Explore the vast range of titles available.

Surveys of forestry professionals who actively manage, or advise upon the management of, forest lands were conducted to determine their opinions of the usefulness of a forest management decision support model. The surveys were aimed at evaluating attitudes and concerns about the eYield model, which was developed to assist in the examination of management options for eastern United States forests. The coronavirus issue that began in 2020 necessitated a virtual workshop environment to illustrate the potential usefulness of the eYield model. Pre- and post-workshop assessment surveys suggested that there was an interest by land managers in tools like eYield that are straightforward to use. The results suggested that the instructions associated with eYield were generally clearly presented, and the outcomes produced by eYield were generally representative of real-world conditions. The surveys also indicated that people represented by the sample frame were willing to consider new technology that may be used to address complex forest land management issues. Improvements suggested by survey participants may result in greater user interaction with Internet-based decision support systems that focus on the management of land.

Abstract Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)–hardwood mixtures were once a common forest type on upland sites throughout the southeastern United States. These forest types have declined throughout much of shortleaf pine’s native range. Information on restoring shortleaf pine–hardwood types when a shortleaf pine seed source is not present is lacking. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of four site-preparation and release treatments (control, burn, herbicide, and herbicide and burn) on the development of even-aged mixtures of planted shortleaf pine and natural hardwoods located on the Highland Rim physiographic province of Tennessee, USA. Three years after study establishment, statistical differences among treatments occurred for shortleaf pine survival and basal diameter. Survival was greatest in the herbicide-only treatment. Height and basal diameter growth were greatest in the herbicide and burn treatment. Stem densities were greater in treatments that did not include a herbicide release than those where herbicide was used alone or combined with prescribed burning. The herbicide and burn treatment had the greatest potential after 3 years for developing into a balanced, mixed shortleaf pine–hardwood stand, whereas most treatments had an influx of exotic, invasive species such as Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) and callery pear (Pyrus calleryana).

Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata (Mill.)) can sprout after stem injury or top kill. Currently, evidence regarding the effects of seedling age and disturbance timing on sprouting potential are limited. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of clipping and season of burning on shortleaf pine seedling survival, number of sprouts, and total seedling height at three different seedling ages. Treatments included: a March clip, an April burn, a July burn, a November burn, and a control. All treatments were applied to 1-, 2-, and 3-yr-old planted shortleaf pine seedlings located in Morgan County, TN. Seedling survival did not differ by season of burning for any age tested. Sprout production of early season disturbances were similar for each age tested. Total heights of sprouts were greater with treatments conducted early in the growing season rather than later for the second and third growing years, but not the first year. Some 2-yr-old seedlings burned in November and most 3-yr-old burn seedlings burned in either burn treatment were large enough that they were not top-killed by the treatment burns. Burning of artificially regenerated shortleaf pine seedlings should be delayed for at least 3 yrs after planting in the Cumberland Plateau and Mountains regions to reduce top-kill rates, growth losses, and mortality experienced by younger seedlings.

Abstract Mesophication has reduced fuel-bed flammability in the Mid-Southern US, limiting the effectiveness of fire alone in promoting disturbance-adapted woody species. We applied combinations of thinning (none, 7, and 14 m2 ha–1 residual basal area) and seasonal fire (none, October, and March) at three sites and monitored understory woody response from 2008 to 2016. In combination, thinning and burning had strong negative effects on some mesophytic species (Pinus strobus, Ostrya virginiana, and Fagus grandifolia) and positively affected many shade-intolerant and fire-tolerant species formerly suppressed under closed canopies. Such compositional shifts were greatest at our most xeric site, and were related to treatment effects on overstory and midstory density. Seedling density of Quercus spp. nearly doubled (+2,256 stems ha–1) from pre- to postmanagement. Sapling response was less dramatic; however, indicator and ordination analyses often associated mesophytic and disturbance-dependent saplings with unmanaged and managed treatments, respectively. Fire-season effects were subtle, but more species and greater understory densities were associated with March relative to October burning. Although some mesophytic species (Acer rubrum and Liriodendron tulipifera) responded positively to thinning and resprouted aggressively after fire, our results demonstrate how thinning and burning can initiate the reversal of mesophication’s effects on understory woody vegetation.

