Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Growth of A 30-Year Cherrybark Oak Plantation 6 Years After Thinning

Informally Refereed

Abstract

A 24-year cherrybark oak (Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia) plantation in the Coastal Plain of west Tennessee was thinned during the winter of 1994-1995. Growth in the plantation was severely stagnated. Trees were planted at a 9 by 9-foot spacing and survival was 69 percent after 24 years after decreasing from 88 percent at age 15. The plantation should have been thinned earlier to avoid the onset of stagnation and the resulting decline in rate of diameter and volume growth. Approximately 50 percent of the stems and 35 percent of the basal area were cut during the row thinning, taking every second row. Results six growing seasons after thinning indicate that the remaining residual trees are increasing in diameter at an annual rate greater than the 9 years prior to the thinning. The plantation volume cut during the thinning operation was replaced by growth on the remaining trees within six years. The volume is accumulating on a fewer number of trees yielding larger diameter trees and increased value over a shorter period of time. A second thinning is projected by age 35. These trends can be used by practitioners as preliminary information on the growth and development of a 30-year-old cherrybark oak plantation before and after thinning.

Citation

Clatterbuck, Wayne K. 2002. Growth of A 30-Year Cherrybark Oak Plantation 6 Years After Thinning. In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pg. 189-192
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/4775