Effects of Mechanical Site Preparation, Planting Stock, and Planting Aids on the Survival and Growth of American Sycamore in a Marginal Old Field Riparian Restoration

Survival and growth of planted tree species are common indices used to evaluate success of wetland restoration efforts used to compensate for wetland losses. Restoration efforts on marginal agricultural lands have typically resulted in less than satisfactory survival and growth of desired tree species. In an attempt to determine the effects of bottomland hardwood silvicultural methods on the survival and growth of pioneer tree species, this study evaluated combinations of five mechanical site-preparation techniques (mound, bed, rip, disk, pit), four levels of planting stock (gallon, tubeling, bare root, and direct seed), and three planting aids (mat, tube, none) on the four-year survival and growth of American sycamore planted in an old field riparian area in the Piedmont of Virginia. After four growing seasons, results indicated that mounding mechanical site preparation combined with gallon (3.8 L) planting stock provided the most positive influences on mean survival (100%), height (4.72 m), and groundline diameter (9.52 cm), and resulted in the greatest aboveground dry biomass accumulation (5.44 Mg/ha/year). These treatments may be economically viable for restoration and mitigations efforts, and could offer other economic alternatives such as short-rotation woody crops, which might make restoration efforts in marginal old field areas more attractive to private landowners.

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

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/22.4.222 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 222-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

W. Michael Aust ◽

James A. Burger ◽

William H. McKee ◽

Gregory A. Scheerer ◽

Mark D. Tippett

Keyword(s):

Pinus Taeda ◽

Loblolly Pine ◽

Water Movement ◽

Block Design ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Site Productivity ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Wet Weather ◽

Four Levels ◽

Study Sites

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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Reforestation of Orchard Stands and Savannahs on Pennsylvania's Allegheny Plateau

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/2.1.22 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 22-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stephen B. Horsley

Keyword(s):

Site Preparation ◽

Turn Of The Century ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Black Cherry ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

White Ash ◽

Survival And Growth ◽

Terminal Shoot ◽

Allegheny Plateau ◽

Forest Openings

Abstract Orchard stands and savannahs are forest openings that failed to regenerate after turn-of-the-century logging and have been dominated by dense herbaceous plant growth for 50 or more years. The effectiveness of herbicide application, mechanical site preparation, and fertilization on survival and growth of five species of seedlings was tested over a 6-year period. Neither site preparation nor fertilization significantly increased survival of any species above the control during the first 2 years after planting. Residues of picloram, one of the herbicides used during site preparation, reduced survival of all species, except white ash, below that of the control. Fertilization reduced survival of all species. Black cherry was the only species that grew better as a result of the treatments. Weed removal significantly increased black cherry seedling growth, but much of this increased growth was in branches, rather than the terminal shoot. Mechanical site preparation plus herbicide did not increase growth of black cherry seedlings above that of herbicide alone during the first 2 years and had the disadvantage of stimulating reinvasion by grass. Deer which penetrated the protective fence interfered with evaluation of growth after the second year. North J. Appl. For. 2:22-26, Mar. 1985.

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Short rotation forestry for land treatment of effluent: a lysimeter study

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr98067 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 983 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. K. F. Roygard ◽

N. S. Bolan ◽

B. E. Clothier ◽

S. R. Green ◽

R. E. H. Sims

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Root Zone ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Winter Period ◽

Evergreen Species ◽

Drinking Water Standard ◽

Short Rotation ◽

Land Treatment

Land treatment of wastewater using short rotation forestry (SRF) has potential as a sustainable method for disposal of dairy-farm euent. We compared 3 SRF species, 2 evergreen species of eucalypts (Eucalyptus nitens, E. saligna) and a deciduous willow (Salix kinuyanagi), in the land treatment of dairy-farm euent. The trees were grown in lysimeters (1 . 8 m diameter, 1 . 0 m depth), and a bare soil treatment was used as a control. The application of dairy-farm oxidation-pond euent totalled 218 g N/lysimeter (equivalent to 870 kg N/ha) over 2 irrigation seasons (December 1995–June 1996 and September 1996–April 1997). Euent was applied weekly in summer at a rate of 18 . 9 mm/week. No euent was applied during the winter period. The evapotranspiration (ET) rates of the trees, and the volumes and nitrogen contents of the leachates are compared for a winter period (4 weeks) and a summer period (5 weeks). The biomass accumulation and the uptake of nitrogen by the 3 tree species were also investigated. The SRF trees improved the renovation levels of dairy-farm euent and produced biomass suitable for energy conversion. Of the 3 tree species, only the S. kinuyanagi treatments maintained leachate nitrate concentrations below the New Zealand drinking water standard of 11 . 3 mg NO– 3 -N/L throughout both the winter and summer periods. The E. nitens treatment produced significantly more oven-dry biomass (19 . 1 kg/tree) than the E. saligna trees (9 . 7 kg/tree) (P = 0 . 05). The S. kinuyanagi treatment had intermediate production (13 . 3 kg/tree) and was not significantly different from the other 2 tree species (P = 0 . 05). The nutrient accumulation was not significantly different among the species (P = 0 . 05). S. kinuyanagi was considered the best overall performer for the land treatment of dairy-farm euent, based on the concentrations of leachate moving beyond the root-zone.

