Reversing legacy effects in the understory of an oak-dominated forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 350-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy ◽  
James Rentch ◽  
Mary Beth Adams ◽  
Walter Carson
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Canopy Gaps ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
East Central ◽  
Single Process ◽  
Process Effects ◽  
Poplar Seedlings

Current forests developed under conditions different from original forests, with higher deer densities, reduced fire frequency, denser canopies, and smaller canopy gaps. These alterations have led to understories dominated by species simultaneously browse tolerant, shade tolerant, and fire sensitive leading to difficulties in the regeneration of oak species (Quercus spp.) in some areas. We evaluated how three key processes — understory fire, canopy gaps, and browsing — influenced tree species in east central West Virginia. We were particularly interested in the response of oak species because they are the dominant overstory species and of maple species (Acer spp.), black birch (Betula lenta L.), and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) as these are likely to replace the current forest. Single-process effects were significant and significant interactions among processes were numerous. In general, fire caused significant reductions of seedlings and saplings of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum L.) and increased the seedlings of black birch and yellow-poplar. Canopy gaps increased the abundance of black birch and yellow-poplar seedlings and saplings. Gaps and fire together caused an increase in the relative abundance of yellow-poplar. Excluding browsers and creating canopy gaps together nearly doubled oak sapling importance values versus either treatment alone; however, oak importance values remained low. Given the significant interactions of browse control with the other two processes, browse control should be considered when planning oak regeneration treatments such as canopy gaps or prescribed fire.

scholarly journals Effects of Seasonal Prescribed Fires on Residual Overstory Trees in Oak-Dominated Shelterwood Stands

1999 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Brose ◽  
David Van Lear
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Crown Condition ◽  
Treatment Area ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Overstory Trees

Abstract A study was initiated in 1994 to evaluate the degree of bole damage and crown decline residual overstory trees would experience because of prescribed burning of shelterwood stands. Three oak-dominated shelterwood stands, partially harvested 2 to 4 yr earlier, were divided into four treatments (unburned control, spring burn, summer burn, and winter burn). Fifteen permanent sampling points were systematically located in each 5 to 12 ac treatment area, and overstory trees were selected from these points with a 10 BAF prism. Before burning, each tree was evaluated for lower bole and crown condition and reevaluated two growing seasons after the fires. Hickory, oak, and yellow-poplar were largely unaffected by the winter and summer prescribed fires but displayed bole damage and crown decline following spring burning. American beech and red maple declined after all fire treatments. Fire damage to oak, hickory, and yellow-poplar was strongly associated to presence of logging slash near a tree's base. Directional felling or moving slash should minimize injury to these trees. This research will aid resource managers wishing to use prescribed fire in shelterwood stands to favor oak regeneration while minimizing damage to residual overstory oaks. South. J. Appl. For. 23(2):88-93.

Precommercial Thinning Increases Diameter Growth of Appalachian Hardwood Stump Sprouts

1983 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil I. Lamson
Keyword(s):  
Quercus Rubra ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Prunus Serotina ◽  
Black Cherry ◽  
Northern Red Oak ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Stump Sprouts

Abstract In West Virginia crop trees were selected from 7- or 12-year-old yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), basswood (Tilia americana L.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), and northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) stump sprouts. Crop trees were dominant or codominant, well-formed sprouts that originated not more than 6 inches above groundline and did not fork in the lower 17 feet. Four treatments were evaluated: (1) control; (2) thinning; (3) pruning; and (4) thinning plus pruning. Five years after treatment the diameter (d.b.h.) growth of thinned sprouts was 1.5 times greater than that of control sprouts. Pruning did not cause a significant decrease in five-year d.b.h. growth. Height growth was not affected by the treatments. Most of the epicormic branches produced by pruning were dead five years after treatment. Natural pruning was reduced by thinning; the average clear bole length of thinned sprouts was about 2 feet shorter than that of the control sprouts. Survival was nearly 100 percent.

Responses of hardwood advance regeneration to seasonal prescribed fires in oak-dominated shelterwood stands

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick H Brose ◽  
David H Van Lear
Keyword(s):  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Stem Form ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Density Reduction ◽  
Advance Regeneration

Effects of seasonal prescribed fires of varying intensities on density, mortality, stem form, height, and height growth of hardwood advance regeneration were investigated. Three mixed-hardwood stands on productive upland sites were cut using a shelterwood technique, each forming a block of spring burn, summer burn, winter burn, and control treatments. Advance regeneration was inventoried from permanent plots before and after burning. Fires top-killed nearly all hardwood regeneration, forcing the rootstocks to sprout. Fire treatments reduced densities of all hardwood species relative to not burning, with spring and summer fires causing greater density reduction than winter burning. Among species, oak (Quercus spp. L.) and hickory (Carya spp. Nutt.) were more resilient sprouters than yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.), especially as fire intensity increased. All prescribed fires improved oak stem form and stimulated height growth of hickory and oak. Overall, prescribed fires improved oak advance regeneration with spring burning providing the most benefit. This approach of following a shelterwood harvest with prescribed fire may be a viable method of regenerating oak-dominated stands on productive upland sites.

