Bedding and Fertilization Ameliorate Effects of Designated Wet-Weather Skid Trails after Four Years for Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Plantations

Abstract Wet-weather harvesting operations on wet pine fiats can cause soil disturbances that may reduce long-term site productivity. Site preparation and fertilization are often recommended as ameliorative practices for such disturbances, but few studies have actually quantified their effects on restoration. The purposes of this study were to quantify the effects of wet-weather harvest traffic in designated skid trails on soil properties and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) growth, and to evaluate the ameliorative effects of site preparation. Study sites were established on wet pine flats of the lower Coastal Plain within the Francis Marion National Forest (Berkeley County, SC). Treatments were arranged in a split-split plot within a randomized complete block design. Treatments were two levels of traffic (nontrafficked, trafficked), four levels of mechanical site preparation (none, disking, bedding, disking + bedding), and two levels of fertilization (none, 337 kg /ha of 10-10-10 fertilizer). initially, the trafficking increased soil bulk densities and reduced soil water movement and subsequent growth of loblolly pine (years 1 and 2). Bedding combined with fertilization restored site productivity to non trafficked levels within 4 yr, but disking or fertilization treatments alone were not effective at ameliorating the traffic effects. The effectiveness of the bedding and fertilization treatments for amelioration of traffic effects was probably facilitated by the relatively small area of disturbed skid trails (<10%) found on these sites. Areas having more severe disturbance or higher percentages of disturbance might not be ameliorated as rapidly. South. J. Appl. For. 22(4):222-226.

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Potential above-ground biomass losses from severe soil rutting during wet weather timber harvests of coastal plain loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations mitigated by mechanical site preparation

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2013.07.019 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 307 ◽

pp. 266-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

David P. Passauer ◽

W. Michael Aust ◽

M. Chad Bolding ◽

Brian D. Strahm ◽

James M. Burger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Wet Weather ◽

Timber Harvests

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Changes in site productivity and the recovery of soil properties following wet- and dry-weather harvesting disturbances in the Atlantic Coastal Plain for a stand of age 10 years

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-038 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 37 (8) ◽

pp. 1336-1348 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Mark H. Eisenbies ◽

James A. Burger ◽

W. Michael Aust ◽

Steven C. Patterson

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

Tree Height ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽

Site Productivity ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Wet Weather ◽

Wet Pine Flats

Wet-weather logging can cause severe soil physical disturbances and redistribute residues. Although some research indicates negative effects of such disturbances on individual tree growth, the long-term resilience and resistance of soils and the ameliorative effects of site preparation are not fully understood. Three 20 ha loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) plantations located on fertile wet pine flats on the coastal plain of South Carolina were subjected to five treatment combinations of harvest (wet and dry) and site preparation. Mean tree heights were 10.2–11.5 m, and stand biomass ranged between 95 and 143 Mg/ha. A rank diagnostic indicates that wet-weather harvesting did not significantly change site productivity between rotations, and bedding improved site productivity. At the polypedon scale (0.04 ha), there were no significant differences in tree height, biomass, or the rank diagnostic among classes of soil physical disturbances or harvesting residues when bedding was employed. On nonbedded sites, some levels of disturbance appeared to be superior to minimally disturbed sites. Based on 10 year results, wet pine flats are apparently resistant and resilient to the effects of wet-weather harvesting.

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Intensive Forest Management Affects Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) Growth and Survival on Poorly Drained Sites in Southern Arkansas

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/30.2.79 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 79-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M.S. Rahman ◽

M.G. Messina ◽

R.F. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Vegetation Control ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Intensive Forest Management ◽

Tree Survival ◽

Pinus Taeda L

Abstract We investigated if intensive forest management could enhance loblolly pine seedling growth and survival on West Gulf flatwoods where winter and spring waterlogging and frequent summer drought limit loblolly pine performance. Fertilization, chemical vegetation control, and mechanical site preparation (combined bedding and ripping) were tested in different combinations on six sites established in southern Arkansas in early 1999. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling performance was monitored in the first two growing seasons (1999 and 2000) and fifth growing season (2003) after planting. Fertilization increased growth in all years. Mechanical site preparation affected only height and only until year 2. There was no effect of chemical vegetation control in any measurement year, although chemical vegetation control resulted in greater growth in combination with fertilization than did either treatment applied separately. Tree survival averaged 92% a few months after planting and then decreased significantly at year 1 (77%), and remained comparable until year 5, the last year data were collected. Tree survival was not affected by mechanical site preparation, fertilization, or chemical vegetation control. Intensive forest management can increase loblolly pine seedling growth and survival on poorly drained sites in the West Gulf.