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Intensive Mechanical Site Preparation to Establish Short Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations—A Case-Study in Québec, Canada

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11070785 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 785 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nelson Thiffault ◽

Raed Elferjani ◽

François Hébert ◽

David Paré ◽

Pierre Gagné

Keyword(s):

Wood Fiber ◽

Hybrid Poplar ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Management Approach ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Short Rotation ◽

Poplar Plantations

Because they generate more wood per area and time, short rotation plantations are likely to play an increasing role in meeting the global increase in the demand for wood fiber. To be successful, high-yield plantations require costly intensive silviculture regimes to ensure the survival and maximize yields. While hybrid poplar (Populus spp.) is frequently used in intensive, short rotation forestry, it is particularly sensitive to competition and resource levels. Mechanical site preparation is thus of great importance to create microsites that provide sufficient light levels and adequate soil water and nutrient availability. We conducted an experiment in Québec (Canada) to compare two intensive site preparation treatments commonly used to establish hybrid poplar. We compared the effects of double-blade site preparation (V-blade), mounding and a control on hybrid poplar growth and nutritional status four growing seasons after planting on recently harvested forested sites. We also evaluated the effects of site preparation and planted poplar on inorganic soil N. Our results confirmed general positive effects of site preparation on the early growth of hybrid poplar clones. After four growing seasons, survival was higher in the mounding treatment (99%) than in the V-blade (91%) and the control (48%). Saplings planted in the V-blade and in the mounding treatments had mean diameters that were respectively 91% and 155% larger than saplings planted in the control plots. Saplings were 68% taller in the mounding treatment than the control plots, but differences between the V-blade and controls were not significant. We did not detect significant effects of site preparation or the presence of planted hybrid poplar on soil inorganic N. Sapling foliar nutrient concentrations were not influenced by the site preparation treatments. Based on these results, mounding appears to be a good management approach to establish hybrid poplar plantations under the ecological conditions we have studied, as it is less likely to cause erosion because of the localized nature of the treatment. However, these environmental benefits need to be balanced against economic and social considerations.

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Twenty year responses of white spruce to mechanical site preparation and early chemical release in the boreal region of northeastern British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-197 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2386-2399 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Jacob O Boateng ◽

Jean L Heineman ◽

John McClarnon ◽

Lorne Bedford

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Picea Glauca ◽

Basal Area ◽

White Spruce ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Mechanical Site Preparation ◽

Chemical Release ◽

Early Results ◽

Stock Type ◽

Survival And Growth

The effects of six mechanical site preparation treatments, two stock-type treatments, and early chemical release on survival and growth of planted white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were studied in the BWBSmw1 biogeoclimatic zone of northeastern British Columbia. After 20 years, spruce height and diameter were larger in all mounding treatments than in the control. Early results suggested better spruce performance on large than small mounds, but after 20 years, growth was equally good on small mounds as on mounds with 20 cm mineral capping. Spruce planted on hinge positions in the Bräcke patch and blade scarification treatments did not survive or grow well. Early chemical release improved spruce growth equally as well as the mounding treatments. Twenty year spruce survival averaged 71% in the 14 and 20 cm mound treatments, 60% in the early chemical release treatment, and ≤35% in the Bräcke patch and blade scarification treatments. A large stock type was also planted in untreated ground and, after 20 years, had similar survival and growth as the standard stock type. Differences in survival had a large effect on basal area at age 20 years. Trend analysis showed that treatments diverged into two distinct groups with regard to spruce size during the 20 year span of the study.

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