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Rooting stem cuttings of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) utilizing hedged stump sprouts formed on recently felled trees

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The ability to root stem cuttings collected from hedged stump sprouts formed on recently felled trees was evaluated for 26 codominant northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) trees growing in Durham County, NC. Sprouting occurred, the same year as felling, on 23 of the 26 tree stumps and sprout number was significantly and positively correlated with stump diameter. The following year the stump sprouts were pruned to 20 cm and allowed to produce one new flush of growth. Fourteen of the 23 tree stumps produced a suitable number of stem cuttings to be evaluated for rooting ability. Stem cuttings collected from these 14 tree stumps rooted in percentages ranging between 35 and 100 percent. Stem cuttings from 11 of the 14 tree stumps in this study rooted at 65 percent or higher. Rooting percentage was significantly and negatively correlated with tree age. In general, as tree age increased rooting percentage decreased. However, stem cuttings from six trees between the ages of 20 and 45 years rooted at 100 percent. First year overwintering survival for the newly rooted stem cuttings was 71.5 percent. At the end of the second growing season a sub-sample of the rooted cuttings had an average height of 54 cm and an average root collar diameter of 9.7 mm.

Parent Publication

Citation

Gocke, Matthew H.; Robison, Daniel J. 2010. Rooting stem cuttings of northern red oak (Quercus rubra l.) utilizing hedged stump sprouts formed on recently felled trees. In: Stanturf, John A., ed. 2010. Proceedings of the 14th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–121. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 181-183.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/35593