scholarly journals Humectants as Post-plant Soil Amendments: Effects on Growth and Physiological Activity of Drought-stressed, Container-grown Tree Seedlings

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Bruce Roberts ◽  
R. Scott Linder ◽  
Charles Krause ◽  
Ryan Harmanis
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Physiological Activity ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Xylem Water Potential ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Soil Drench ◽  
One Year

One-year-old seedlings of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) were treated with Hydretain ES™(HydES) or EcoSential™(EcoS) applied as a soil drench. A progressive drought cycle was imposed after treatment, and as each seedling wilted, the leaves and roots were harvested. Foliar growth was unaffected by HydES or EcoS, but root growth (roots < 1 mm diameter) was significantly less for seedlings grown in the humectant-treated media. These data, along with measurements of substrate moisture content taken during a similar dry down period, suggest that drought-induced fine root growth in humectant-treated media was slower because there was less need for these roots to extend and proliferate in search of additional soil moisture supplies. In studies conducted the following year, HydES or EcoS were applied as a soil drench to one-year-old seedlings of red maple and river birch (Betula nigra L.) prior to withholding irrigation. In these studies, measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf gas exchange, and xylem water potential indicate that physiological activity was greater for drought-stressed seedlings grown in HydES-treated media compared to similar seedlings grown in EcoS-treated media, a condition attributed to lower levels of plant-water stress (higher xylem water potentials) in the HydES-treated seedlings.

Relationships Among Potassium, Calcium and Trace Elements in Tree Leaves and Associated Canopy Arthropods

1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance S. Risley
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Nutrient Cycles ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Flowering Dogwood ◽  
Quercus Prinus ◽  
The Relationship

There is a paucity of information that describes the relationship between the suite of nutrient elements in tree foliage and associated arthropod assemblages. Foliage from chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), hickories (Carya spp.), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), red maple (Acer rubrum), and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) and associated canopy arthropods were collected in an undisturbed and a 15 yr-old successional forested watershed and analyzed for K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, and Sr. Foliar Mn and Sr were found in higher concentrations in the undisturbed watershed. Foliage from hickories was generally higher in concentrations of metals (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn) compared with other tree species. Dogwood foliage had significantly higher concentrations of Ca and significantly lower concentrations of Mn than other tree species (P &lt; 0.05). Concentrations of foliar elements in herbivore-damaged and undamaged leaves did not differ significantly (P &gt; 0.05). Concentrations of elements in and among arthropod feeding categories varied substantially such that no trends were apparent among tree species and between watersheds. The most apparent trend among arthropod feeding categories was the relatively large accumulation of K in chewing herbivores (primarily caterpillars). In general, there appeared to be increases in K, Fe, Cu, and Zn concentrations from primary producers to consumers. This study contributes to arthropod nutritional ecology and to defining the role of canopy arthropods in forest ecosystem nutrient cycles.

Chromated Copper Arsenate Preservative Treatment of North American Hardwoods. Part 1. CCA Fixation Performance

Holzforschung ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 577-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Stevanovic Janezic ◽  
P.A. Cooper ◽  
Y.T. Ung
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
North American ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Chromated Copper Arsenate ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Red Oak ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Copper Arsenate

Summary We have examined chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood preservative fixation at two selected temperatures in seven common North American hardwood species: red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), red oak (Quercus rubra L.), basswood (Tilia americana L.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). The softwood red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) was included for comparison. CCA component fixation was monitored by the expressate method at both 21°C and 50°C under non-drying conditions. Hexavalent chromium (CrVI) and total Cr, Cu and As contents of the expressate were determined at different times during fixation. Based on CCA fixation results it was possible to divide the examined hardwoods into a fast fixing group (beech, red oak and red maple), intermediate group (white birch and red pine) and slow fixing group (aspen, yellow poplar and basswood). The variable fixation rates for the different species could not be directly related to different anatomical and chemical attributes of the studied hardwoods, although there was an apparent relationship with density with more dense species fixing faster than low density species. However, the species differences appeared to be mainly influenced by types and amounts of extractives in the woods. In red maple, extraction resulted in a slowing of the fixation rate, while the opposite effect was seen in red oak.

