.
Material and Methods: Selection silviculture was implemented with the Proportional-Basal Area (Pro-B) method. Prescribed burning was conducted before seed dispersal and in the second year after germination. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was measured under the canopy in the study plots. Survival and growth of longleaf pine seedlings were observed for three growing seasons.
Main results: An inverse relationship was found between the number of germinants and RBA, but the mortality of germinants and planted seedlings was not affected by RBA. At age three, an inverse relationship was observed between root-collar diameter (RCD) growth of the germinants and RBA, but RCD growth of planted seedlings was not affected by RBA. Most of the study plots contained more than the projected number of seedlings needed to sustain the target diameter structure.
Research highlights: Long-term continuous monitoring of seedling development and recruitment into canopy is required to determine the efficacy of UEA management. However, current data suggest that UEA methods may be a viable alternative to the use of even-aged (EA) methods in longleaf ecosystems.
Downloads
References
Barnett JP, Haywood JD, Sword MA, 1996. Artificial regeneration of longleaf pine; reevaluation technique. In: Proceedings of the first longleaf alliance conference; Kush JS (ed), September 17-19, Mobile, AL, USA. pp. 53–55.
Battaglia MA, Mitchell RJ, Mou PP, Pecot SD, 2003. Light transmittance estimates in a longleaf pine woodland. For Sci 49: 752-762.
Bhuta AA, Kenneday RLM, Copenheaver CA, Sheridan PM, Campbell JB, 2008. Boundary-line patterns to determine disturbance history of remnant longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) in mixed forests of southeastern Virginia. J Torrey Bot Soc 135: 516–529. https://doi.org/10.3159/08-RA-024R.1
Boyer WD, 1963. Development of longleaf pine seedlings under parent trees. Res. Pap. SO-4. New Orleans, LA, USA: USDA Forest Service publication.
Boyer WD, 1974. Impact of prescribed fire on mortality of released and unreleased longleaf pine seedlings. Res. Note SO-182. New Orleans, LA, USA: USDA Forest Service publication.
Boyer WD, 1979. Regenerating the Natural Longleaf Pine Forest. J For 77: 572-575.
Boyer WD, 1990. Pinus palustris Mill. Longleaf pine. In: Silvics of North America; Burns RM, Honkala BH (eds), 1st ed. Washington, DC, USA: pp. 405-412.
Boyer WD, 1993. Regenerating longleaf pine with natural seeding. In: Proceeding of the 18th Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference; Hermann SM (eds), 30 May-2 June 1991; Tallahassee, FL, USA, pp. 299-303.
Boyer WD, White JB, 1990. Natural regeneration of longleaf pine. In: Proceedings of the Symposium on the Management of longleaf pine; Farrar RM (eds), 4-6 April 1989; Long Beach, Mississippi, USA, pp. 94-113.
Brockway DG, Loewenstein EF, Outcalt KW, 2014. Proportional basal area method for implementing selection silviculture systems in longleaf pine forests. Can J For Res 44: 977-985. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2013-0510
Brockway DG, Outcalt KW, 1998. Gap-phase regeneration in longleaf pine wiregrass ecosystems. For Ecol Manage 106: 125-139.
Brockway DG, Outcalt KW, 2000. Restoring longleaf pine wiregrass ecosystems: Hexazinone application enhances effects of prescribed fire. For Ecol Manage 137: 121-128.
Brockway DG, Outcalt KW, 2015. Influence of selection systems and shelterwood methods on understory plant communities of longleaf pine forests in flatwoods and uplands. For Ecol Manage 357: 138-150.
Brockway DG, Outcalt KW, Boyer WD, 2006. Longleaf pine regeneration ecology and methods. In: The longleaf pine ecosystem: ecology, silviculture, and restoration; Jose S, Jokela EJ, Miller DL (eds), New York, NY, USA: Springer, pp. 95-133. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30687-2_4
Chapman HH, 1932. Is the longleaf type a climax? Ecology 13: 328-334. https://doi.org/10.2307/1932309
Croker TC, Boyer WD, 1975. Regenerating longleaf pine naturally. Res. Pap. SO-105. New Orleans, La, USA: USDA Forest Service publication.
