Abstract
Silvicultural decisions often affect the development and characteristics of a stand. Silvicultural regeneration events can have immediate and gradual impacts on stand development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two silvicultural regeneration methods, clearcutting and group selection, on the composition of trees that are likely to recruit to the canopy within stands near the end of the regeneration period. We compared the mean density of saplings among 16-year-old clearcuts and 18-year-old group openings that were above height thresholds based on the 90th percentile of all sampled individuals on exposed or protected aspects within each treatment. The calculated percentiles provide a framework to determine whether the canopy that surrounds group selections causes a significant loss in productivity or desired species. We found significant treatment and aspect interaction (p = 0.032) for hickories and a significant treatment effect for red oaks (p = 0.004) and white oaks (p < 0.001). Our results provide valuable information about the effects of clearcutting and group selection on stand development.
Parent Publication
Citation
Good, Guerric T.; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Vickers, Lance A.; Larsen, David R.; Kabrick, John M. 2017. Evaluation of sapling height and density after clearcutting and group selection in the Missouri Ozarks. In: Kabrick, John M.; Dey, Daniel C.; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Larsen, David R.; Shifley, Stephen R.; Stelzer, Henry E., eds. Proceedings of the 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2016 March 28-April 1; Columbia, MO. General Technical Report NRS-P-167. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 78-86.