Structure and composition changes following restoration treatments of longleaf pine forests on the Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama

Outcalt, Kenneth W.; Brockway, Dale G.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.01.039

Cited by 54 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Bringing existing longleaf pine stands under management and restoring longleaf pine stands from degraded or otherwise converted forest stands is a priority for a number of land management entities in the southeastern U.S. [37,38]. Managers undertaking these tasks must have information about the response of growth and stand structure under alternative silvicultural scenarios.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Survival, Yield, Volume Partitioning and Their Response to Thinning for Longleaf Pine Plantations

Gonzalez‐Benecke

Gezan

Leduc

et al. 2012

Forests

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Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) is an important tree species of the southeast U.S. Currently there is no comprehensive stand-level growth and yield model for the species. The model system described here estimates site index (SI) if dominant height (H dom ) and stand age are known (inversely, the model can project H dom at any given age if SI is known). The survival (N) equation was dependent on stand age and H dom , predicting greater mortality on stands with larger H dom . The function that predicts stand basal area (BA) for unthinned stands was dependent on N and H dom . For thinned stands BA was predicted with a competition index that was dependent on stand age. The function that best predicted stand stem volume (outside or inside bark) was dependent on BA and H dom . All functions performed well for a wide range of stand ages and productivity, with coefficients of determination ranging between 0.946 (BA) and 0.998 (N). We also developed equations to estimate merchantable volume yield consisting of different combinations of threshold diameter at breast height and top diameter for longleaf pine stands. The equations presented in this study performed similarly or slightly better than other reported models to estimate future N, H dom and BA. The system presented here provides important new tools for supporting future longleaf pine management and research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Survival, Yield, Volume Partitioning and Their Response to Thinning for Longleaf Pine Plantations

Gonzalez‐Benecke

Gezan

Leduc

et al. 2012

Forests

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“…[25,26]. These studies also suggest that burning remains essential for recovery of species richness and species abundance of understory vegetation through control of litter accumulations and reduction in the forest floor [9,20,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Short-term effects of these hardwood removal techniques on plant community composition and structure have been well documented in the past [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. For instance, mechanical removal and herbicide application are generally more efficient than fire at removing overstory and mid-story hardwoods [19,24]. Mechanical removal may need repeated fires to prevent and control hardwood resprouting [19,20], while herbicide application may be detrimental to other species through non-target impacts (e.g., insects, reptiles, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Restoration Techniques on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Florida Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Sandhill Forests

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2014

Forests

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Historic fire suppression and intensive forest management in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) sandhill forests has resulted in hardwood encroachment and degradation of this fire-dependent ecosystem. Active management is now required to restore native community structure and composition, but little is known about the long-term impacts of typical restoration techniques on ecosystem properties. In 1994, the Longleaf Pine Restoration Project (LPRP) was established in fire-excluded longleaf pine sandhills of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to explore the effects of restoration treatments on plant and animal community composition and soil processes. Experimental treatments applied included three hardwood reduction techniques and delayed burn. Reference sites were concurrently monitored. Fifteen years later, we revisited the LPRP plots to determine whether soil processes showed lasting treatment effects. This study showed that there were OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 499 no differences in soil C and N between the reference and the fire-suppressed plots prior to the treatments, suggesting that soil C and N were relatively resistant to degradation. This study also showed that the restoration treatments had a significant effect by reducing soil C, but this effect was only short-lived (<3 years). In addition, a MRPP (multi-response permutation procedure) analysis showed that only the herbicide treatment was still different from the reference plots 15 years after the initial treatments. Thus, this study suggests that repeated fires (or lack of) or hardwood removal treatments have little detectable effect on soil nutrients in these nutrient-poor ecosystems.

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“…Thoughtful application of timber cutting and prescribed burning is essential for creating a desirable stand structure, fostering growth of useful products, maintaining a native groundcover with high levels of biological diversity and enhancing the success of natural longleaf pine regeneration (Brockway et al, 2006;Outcalt and Brockway, 2010). In stands not dominated by herbaceous plants in the understory, precipitously reducing the forest canopy can increase woody plant competition, thereby jeopardizing longleaf pine regeneration success.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Logging traffic is typically greater for shelterwood methods (more trees removed ha À1 ) than for selection systems and this contrast may differentially influence the survival rate of young longleaf pine, as well as understory plant species (Brockway and Outcalt, 2015). No matter which stand reproduction method is implemented, frequent prescribed burning (e.g., 2 or 3-year cycle) is essential for maintaining composition, structure and function, primarily by discouraging development of competing woody plants and creating seedbed conditions favorable for regeneration and development of longleaf pine seedlings (Brockway and Lewis, 1997;Outcalt, 2000, 2015;Outcalt, 2000Outcalt, , 2006Haywood et al, 2001;Outcalt and Wade, 2004;Outcalt and Brockway, 2010). Early studies concluded that even-aged management, with clearcutting and seed-tree methods, resulted in insufficient seed production for successful natural regeneration and needle cast to support frequent prescribed fires (Boyer and Peterson, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of reproduction cutting methods on structure, growth and regeneration of longleaf pine forests in flatwoods and uplands

Brockway

Outcalt

2017

Forest Ecology and Management

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a b s t r a c tThough longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests have been primarily managed with even-aged methods, interest is increasing in uneven-aged systems, as a means of achieving a wider range of stewardship goals. Selection silviculture has been practiced on a limited scale in longleaf pine, but difficulty with using traditional approaches and absence of an evaluation across a range of site types has left managers in doubt concerning its suitability. This study was conducted to quantify the effects on stand dynamics of applying single-tree selection, group selection, irregular shelterwood and uniform shelterwood in longleaf pine forests on flatwoods and uplands of the southeastern United States. Selection treatments reduced stand basal area to $11.5 m 2 ha À1 and shelterwood treatments left a basal area of $5.8 m 2 ha À1 . In spite of initial decreases in tree density and standing volume, growth rates were normal in all stands (1-5% per year), as were subsequent increases in basal area and tree density. Despite the continuing abundance of saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens W. Bartram) cover and absence of prescribed fire during the eight post-treatment years, significant increases in pine regeneration were observed in all treated stands in the flatwoods. Because of a multi-year drought in the uplands, pine seedling numbers dramatically declined, no matter which reproduction approach was employed. Although seedling numbers eventually began to recover, they were again precipitously depressed by a wildfire in 2013. Even with such losses, sufficient pine seedlings remained in each treatment to foster successful stand regeneration. Single-tree selection produced less overall change in the forest ecosystem than group selection, which caused less alteration than shelterwood treatment. Single-tree selection appears to be an effective way for achieving stand regeneration, while maintaining a continuous canopy cover that aids in the control of woody competitors and supports an array of resource values. Selection silviculture seems to be a lower risk approach for guiding forests along a trajectory of gradual improvement, with adjustments provided by frequent surface fires and periodic tree harvest. Long-term observation will be required to verify that selection can sustain forest ecosystems on sites characterized by differing environments.Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Structure and composition changes following restoration treatments of longleaf pine forests on the Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama

Cited by 54 publications

References 27 publications

Modeling Survival, Yield, Volume Partitioning and Their Response to Thinning for Longleaf Pine Plantations

Modeling Survival, Yield, Volume Partitioning and Their Response to Thinning for Longleaf Pine Plantations

Effects of Restoration Techniques on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Florida Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Sandhill Forests

Influence of reproduction cutting methods on structure, growth and regeneration of longleaf pine forests in flatwoods and uplands

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