Prescribed burning and hexazinone herbicide as release treatments in a sapling hardwood-loblolly pine stand

Abstract

To compare release treatments, a randomized complete block study was established in a 7-year-old hardwood-loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stand in central Louisiana established using chopping and burning. There were 5 blocks of 3 treatments each: (1) check, (2) hexazinone applied once, and (3) prescribed backfiring applied twice. The first burn in December 1985 (7 years after site preparation) had a fire intensity of 90 kJ/s/m. The hexazinone herbicide was applied in April 1986 (the 8th year after site preparation) with a metered spotgun applicator at a rate of 3.0 kg active ingredient/ha. The second burn in March 1989 (the 11th year after site preparation) had a fire intensity of 106 kJ/s/m. The two prescribed burns increased the number of stems less than 1.5 m tall from 1,380 to 2,960/ha red maple (Acer rubrum L.), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica var. bifora), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.). Burning reduced the number of loblolly pines less than 2.0 m tall, which resulted in a significant increase in average loblolly pine height and diameter. Loblolly pine comprised 62 and 59% of the basal area on the check and burn treatments, respectively, 11 years after site preparation. Hexazinone reduced the number of blackgum, sweetgum, and oak (Quercus spp.) from 6,100 to 4,560 stems/ha and resulted in significantly less hardwood tree basal area than found on the check or burn treatments. Therefore, the herbicide treatment resulted in principally a loblolly pine stand (over 80% of the total tree basal area was pine) four years after hexazinone application.