Effects Of Site Preparation Treatments Research Articles

Effect of Land Mounding on Seedling Growth of Gemor (Nothaphoebe coriacea, Kosterm.) on Peat Swamp Forest

One of potential non-timber forest products (NTFPs) that has became a livelihood for communities around peat swamp forests in Central Kalimantan is gemor (Nothaphoebe coriacea). However, the cultivation of this species is lack of information. In the practice of establishing plantations, land preparation is one of the most important factors. This study examined the effects of site preparation treatments (non-mounding and mounding) on the performance of N. coriacea seedlings. The study was carried out in secondary peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. N. coriaceae planting was carried out by line planting (± 3 meters wide) and the light intensity of ± 50%. Land preparation of non-mounding (P0) was carried out on the surface of peatlands. Mounding land preparation (P1) was done by placing a sack filled with peat, with dimensions of ± 25 cm high, 35 cm wide and 50 cm long. Data was analyzed using t-test. The results showed that the preparation of plant land gave relatively similar growth between mound and non-mound on N. coriacea from generative seedlings.

Site preparation for longleaf pine restoration on hydric sites: Stand development through 15 years after planting

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) restoration is an important land management goal throughout the southeastern U.S. On hydric sites within the Atlantic Coastal Plain, restoration may involve site preparation prior to planting to overcome challenges to seedling establishment, such as abundant competition and poor soil drainage. Investment in site preparation assumes that treatments will result in long-term benefits to stand development, yet lasting impacts of site preparation on longleaf pine are not well understood. We sampled longleaf pine plantations in Onslow County, North Carolina through three years and at 15 years after site preparation and planting. The eight study treatments we tested include an untreated control, six combinations of two vegetation control treatments (chopping or herbicide) with three soil manipulation treatments (mounding, bedding, or flat-planting [no treatment]), and a chopping-herbicide-bedding treatment. Our findings indicate that site preparation significantly improved survival and growth of longleaf pine through 15 years. Herbicide resulted in greater growth, higher survival, and earlier grass stage emergence than chopping. Similarly, soil manipulation treatments resulted in improved stand establishment outcomes relative to flat-planting (no treatment). Effects of site preparation treatments on diameter growth were observed early and maintained through the end of the study period, while effects on survival were not observed within the first three years. Differences in stand height among treatments were more strongly driven by growth rates following grass stage emergence than timing of emergence. Our results demonstrate that site preparation improves longleaf pine stand establishment on hydric sites, although the intensity of site preparation treatments recommended for restoration depends on management objectives.

Effects of site preparation treatments before afforestation on soil carbon release

Site preparation, as an important procedure before afforestation, can affect soil C release. However, the effect of site preparation on soil C release has not been sufficiently investigated. Two site clearing treatments (brush clearing and controlled burning) followed by three soil preparation treatments (overall soil preparation, spot soil preparation, and no soil preparation (control)) were carried out in subtropical China. Soil basal respiration (RS) and C release of biomass burning were measured as soil C release on an area basis from March 2011 to March 2013. The site preparations changed the soil C release in the first year but had no effects in the second year. Compared with brush clearing (control), controlled burning (control) significantly increased the annual soil C release (decreased RS but increased C release of biomass burning) during the first year. Within the brush clearing plots, overall soil preparation significantly increased the RS rate over eight months and resulted in an increase in annual soil C release during the first year compared to the no soil preparation. In contrast, spot soil preparation increased the RS rate only for three months and did not affect the annual soil C release during the first year relative to the no soil preparation. In the controlled burning plots, both overall and spot soil preparation increased the RS rate across six months, but only overall soil preparation caused a significant increase in the annual soil C release. Our study suggests that minimizing the disturbance of the site preparation would decrease soil C release. Concluding, the spot soil preparation followed brush clearing is a good choice for site preparation in term of soil C storage.