Factors Affecting Natural Regeneration of Piedmont Hardwoods

1988 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S. Kays ◽  
David Wm. Smith ◽  
Shepard M. Zedaker ◽  
Richard E. Kreh
Keyword(s):  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Quercus Alba ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Oak ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Quercus Prinus ◽  
Dormant Season ◽  
Typical Range

Abstract Clear felling with whole-tree utilization was performed on six similar pairs of plots with a range of SI50 48-75 ft for white oak. Pairs of plots received either dormant or growing season harvests and spanned a typical range of Piedmont upland hardwood sites characterized by low-quality stems and poor species composition: White oak (Quercus alba L.), scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.), and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) sprouting decreased with increasing diameter, while chestnut oak (Quercus prinus L.), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), and sourwood (Oxydendron arboreum L.) did not. Sprouting of white oak stumps greater than 12 in. dbh and 80 years old was significantly increased with a dormant season harvest. In general, chestnut oak, yellow-poplar, sourwood, and red maple sprouted with high frequencies regardless of season of harvest, diameter, or age. South. J. Appl. For. 12(2):98-102.

scholarly journals Effects of burn season on large seedlings of oak and other hardwood regeneration three years after shelterwood harvest

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ying Xin ◽  
Roger A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Dominant Species ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Oak ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Red Oaks ◽  
Hardwood Species ◽  
Canopy Volume

Abstract The effects of fall and spring prescribed fires on large seedlings (0.3 to 1.3 m height) of oak and other hardwood species three years after a shelterwood harvest were examined in Richland Furnace and Zaleski State Forests in southern Ohio. Fall and spring burns appeared to be more deleterious to red oaks (Quercus rubra L., Q. velutina Lam., Q. coccinea Muenchh.) than white oaks (Q. alba L., Q. prinus L.). Red oak experienced reductions in numbers and canopy volume after spring burns, and canopy reductions after fall burns. White oak experienced small increases in numbers of stems after both fall and spring burns, and an increase in the canopy volume after fall burns, but a slight decrease after spring burns. Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), a major oak competitor prior to fire, experienced dramatic reductions in the number of regenerating stems and canopy volume after both fall and spring burns. On the other hand, red maple (Acer rubrum L.) experienced large increases in the number of regenerating stems and canopy volume after both fall and spring burns. Based on importance value, the oak species remained relatively unchanged after both fall and spring burns. Yellow-poplar became the least dominant species after spring burns and the second to last dominant species after fall burns.

Foliar morphology and chemistry of upland oaks, red maple, and sassafras seedlings in response to single and repeated prescribed fires

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.D. Alexander ◽  
M.A. Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Leaf Mass Per Area ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Leaf N Content ◽  
Seedling Leaf

Managers increasingly use prescribed fire in oak forests to decrease fire-sensitive species, increase understory light, and improve oak ( Quercus spp.) regeneration. To better understand woody seedling response to burning, single and repeated (3×) prescribed fires were implemented over 6 years (2002–2007) in eastern Kentucky, and leaf traits of red ( Erythrobalanus spp.) and white oaks ( Leucobalanus spp.) were compared with competitors red maple ( Acer rubrum L.) and sassafras ( Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees). Burned seedlings had higher total leaf area (TLA) because of two to three times higher TLA of sassafras. Leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf N content per area (Narea) increased postfire but were independent of seedling identity. Canopy openness during 2006, which was lower on unburned sites (4%–8%) compared with those burned 1× (4%–16%) and 3× (7%–33%), was positively correlated with sassafras TLA, oak and sassafras Narea, and LMA of all seedling groups the subsequent year. In 2007, TLA, LMA, and Narea were positively correlated with basal diameter of all groups but most significantly for sassafras and red maple. These findings indicate that low-intensity, early growing season prescribed fire can alter seedling leaf characteristics, but not in a manner that enhances oak seedling leaf traits relative to their competitors red maple and sassafras.

Development of a Southern Appalachian Hardwood Stand After Clearcutting

1986 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald E. Beck ◽  
Ralph M. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Black Locust ◽  
Robinia Pseudoacacia ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Southern Appalachians ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Poplar ◽  
Southern Appalachian ◽  
Quercus Spp ◽  
Robinia Pseudoacacia L ◽  
A Minor

Abstract A mixed hardwood stand composed of 53% oak (Quercus spp.), 33% yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), and 14% other species, was clearcut in 1963. Twenty years later a developing, even-aged stand of predominantly sprout origin is dominated by yellow-poplar, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and sweet birch (Betula lenta L.). The oaks are a minor and decreasing component. This and other studies suggest that clearcuts on good sites in the Southern Appalachians will be dominated by aggressive intolerant species—mainly yellow-poplar. If a larger oak component is desired, measures to ensure strong advance reproduction and lessen competition from prolific sprouters such as red maple will be necessary. South. J. Appl. For. 10:168-72. Aug. 1986.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document