Oak regeneration using the shelterwood-burn technique: management options and implications for songbird conservation in the southeastern United States

Abstract

Shelterwood silviculture is commonly used to regenerate oaks in upland stands. However, competition from other species such as tulip-poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera) may deter oak regeneration when these traditional shelterwood techniques are used. The shelterwood-burn technique is a relatively new tool for regenerating oak-dominated stands on some upland sites while simultaneously minimizing undesirable hardwood intrusion with prescribed fire. Once successful oak regeneration has been achieved, three options are available which will result in different vegetative structure and composition within a stand and subsequently different habitats for songbirds. These options are: complete or partial canopy retention, post-harvest prescribed burning and complete canopy removal. Canopy retention, burning and removal treatments will create, respectively, two-age stands that are likely to harbor a diverse mixture of mature forest and early successional species; park-like woodlands with open woodland species; or early-successional habitats with shrubland species. We suggest that shelterwood-burn systems and the management options associated with them offer viable alternatives for managing both songbird and timber resources where oak-dominated stands are the desired goal in upland southeastern sites.