Establishment and Growth of Cherrybark Oak Seedlings Underplanted Beneath a Partial Overstory in a Minor Bottom of Southwestern Arkansas: First Year Results

-Advance regeneration is frequently inadequate to sufficiently restock the oak component of many bottomland stands, especially on productive sites with high levels of competition. We initiated a study near Beirne, AR to examine the effects of pre-plant control of Japanese honeysuckle Thunberg) and seedling quality on establishment success and vigor of oak reproduction beneath a partial canopy. Nine, 2-acre plots were delineated in the stand that was harvested a residual stocking level of 30 percent in the fall of 1996. Honeysuckle pre-plant control treatments randomly applied to the nine were an Escort application in the spring of 1997, an Escort application in the summer of 1997, and a control (no herbicide application). In 1998, 1-O cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings were planted at a 12 ft x 12 ft spacing in each treatment plot. One-half of each treatment plot received seedlings with four or more roots 0.04 in. diameter, while the other half of each plot received seedlings with fewer than four lateral roots 0.04 in. The spring application of Escort provided effective control against Japanese honeysuckle, thereby producing potentially promising conditions for oak seedling growth and development. First-year seedling survival and growth did not respond to honeysuckle control treatments. Survival was not related seedling quality, and first-year differences in seedling size were attributed to initial size differences in stock types

deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) nurse crop

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Restoration of Southern Ecosystems

Restoration of the myriad communities of bottomland hardwood and wetland forests and of the diverse communities of fire-dominated pine forests is the subject of intense interest in the Southern United States. Restoration practice is relatively advanced for bottomland hardwoods and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and less so for swamps and shortleaf pine (P. echinata Mill.). Most bottomland hardwood restoration is taking place on private land, while restoration of swamps and shortleaf pine occurs mostly on public land. Both public and private landowners are involved in the restoration of longleaf pine. Proper matching of species to site is critical to successful restoration of bottomland hardwoods. Techniques for longleaf pine restoration include the reintroduction of growing-season fire and the planting of longleaf pine seedlings and understory species. Safely reintroducing growing-season fire, however, may require initial manipulation of other vegetation by mechanical or chemical means to reduce built-up fuels

Avances en la restauración de bosques de roble en tierras bajas agrícolas del Río Mississippi y sus tributarios

The lowlands associated with the Mississippi River and its tributaries historically supported extensive broadleaf forests that were particularly rich in oak (Quercus spp.) species. Beginning in the 1700s, deforestation for agriculture substantially reduced the extent of the original forest, and fragmented the remainder into small parcels. More recently, declines in agricultural commodity prices, along with increased awareness of conservation have provided opportunities to restore a substantial base of agriculture land to broadleaf forests. While afforestation of former agricultural land began over 40 years ago in the region, organized, large-scale afforestation efforts have peaked over the last 15 years with increased interest in forest sustainability, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and water quality. Large-scale implementation of afforestation to restore broadleaf forest cover has raised many issues particular to oak species biology and ecology that impact the restoration process. The purpose of this manuscript is to present knowledge gained from research and experience with oak forest afforestation in the eastern United States as a model for developing approaches to initiate oak forest restoration in other regions. To accomplish this, we outline issues associated with the oak regeneration strategy and natural stand development patterns that have hampered large-scale restoration of oak-dominated forests. Furthermore, we present effective afforestation approaches used to reduce the impact of these challenges, and frame these approaches under the context of oak forest afforestation that addresses multiple management objectives and provides for value and function on a sustainable basis.Las zonas bajas asociadas al río Mississippi y sus tributarios albergaron históricamente extensos bosques de latifoliadas particularmente ricos en especies de roble (Quercus spp.). A comienzos del siglo xviii, la deforestación causada por la agricultura sostenible redujo la extensión del bosque original y fragmentó el restante en pequeñas parcelas. Más recientemente, la reducción en los precios de los productos, junto con la creciente conciencia por la conservación, han brindado oportunidades para restaurar una porción considerable de tierras agrícolas en bosques de latifoliadas. Mientras que las primeras reforestaciones de tierras agrícolas comenzaron hace 40 años en la región, los esfuerzos para realizar reforestaciones organizadas y a gran escala han tenido su máximo en los últimos 15 años, debido al creciente interés en la sostenibilidad de los bosques, la conservación de la biodiversidad, el secuestro de carbono y la calidad de las aguas. Implementar la reforestación a gran escala para restaurar bosques de latifoliadas involucra muchos aspectos de la biología y ecología de las especies de roble que impactan el proceso de restauración. El propósito de este artículo es mostrar los conocimientos que se han obtenido a través de investigaciones y experiencias en la reforestación de bosques de roble en el oriente de los Estados Unidos, como modelo para desarrollar avances que permitan iniciar la restauración de los bosques de roble en otras regiones. Para lograr esto delineamos aspectos asociados con las estrategias de regeneración de los robles y los patrones de desarrollo natural de los rodales que han limitado la reforestación a gran escala en bosque dominados por roble. Más aún, presentamos avances efectivos en reforestación usados para reducir el impacto de estos cambios, y enmarcamos estos avances en el contexto de la reforestación de bosques de roble que responde a múltiples objetivos de manejo y brinda valor y función sobre una base sostenible

Long-term Success of Stump Sprouts in High-graded Baldcypress-water Tupelo Swamps in the Mississippi Delta

Regeneration of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.) in swamps of the deltaic plain of the Mississippi River are of major importance for ecosystem sustainability and forest management in the context of regional hydrological changes. Water tupelo often forms prolific sprouts from cut stumps, and baldcypress is one of few conifers to produce stump sprouts capable of becoming full-grown trees. Previous studies have addressed early survival of baldcypress stump sprouts, but have not addressed the likelihood of sprouts becoming an important component of mature stands. We surveyed stands in southeastern Louisiana that were partially logged 10–41 years ago to determine if stump sprouts are an important mechanism of regeneration. At each site we inventoried stumps and measured stump height and diameter, presence and number of sprouts, sprout height, and water depth.We determined age and diameter growth rate for the largest sprout fromeach stump from increment cores. The majority of stumps did not have surviving sprouts. Baldcypress sprout survival was about the same (median 10%) as previously found for stumps up to 7 years old, so it appears that, although mortality is high soon after sprouting, it is low after age 10.Water tupelo sprouting was rare at our sites but it was not clear whether this may have been because trees were not cut at our sample locations. Baldcypress stump sprouts were more likely to survive on shorter, smaller-diameter stumps, and baldcypress sprout growth was greatest on drier sites with less competition from overstory trees. Surviving baldcypress stump sprouts had high growth rates, but were not regularly spatially distributed within stands and many had advancing decay from stumps into sprouts