Effects of reproduction cutting method and hardwood retention on shortleaf pine seed production in natural stands of the Ouachita Mountains

摘要

Shortleafpine (Pinus echinata Mill.) seed production was monitored for 4 yr in stands harvested by a range of even- and uneven-aged reproduction cutting methods. The fifty-two 35-40 ac stands were distributed throughout the Ouachita Mountains from central Arkansas to eastern Oklahoma. Seed crops were characterized as good, poor, poor, and bumper, averaging 109,000,18,000, 5,000, and 379,000 sound seeds/ac, respectively. Seed production the first year after harvest was generally correlated with residual density of shortleaf pines; unharvested control stands, single-tree selection, and shelterwood stands produced more seeds than seed tree stands. Differences in seed production among regeneration cutting methods were not significant for the crop dispersed 4 yr after harvest; this is attributed to release and response of residual seed-producing trees in the seed tree and shelterwood stands. Results also indicated that seed production was lowest for stands located in the western section of the Ouachita Mountains.