Tag: Seed production

Seed Size & Predation

by Megan Leinenbach, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
Among their many benefits, prescribed fires can protect southeastern pine woodlands from encroachment – the process of fire-sensitive species expanding into fire-maintained woodlands. Because fire is important for longleaf pine regeneration, forest researchers have studied the effects of flammability on the pine woodlands. In a recent study published in in Applied Vegetation Science, USDA Forest…  More 

New Seed Orchards Installed with Camcore

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Andy Whittier has collected hundreds of thousands of seeds during his 17 years with Camcore and the USDA Forest Service. Whittier regularly tests seed germination rates in order to evaluate their quality. That’s how he ended up with 1,200 Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) in a greenhouse in Waynesville, North Carolina. The hemlocks were healthy three-year-old…  More 

Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2017 and 2018

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
How many pine cones can managers expect from their longleaf pine forests? Every year, U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Dale Brockway attempts to answer this question. His most recent report suggests that 2017 will be a good year for longleaf pine cone production. “Across the region, we expect longleaf pines to produce an average of…  More 

It’s Complicated: The Relationship between Climate and Seed Production in Longleaf Pine

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
The longleaf pine tree is a finicky and slow seed producer, and scientists have long suspected that fluctuations in seed production are related to climate. U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Qinfeng Guo and colleagues recently found evidence of a complicated relationship between seed production and climate. A long-term dataset that spans 10 sites and six states…  More