Abstract
Advanced oak and hickory regeneration is often absent in mature oak-hickory forests in the Central Hardwood Region of the United States. Prescribed fire and thinning, alone and combined, are commonly prescribed silvicultural treatments that are recommended to initiate the regeneration process. This study examined the regeneration response in three mature oak stands following four treatments: (1) thin, (2) burn, (3) thinning and burning, or (4) no treatment (control). Ten years after initial treatment, results indicate that oak and hickory seedlings had greater height and diameter in the thinning and burning treatment compared to the control and that this treatment may help facilitate desirable regeneration in mature oak-hickory forests.
Highlights
Management for ageing oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests within the Central Hardwood Region of the United States often entails a balance between achieving regeneration while maintaining mature forest structure
Thinning and burning together had almost three times more white oak regeneration density compared to untreated (P < 0.05) while no differences were observed among treatments for red oak regeneration stem density (P = 0.25)
The results of the combined thinning and burning treatment support the use of a two-cut shelterwood system that is recommended to maintain an oak component in central hardwood stands [21,22]
Summary
Management for ageing oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests within the Central Hardwood Region of the United States often entails a balance between achieving regeneration while maintaining mature forest structure. Forests 2014, 5 of mesophytes at the expense of oaks and hickories has been widely attributed to land use practices and game management policies over the past several decades that together contribute to oak regeneration [2,3,4,5]. Silviculturists recognize that in order to secure oak regeneration on sites of moderate productivity, large canopy disturbances must be preceded by sub-canopy disturbances [6,7]. Some public land managers and stewardship programs for private lands have initiated programs to increase oak regeneration [8]. Prescribed burning and thinning are activities that are often associated with these programs
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