Productivity of Young Piedmont Oak Stands of Sprout Origin

Abstract

Total above-ground tree volumes and weights were measured in 48 even-aged upland hardwood stands in the South Carolina Piedmont, aged 5 to 39 years since clearcutting, with oak site indices (base age 50)from 46 to 89. Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.), southern red oak (Q. falcata Michx.), white oak (Q. alba L.) and black oak (Q. velutina Lam.) comprised over 80 percent of the dominant and codominant crown classes in most stands, and most stems were of sprout origin. Due to well-established root systems, growth of these sprout-origin stands is rapid, regardless of site quality, up to the transition to high forest at about 20 years. Mean annual increment maximizes before age 25 on all sites. Growth beyond age 30 on poor sites is extremely slow. Yields on oak site 80-90 are 4,370 ft³/ac (or 120 tons/ac green weight) at age 50, nearly twice the yields on poor oak sites.