Abstract
In 1992, an experiment to assess the effect of harvest gap size on natural regeneration of coastal plain mixedwoods was installed in a mature stand on the Crossett Experimental Forest in southeastern Arkansas. Three levels of a gap-size treatment (0.25 acre, 0.625 acre, and 1 acre) were installed in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Gaps were revisited in 2016 to evaluate the effect of gap size on natural regeneration. Gap size significantly (p <0.05) explained variation in pine density (diameter at breast height [d.b.h.] ≥3.5 inches), but not the densities of hardwood species groups. Gap size was also significant in a model for pine importance value. Mean separation revealed that pine density and importance value were highest in 1-acre gaps, lowest in 0.25-acre gaps, and intermediate in 0.625-acre gaps. These results provide further support for research indicating gap size plays an important role in natural pine regeneration.
Parent Publication
Keywords
harvest,
gap size,
natural regeneration
Citation
Olson, Matthew G.; Bragg, Don C. 2018. Effects of gap size on natural regeneration in a pine-hardwood stand a quarter century after harvest. In: Kirschman, Julia E., comp. Proceedings of the 19th biennial southern silvicultural research conference; 2017 March 14-16; Blacksburg, VA. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-234. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 167-171.