Davis MA, Wrage KJ, Reich PB, Tjoelker MG, Schaeffer T, Muermann C, 1999. Survival, growth and photosynthesis of tree seedlings competing with herbaceous vegetation along a water-light-nitrogen gradient. Plant Ecol 145: 341-350. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009802211896
Decagon Devices, Inc., Pullman, WA. AccuPAR PAR/LAI ceptometer manual.
Dyson DS, 2010. Influence of competition on longleaf pine seedling recruitment in selection silviculture. Master thesis, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Dyson DS, Loewenstein EF, Jack SB, Brockway DG, 2009. Influence of light and moisture on longleaf pine seedling growth in selection silviculture. USDA For. Ser. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-156. Asheville, NC, USA. 109-116.
Farrar RM, Boyer WD, 1991. Managing longleaf pine under the selection system – promises and problems. In: Proceedings of the 6th biennial southern silvicultural research conference; Coleman SS, Neary DG (eds), USDA Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-70. Asheville, NC, pp. 357-368.
Franklin, R. M. 1997. Stewardship of longleaf pine forests: a guide for landowners. Longleaf Alliance Rep. 2. Andalusia, AL: Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. 44 pp.
Franklin RM, 2008. Stewardship of longleaf pine forests: a guide for landowners. The Longleaf Alliance Report No. 2 (rev.), 58 p. Andalusia, AL, USA.
Gagnon JL, Jokela EJ, Moser WK, Huber DA, 2003. Dynamics of artificial regeneration in gaps within a longleaf pine flatwoods ecosystem. For Ecol Manage 172: 133-144.
Grace SL, Platt WJ, 1995. Effects of adult tree density and fire on the demography of pregrass stage juvenile longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). J Ecol 83: 75-86. https://doi.org/10.2307/2261152
Guldin JM, 1996. The role of uneven-aged silviculture in the context of ecosystem management. West J Appl For 11: 4-12.
Guldin JM, 2006. Longleaf pine regeneration ecology and methods. In: The longleaf pine ecosystem: ecology, silviculture, and restoration; Jose S, Jokela EJ, Miller D L (eds), New York, NY, USA: Springer, pp. 217-251. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30687-2_7
Heyward, F. 1939. The relation of fire to stand composition of longleaf pine forests. Ecology, 20: 287-304. https://doi.org/10.2307/1930747
Hu H, Wang GG, Walker JL, Knapp BO, 2012. Silvicultural treatments for converting loblolly pine to longleaf pine dominance: effects on planted longleaf pine seedlings. For Ecol Manage 276: 209-216.
Jack SB, Mitchell RJ, Pecot SD, 2006. Silvicultural alternatives in a longleaf pine/wiregrass woodland in southwest Georgia: understory hardwood response to harvest-created gaps. In: Proceedings of the 13th biennial southern silvicultural research conference; Connor KF (eds), USDA Southern Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-92, Asheville, NC, pp. 85-89.
Kara F, Loewenstein EF, 2015a. Influence of residual basal area on longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) first year germination and establishment under selection silviculture. Open Journal of Forestry 5: 10-20. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojf.2015.51002
Kara F, Loewenstein EF, 2015b. Impacts of logging and prescribed burning in longleaf pine forests managed under uneven-aged silviculture. Turk J Agric For 39: 99-106. https://doi.org/10.3906/tar-1405-32
Knapp BO, Wang GG, Walker JL, 2013. Effects of canopy structure and cultural treatments on the survival and growth of Pinus palustris Mill. Seedlings underplanted in Pinus taeda L. stands. Ecological Engineering 57: 46-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.04.014
Landers JL, 1991. Disturbance influences on pine traits in the southeastern United States. In: Proceedings of 17th Tall Timbers fire ecology conference, Tallahassee, FL, USA. 17: 61–98.
Liang S, Li X, Wang J, 2012. Advanced remote sensing: Terrestrial information extraction and applications, 1stedn. Academic Press. ISBN: 0123859549.
Loewenstein EF, 2005. Conversion of uniform broadleaved stands to an uneven-aged structure. For Ecol Manage 215: 103-112.
Maple WR, 1977. Planning longleaf pine regeneration cuttings for best seedling survival and growth. J For 75:25-27.