Fire-free natural regeneration in water limited Pinus halepensis forests: a silvicultural approach

We aimed to elucidate environmental and silvicultural factors that determine the extent of fire-free natural regeneration in east Mediterranean Pinus halepensis forests. The specific aims were to study the potential and identify bottlenecks for natural regeneration and examine the effects of overstory thinning and site preparation treatments. We integrated four experiments conducted in diverse ecoregions in Israel ranging from semiarid to subhumid. Seedling emergence and survival were traced for 2–4 years in Mishmar Ha’Emek Forest (MHF) with annual rainfall of 604 mm; Shaharia Forest (SF)—435 mm; and Yatir Forest (YF)—280 mm. Effects of thinning treatments: clearcut, 100 tree, 200 tree ha−1 and control—310 tree ha−1, were examined in MHF. Effects of site preparation treatments: soil scarification and herb clipping were examined in SF. Density of emerged seedlings varied among ecoregions and was linked to average annual rainfall. Within ecoregions, emerged seedling density was higher on north-facing slopes than on south-facing slopes and was strongly related to stand characteristics (e.g., stem basal area) and seed rain. Seedling survival rate of about 20 % was recorded in MHF while no seedling survival was observed in YF and SF during the study years. Thinning treatments reduced seed rain and emerging seedling density, but increased seedling survival and growth. Recruitment 4 years after thinning was highest in the 100 tree ha−1 treatment and lowest in the control. In SF, seedling survival was limited mainly by herbaceous vegetation and was improved by soil scarification and herb clipping. Silvicultural implications are discussed.

Yield Implications of Site Preparation Treatments for Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce in Northern British Columbia

We evaluated the effects of site preparation treatments on growth of lodgepole pine and white spruce in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. These treatments can provide yield gains of up to 10 percent for lodgepole pine and white spruce at 60 and 80 years, respectively (estimated using TASS). Stands of these two species are showing a Type 1 response. Using growth multipliers, based on measurements collected at ages 10 to 20 results in inflated estimates of potential yield responses while the age-shift method provides the most appropriate estimates of yield gains when measured during the first 20 years of growth.

Long-Term Effects of Site Preparation Treatments, Complete Competition Control, and Repeated Fertilization on Growth of Slash Pine Plantations in the Flatwoods of the Southeastern United States

Abstract Data through age 26 from a well-designed study established in 1979 were analyzed with a repeated-measures analysis of variance approach to evaluate effects of site preparation treatments, complete competition control, and repeated fertilization on growth of slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations on Spodosols and non-Spodosols in the flatwoods region of southern Georgia and northern Florida. Complete and sustained vegetation control and repeated fertilization consistently and significantly increased slash pine productivity, with greater responses occurring on Spodosols than on non-Spodosols; their combination had less than additive effects on Spodosols and additive effects on non-Spodosols. Complete and sustained vegetation control resulted in greater cumulative responses than repeated fertilization over more than 20 years, and then the gains from repeated fertilization had caught or surpassed the gains from complete vegetation control. Bedding resulted in significant responses in the early ages. Burning improved stand basal area and volume growth rather than average tree height and dbh on non-Spodosols and had little effect on Spodosols. Chopping had no significant effect on either soil group. Results of this study emphasize the need for site-specific silvicultural prescriptions.

Effects of site preparation treatments on early growth and survival of planted longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) seedlings in North Carolina

We tested the effects of eight site preparation treatments on early growth and survival of container-grown longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) seedlings. Treatments included an untreated check, six combinations of two initial vegetation control treatments (chopping or herbicide) with three planting site conditions (flat [no additional treatment], mounding, or bedding), and a more intense treatment consisting of chopping, herbicide, and bedding. All plots were prescribed burned after site preparation and before planting. Seedling survival was not significantly different among treatments at either 12 ( p = 0.768) or 20 ( p = 0.881) months after planting. Both bedding and mounding increased root collar diameter after 20 months when compared to flat treatments ( p ≤ 0.002). Between the vegetation control treatments, herbicides increased root collar diameter growth over chopping ( p = 0.002) while chopping did not significantly differ from the check. The most root collar growth occurred on the chopping/herbicide/bedding and herbicide/bedding treatments, with the least on the flat (check) and chopping/flat treatments. The percentage of seedlings in height growth 20 months after planting was higher on bedding and mounding treatments when compared to flat treatments ( p ≤ 0.003). Herbicide was also significantly better than chopping with respect to the percentage of seedlings in height growth ( p = 0.016). The treatments with the most seedlings in height growth were chopping/herbicide/bedding followed by herbicide/bedding and herbicide/mounding.