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The Effect of Mid-Rotation Fertilization on the Wood Properties of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda)

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-90000202 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 49-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Finto Antony ◽

Lewis Jordan ◽

Laurence R. Schimleck ◽

Richard F. Daniels ◽

Alexander Clark III

Keyword(s):

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Block Design ◽

Microfibril Angle ◽

Wood Properties ◽

Dry Density ◽

Fertilizer Treatment ◽

Annual Growth Rings ◽

Anatomical Properties ◽

Four Levels

Mid-rotation fertilization is a common practice in the management of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations, typically providing large improvements in growth. However, concerns exist about the quality of wood produced following fertilization. The objective of this study was to develop an understanding of wood property changes following fertilization. Wood samples from a study involving four levels of fertilization applied to a thinned mid-rotation loblolly pine plantation located on the lower coastal plain of North Carolina were sampled. The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design involving four blocks and four levels of nitrogen fertilizer: Control-000, 112, 224 and 336 kg/ha, along with 28 kg/ha of phosphorus with all treatments. Thirty-two trees were felled and disks were cut at five heights from each tree. Wood properties including modulus of elasticity, air-dry density and tracheid anatomical properties were measured for each of the three post-fertilization annual growth rings using near infrared (NIR) spectra obtained from the radial face of strips cut from the disks. An analysis of variance was conducted on three-year basal area weighted average stiffness, air-dry density, and tracheid anatomical properties. A decrease in stiffness, air-dry density, tracheid wall thickness, and an increase in tracheid radial diameter were observed for the heaviest fertilizer treatment (336 kg/ha) compared to the control and 112 kg/ha of nitrogen. Microfibril angle (MFA), cell tangential diameter, and tracheid perimeter showed little change. Wood properties of trees receiving fertilizer rates of 112 and 224 kg/ha were not significantly affected.

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Influence of Mechanical Site Preparation on Deer Forage in the Georgia Piedmont

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/14.2.77 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 77-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cynthia G. Lacascio ◽

B. G. Lockaby ◽

Jon P. Caulfied ◽

M. Boyd Edwards ◽

M. Keith Causey

Keyword(s):

Pinus Taeda ◽

Odocoileus Virginianus ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Site Preparation ◽

The Other ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Pinus Taeda L ◽

Georgia Piedmont ◽

Timber Growth

Abstract Seasonal standing crops of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forage were compared among five types of mechanical site preparation in a 6-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation. Treatments were: unharvested control (C); harvest only (H); chainsaw residuals (CR); shear and chop (SC); and shear, rake, burn, and disk (SRBD). Diferences among treatments were compared within species and within forage groups (vines, forbs, grasses, woody). The CR and SC treatments, which consistently produced more forage biomass in all categories, also exhibited average or above-average timber growth relative to the other treatments. South. J. Appl. For. 14(2):77-80.

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Long-term effects of wet and dry site harvesting on soil physical properties mitigated by mechanical site preparation in coastal plain loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2015.09.034 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 359 ◽

pp. 162-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

A.J. Lang ◽

R. Cristan ◽

W.M. Aust ◽

M.C. Bolding ◽

B.D. Strahm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation

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Four Site-Preparation Techniques for Regenerating Pine-Hardwood Mixtures in the Piedmont

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/21.3.116 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 116-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Thomas A. Waldrop

Keyword(s):

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Height Growth ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Site Conditions ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Southern Appalachian ◽

Medium Quality ◽

Pinus Taeda L ◽

Preparation Techniques

Abstract Four variations of the fell-and-burn technique, a system developed to produce mixed pine-hardwood stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, were compared in the Piedmont region. All variations of this technique successfully improved the commercial value of low-quality hardwood stands by introducing a pine component. After six growing seasons, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) occupied the dominant crown position and oaks the codominant position in fell-and-burn treated stands on poor to medium quality sites. The precise timing of felling residual stems, as prescribed by the fell-and-burn technique, may be flexible because winter and spring felling produced similar results. Although summer site preparation burns reduced hardwood height growth by reducing the length of the first growing season, they did not improve pine survival or growth. Pines were as tall as hardwoods within four growing seasons in burned plots and within six growing seasons in unburned plots. Additional research is needed to determine the level or intensity of site preparation needed to establish pine-hardwood mixtures over a range of site conditions. South. J. Appl. For. 21(3):116-122.

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Effect of midrotation fertilization on growth and specific gravity of loblolly pine

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x09-021 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

pp. 928-935 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Finto Antony ◽

Lewis Jordan ◽

Richard F. Daniels ◽

Laurence R. Schimleck ◽

Alexander Clark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Specific Gravity ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Block Design ◽

Wood Property ◽

Basal Area ◽

Wood Properties ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

Breast Height ◽

Four Levels ◽

Property Changes

Wood properties and growth were measured on breast-height cores and on disks collected at different heights from a thinned and fertilized midrotation loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) plantation in the lower Coastal Plain of North Carolina. The study was laid out in a randomized complete-block design receiving four levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer: unfertilized control and 112, 224, and 336 kg/ha plus 28 kg/ha of phosphorus with each treatment. The effect of fertilization was analyzed for the whole-disk and for a 4 year average following fertilization on data collected from breast-height cores and from disks. The fertilization treatments did not significantly affect whole-disk wood properties but significantly increased radial growth. Fertilization rate of 336 kg/ha N significantly reduced 4 year average ring specific gravity and latewood specific gravity. Wood properties of trees that received 112 and 224 kg/ha N were not affected following treatment. There was no height related trend in wood property changes due to fertilization. Fertilization significantly increased ring basal area and earlywood basal area. In summary, there was a decline in wood properties and an increase in basal area growth immediately after fertilization; both depended on the rate of fertilizer applied irrespective of height.

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