Trees that grow in close proximity to other trees are subject to crown and branch abrasion, causing mechanical injury. The loss of branch tips and buds through abrasion can affect the architecture and growth of tree crowns. This research quantifies the impacts of crown abrasion between neighboring trees of several deciduous species and how crown abrasion may influence stand dynamics. Tree interactions were evaluated during the dormant and growing seasons to determine how wind-generated movement affects crowns under foliated and un-foliated conditions. Branch elongation was measured in tree crowns where growth was both inhibited and uninhibited by adjacent trees. Bud durability was evaluated by growing season for species with determinate and indeterminate shoot growth forms using a pendulum impact tester. Crown movement during wind events was assessed by using three-axial accelerometers in the outermost points of tree crowns. Accelerometers logged the movement of branches in the tree crown. By using both the crown sway acceleration and associated bud durability and mass data, the possible force necessary to break or abrade buds and branches was calculated at different wind speeds. Branch elongation was greater for most species on the exposed side of the crown that was not affected by adjacent trees. Preformed buds from the determinate growth form were determined to have greater durability than sustained growth or indeterminant buds. Acceleration from wind gusts increased more rapidly as wind speed intensified in the growing season when leaves were on the tree than in the dormant season. This research suggests that crown abrasion contributes to the development of mixed species stands by reducing crown size and growth therefore allowing slower-growing species with determinant growth to stratify above faster growing trees with indeterminant growth.

Background In oak-dominated communities throughout eastern North America, fire exclusion and subsequent woody encroachment has replaced the “glitter” of once robust and diverse wildflower and grass layers with leaf-litter dominance. Restoring the important herbaceous components of Eastern oak ecosystems could involve pairing heavy canopy disturbance with growing-season fire, but potential negative effects warrant research. Beginning with 20 ha replicates of closed-canopy forest at three sites across Tennessee and North Carolina, USA, we monitored groundcover response to combinations of thinning (none; light: 14 m 2 ha −1 residual basal area; and heavy: 7 m 2 ha −1 ) and seasonal fire (none; March: pre leaf expansion; and October: pre leaf abscission) from 2008 to 2016. Results Before treatments, woody plants and leaf-litter-dominated groundcover and herbaceous plants were rare (<6% groundcover, 118 species). By 2016, herbaceous groundcover averaged 59% after heavy thinning and three biennial burns, and 359 herbaceous species were documented. Only 6% (23) of these species appeared negatively affected by applied disturbances. Across sites, thin-and-burn treatments increased graminoid groundcover 14-fold, forb groundcover 50-fold, herbaceous richness 9-fold, and herbaceous diversity 10-fold, relative to unmanaged stands. These increases were often greater where fire was repeatedly applied, and only after repeated fire was herbaceous response greater in heavily thinned stands relative to lightly thinned stands. Burn-only treatments rarely affected herbaceous metrics, and thin-and-burn treatments more than doubled woody groundcover. This suggests that canopy reduction, leaf-litter consumption, and pulses of bare ground were more related to positive herbaceous responses than to the control of woody competition in the understory. Fire season effects were not observed, but herbaceous response after less intense October fires was comparable to that following more intense March fires. Conclusions Our results conflict with warnings concerning the potential negative effects of disturbance on herbaceous diversity east of the prairie–woodland transition zone. Canopy disturbance and repeated fire, regardless of season, widely restored herbaceous groundcover and diversity in Eastern oak ecosystems. Herbaceous components were resilient to extended periods of fire exclusion, but current conservation programs often prioritize existing, high-quality sites. Our results suggest that such policies may overlook the tremendous restoration potential present in otherwise inconspicuous understories of closed-canopy oak forests throughout eastern North America.

