PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 2: Forest Ecology
Monday, August 8, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Oak and maple stump sprout dynamics in response to thinning and burning treatments in southern Ohio.
Long, Robert1, Apsley, David2, Rebbeck, Joanne1, 1 USDA Forest Service, Delaware, OH2 Ohio State University Extension, Piketon, OH
ABSTRACT- Three southern Ohio sites (REMA, Tar Hollow and Zaleski) are the focus for testing the efficacy of thinning (T) and the combination of thinning and burning (TB) on oak regeneration. In T and TB stands, sprouts on stumps ( 10 cm diameter) are an important component of regeneration dynamics. Thinning treatments, which reduced basal area by about 30%, were completed in winter-spring 2000-2001. Stands were burned in March-April 2001. We evaluated stump sprout density and growth in sixteen 400 m2 plots in each of six 20 ha treatment units during 2004. Treatment effects on red oak group (ROG = Quercus rubra, Q. coccinea, Q. velutina; n=40 stumps) and white oak group (WOG = Q. alba, Q. prinus; n=144stumps) stump sprout density and growth were compared with their major competitor, red maple (Acer rubrum; n=121 stumps). Analysis of variance showed that burning reduced the mean number of sprouts/ha for all oaks and red maple combined which were significantly (P<0.006) less in TB stands (491 sprouts/ha) compared with T stands (875 sprouts/ha. There were consistently greater numbers of red maple sprouts, which averaged 458 sprouts/ha, across all 6 sites, compared with 62 sprouts/ha for ROG species, and 162 sprouts/ha for WOG species. However, these results may be related to the greater sprouting potential for smaller diameter red maple stumps which averaged 25.5 cm (range 10-50 cm) compared with mean stump diameters of 43.1 cm (range 11-73 cm) and 37.6 cm (range 15-90 cm) for ROG and WOG stumps, respectively. Mean height and diameter growth for red maple, ROG and WOG sprouts, evaluated by species group, was not significantly (P>0.50) affected by treatments. Mean height of red maple sprouts, 3.3 m, was significantly (P<0.001) greater than mean heights of ROG and WOG sprouts, 2.5 m and 2.0 m, respectively. Similarly, mean basal diameter of red maple sprouts, 4.1 cm, was significantly greater than mean diameters of ROG sprouts, 2.2 cm, and WOG sprouts, 2.0 cm. These results suggest that oak sprouts were not as competitive as red maple sprouts in thinned treatments, and prescribed burning immediately after cutting did not promote the competitive status of oak stump sprouts.
Key words: oak, regeneration, prescribed, burning