Mattox MG, 1975. Soil Survey of Escambia County, Alabama. Natural Resource Conservation Service. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
McDonald JH, 2014. Handbook of Biological Statistics, 3rd edition. Sparky House Publishing. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
McGuire JP, Mitchell RJ, Moser EB, Pecot SD, Gjerstad DH, Hedman CW, 2001. Gaps in a gappy forest: plant resources, longleaf pine regeneration, and understory response to tree removal in longleaf pine savannas. Can J For Res 31: 765-778. https://doi.org/10.1139/x01-003
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-Being. Island Press, Washington, DC.
Mitchell RJ, Hiers JK, O'Brien JJ, Jack SB, Engstrom RT, 2006. Silviculture that sustains: the nexus between silviculture, frequent prescribed fire, and conservation of biodiversity in longleaf pine forests of the southeastern United States. Can J For Res 36: 2724-2736. https://doi.org/10.1139/x06-100
Moser WK, Jackson SM, Podrazsky V, Larsen DR, 2002. Examination of stand structure on quail plantations in the Red Hills region of Georgia and Florida managed by the Stoddard-Neel system: an example for forest managers. Forestry 75: 443-449. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/75.4.443
Neel L, Sutter PS, Way AG, 2010. The art of managing longleaf: a personal history of the Stoddard-Neel Approach. The University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA, USA.
Onset Computer Corporation (2009) HOBO® weather station user's guide.
Palik BJ, Mitchell RJ, Hiers JK, 2002. Modeling silviculture after natural disturbance to sustain biodiversity in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem: balancing complexity and implementation. For Ecol Manage 155: 347-356.
Palik BJ, Mitchell RJ, Houseal G, Pederson N, 1997. Effects of canopy structure on resource availability and seedling responses in a longleaf ecosystem. Can J For Res 27: 1458-1464. https://doi.org/10.1139/x97-081
Palik B, Mitchell RJ, Pecot S, Battaglia M, Pu M, 2003. Spatial distribution of overstory retention influences resources and growth of longleaf pine seedlings. Ecological Applications 13, 674–686 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0674:SDOORI]2.0.CO;2
Pecot SD, Mitchell RJ, Palik BJ, Moser EB, Hiers JK, 2007. Competitive responses of seedlings and understory plants in longleaf pine woodlands: separating canopy influences above and below ground. Can J For Res 37: 634-648. https://doi.org/10.1139/X06-247
Platt WJ, Evans GW, Davis MM, 1988. Effects of fire season on flowering of forbs and shrubs in longleaf pine forests. Oecologia 76: 353-363. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377029
R Project, Development Core Team, 2008. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R foundation for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-0.
Roach BA, 1974. What is selection cutting and how do you make it work—what is group selection and where can it be used? State University of New York Applied Forestry Research Institute AFRI Miscellaneous Report No. 5, 9 p.
Rodríguez G, 2007. Lecture notes on generalized linear models [online].
Rodriguez-Trejo DA, Duryea ML, White TL, English JR, McGuire J, 2003. Artificially regenerating longleaf pine in canopy gaps: initial survival and growth during a year of drought. For Ecol Manage 180: 25-36.
Samuelson LJ, Stokes TA, 2012. Leaf physiological and morphological responses to shade in grass-stage seedlings and young trees of longleaf pine. Forests 3: 684-699. https://doi.org/10.3390/f3030684
Schwarz GF, 1907. The longleaf pine in virgin forest- A silvical study. New York, John Wiley & Sons, London, NY.
South DB, Harris SW, Barnett JP, Hainds MJ, Gjerstad DH, 2005. Effect of container type and seedling size on early height growth of Pinus palustris seedlings in Alabama, USA. For Ecol Manage 204: 385-398.
USDA, 2014. Critical Conservation Area: Longleaf Pine Range. Soil Science and Resource Assessment, Resources Assessment Division. Beltsville, MD, USA.
Wahlenberg WG, 1946. Longleaf Pine: Its use, ecology, regeneration, protection, growth, and management. Charles Lathrop Pack Forestry Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.
Walker J, Peet RK, 1983. Composition and species diversity of pine-wiregrass savannas of the Green Swamp, North Carolina. Vegetatio 55: 163-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045019
Whitford KR, Mellican AE, 2011. Intensity, extent and persistence of soil disturbance caused by timber harvesting in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest on FORESTCHECK monitoring sites. Australian Forestry 74: 266-275. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049158.2011.10676371
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the printed and online versions of this Journal are the property of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a “Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International” (CC BY 4.0) License. You may read here the basic information and the legal text of the license. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 License must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the published by the Editor, is not allowed.