Thinning and burning can restore imperilled oak woodlands and savannas in the Southern Appalachian and Central Hardwood regions of the USA, but concomitant effects on fuels are less understood. We monitored (2008 to 2016) fuel load response to replicated combinations of thinning (none, 7, and 14 m2 ha−1 residual basal area) and seasonal fire (none, March, and October) at three sites. All treatments except burn-only increased total fuel loading. Thinning doubled (+16 Mg ha−1) 1000-h fuels relative to controls, and three fires in 6 years did not eliminate this difference. Increasing thinning intensity did not consistently enhance the combustion of larger fuels. October fires reduced 100- and 10-h fuels more than March fires. Burning alone reduced leaf litter and 1-h twigs by 30%. Burning after thinning doubled this reduction but increased herbaceous fuels 19-fold. Herbaceous fuels increased at a rate that suggests compensation for losses in woody fine fuels with continued burning. Where fuel reduction is a goal, restoration strategies could be more intentionally designed; however, oak woodlands and savannas are inherently more flammable than closed-canopy forests. Management decisions will ultimately involve weighing the risks associated with increased fuel loads against the benefits of restoring open oak communities.

Four site preparation techniques were evaluated after 6 and 22 growing seasons to determine effectiveness in establishing pine-hardwood mixtures after hardwood regeneration harvests in Tennessee, USA. Pinus taeda L. and Pinus strobus L. were planted at 20- × 20-ft spacings after the harvest, allowing natural hardwood regeneration in the gaps. A randomized complete block with a split-plot treatment design divided 20 plots into 5 blocks. The four treatments were (1) commercial clearcut harvest, (2) silvicultural clearcut harvest, (3) fell-and-burn after a commercial clearcut, and (4) brown (herbicide)-and-burn after a commercial clearcut. At 6 and 22 growing seasons, survival and diameter growth of each pine species in the burn treatments were significantly greater than in the nonburn treatments. Loblolly pine performed better than white pine at both time intervals and with each treatment. The silvicultural and commercial clearcuts resulted in stands composed of 90% hardwoods by basal area with 10% pine. The two burn treatments had a greater proportion of planted pine by basal area (30 and 44% for the fell-and-burn and brown-and-burn treatments, respectively). Burning as a part of site preparation hindered natural hardwood regeneration, initially benefiting establishment and growth of planted pine seedlings in the development of mixed pine-hardwood stands.

Forests of the Western Highland Rim were heavily influenced by the iron industry during the 19th and 20th centuries. The production of iron required large amounts of charcoal. Timber was cut, burned in hearths to produce charcoal and then the charcoal was transported to local furnaces and forges. The goal of our study was to document the lasting effects of charcoal production on soil characteristics, species composition and stand structure for a forest on the Western Highland Rim in Tennessee. Fires used in hearths to produce charcoal were intense, spatially concentrated events that modified soil characteristics differently than typical surface fires. We hypothesized there would still be a footprint of the charcoal making process evidenced by systematic differences in forest composition and structural attributes that could be related to soil properties. Results show there were significant differences in some soil traits between charcoal hearths and surrounding sites. However, differing soil conditions have not significantly influenced forest development. Although tree density differed between hearths and adjacent areas, there were no systematic differences in tree species richness, diversity (H′), evenness (J) or basal area between charcoal hearth and non-hearth sites. Results of this study indicate the historic land use has minimal influence on modern forest communities in our Tennessee study site.

A field evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) was used to determine the effectiveness of the Tennessee Master Logger Program (TMLP) in 1997–1998. The study was conducted on non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) and excluded harvests on land owned by forest industry or public forests. Completed logging jobs were evaluated in relation to four components of timber harvesting: (1) haul roads, (2) skid trails, (3) log decks, and (4) Streamside Management Zones (SMZs). The scores assigned during evaluation to each of the four components were added together to yield an overall score. An overall percentage score was calculated because some sites did not have all four components, for example, SMZs are not necessary on sites without streams. Of 191 randomly chosen logging sites across the state of Tennessee, 38, or 19.9%, were harvested by trained Master Loggers. A significant association (P < 0.05) was found between overall percentage score and logger training. The mean overall percentage score for Master Loggers was 75.1%, and the mean score for untrained loggers was 60.4%. Only 17 of the 627 possible scores or 2.6%, exhibited threats to water quality. Of these 17, Master Loggers were only responsible for 3. Point biserial correlations indicated that a substantial association (P < 0.05) existed between harvests completed by Master Loggers and the scores of haul roads, skid trails, log decks, and SMZ grades. This study indicates that loggers who received training from the TMLP were more likely to implement BMPs during harvesting operations on NIPF than loggers who did not participate in the Tennessee Master Logger Program. South. J. Appl. For. 27(1):36–40.