Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1995

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Forestry

Major Professor

Edward R. Buckner

Committee Members

Ed Clebsch, Tom Waldrop, Ralph W. Dimmick

Abstract

Pine-hardwood mixtures are declining in the southern states due to a variety of factors. Interest has increased in obtaining information on the pine-hardwood forest cover type, its silviculture, and its significance to wildlife and wildlife habitat. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the fell-and-burn treatment for regenerating a mixed pine-hardwood stand with other widely-used silvicultural treatments, and to evaluate the wildlife habitat resulting from those treatments. Four site preparation techniques currently employed as regeneration techniques in the southern United States were tested as methods to successfully regenerate mixed pine-hardwood stands. Treatments included no site preparation following harvest (commercial clearcut), felling of residual stems following harvest (silvicultural clearcut), felling of residual stems following harvest with summer burning (fell-and-burn), and herbicidal treatment with summer burning (brown-and-burn). Overall pine seedling survival varied significantly by treatment. Pine seedling survival was best in the fell-and-burn and brown-and-burn treatments after one growing season. White pine survival in burned treatments was significantly higher than in unburned treatments. Loblolly pine survival did not differ among treatments. Survival differences were likely due to reduced levels of competition from sprouting hardwoods provided by burning. Total height growth of planted pines did not differ among treatments. Height increased significantly for loblolly pine in the burned treatments. Pine seedling height growth in unburned treatments was lower than in burned treatments, apparently due to hardwood competition. Twenty-nine hardwood species representing 18 families were identified in the regeneration. Sassafras, red maple, sourwood, and blackgum made up 56.6 percent of all stems. These species were most frequent in the unburned treatments. Hardwood stems were tallest in the unburned treatments but had nearly two seasons of growth compared to only one in the burned treatments. Unburned and fell-and-burn plots had the largest number of stems per hectare. Thirty-four species of herbaceous plants representing 17 families were identified after application of treatments. Fireweed occurred in 84 percent of the sample plots; it dominated herbaceous biomass weights. The fell-and-burn treatment produced the highest average biomass per sample (124.5 g/m2). The commercial clearcut yielded the least herbaceous biomass (32.1 g/m2). Biomass weights for fireweed and horseweed varied significantly among treatments and were highest in the burned treatments. Results indicated that the fell-and-burn and brown-and-burn treatments are likely to produce pine-hardwood stands. The fell-and-burn treatment produced the best mixture, since it had a better hardwood component (more oaks/hectare) than the brown-and-burn treatment. The commercial clearcut and silvicultural clearcut treatments are not likely to produce mixed pine-hardwood stands due to extremely vigorous competition from hardwoods, but this is difficult to predict accurately after only one growing season. Wildlife habitat needs were met to varying degrees dependent upon treatment. burned treatments contained more herbaceous forage than unburned treatments, due primarily to the presence of fireweed and horseweed. However, the unburned treatments contained more preferred forages such as smilax, muscadine, and pokeweed. The unburned treatments and fell-and-burn treatment contained high numbers of stems per hectare of woody browse species including flowering dogwood, red maple, sassafras, and oak. In contrast, the brown-and-burn treatment had a low hardwood stem-count per hectare. Oaks and hickories were also less abundant in the brown-and-burn treatment. Long-term estimates of hard mast for all treatments showed that the commercial clearcut, silvicultural clearcut, and fell-and-burn treatments will likely contain a sufficient stocking of oaks to meet wildlife needs. The brown-and-burn will not achieve these stocking goals. Overhead and horizontal cover was greatest in the unburned treatments due to high hardwood stem densities. However, the fell-and-burn treatment contained a high hardwood stem-count and a large amount of herbaceous matter. This characteristic of the fell-and-burn treatment adds a structural diversity component that none of the other treatments showed. This diversity is important to breeding songbirds, since grassland and shrubland guilds will be represented on the same area. This effect will disappear as the stand matures.

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