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The effects of harvesting short rotation cottonwood with tree shears in Arkansas

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Short-rotation cottonwood plantations were established on a marginal agricultural site in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in southeast Arkansas using two known clones (S7C20 and ST-66) and nurseryrun cottonwood stock (MIXED) from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry nursery. The cottonwood was grown for five seasons and harvested in the winter of 2013-2014. Harvesting was done by a chainsaw (control) and a mechanical tree shear (treatment). Regeneration in the form of stump sprouts was evaluated after one growing season for survival, total number of sprouts, sprouts taller than 137 cm (4.5 feet), ground line diameter, diameter at breast height (4.5 feet) and total height. Harvesting cottonwoods using tree shears significantly increased mortality, and decreased number of sprouts and diameter and total height of sprouts one year after harvest.

Parent Publication

Citation

Pelkki, Matthew H.; Blazier, Michael; Hartley, Jonathan; Liechty, Hal; Zimmermann, Bryce. 2016. The effects of harvesting short rotation cottonwood with tree shears in Arkansas.  In:Proceedings of the 18th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-212. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 5 p.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/50761