Hardwood Epicormic Branching—Small Knots but Large Losses

Abstract

Abstract Epicormic sprouting was studied in a seed-tree regeneration cut and a selection cut, both made in mature, previously unmanaged, creek bottomland hardwoods in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina. The total exposure that seed trees received probably created near-ideal conditions for maximum epicormic sprouting, which allowed species to be ranked by sprouting propensity and degree of sprouting variation within species. Cherrybark oak produced the most sprouts, followed in descending order by swamp chestnut oak, Shumard oak, sweetgum, and yellow-poplar. White and green ash did not sprout, and Shumard oak and yellow-poplar were quite variable in sprouting incidence. The selection cut showed that in this stand, primarily composed of cherrybark oak and sweetgum, neither degree of release, crown class, nor direction of opening had an appreciable effect on sprout initiation or sprout numbers. Cherrybark oak sprouted less profusely than in the seed-tree cut, but sweetgum did not. Epicormic sprouting hazard is an important consideration in deciding whether to use some form of selection management. South. J. Appl. For. 10:217-220, Nov. 1986.