Development of Pine-Hardwood Mixtures Following Clearcutting on Two Upland Sites in the Georgia Piedmont: 10 Year Results

Abstract Loblolly pine, planted on upland sites from which high-graded hardwood stands had been clearcut, grew well in mixture with the ensuing natural hardwood regeneration. At age 10, about half of the 545 stems per acre which had been planted survived and were 3 to 6 ft above the hardwood canopy. Their basal area was 29 ft2/ac, about half of what a pure pine plantation would have produced and also half of the total pine plus hardwood basal area in each stand. The proportion of pine basal area was increasing gradually, that of pine crown cross-sectional area (CCA) dramatically, at age 10. High oak densities before the clearcut contributed to excellent oak regeneration, although small red oaks did not survive harvesting and subsequent environmental changes as well as white oaks. The numbers of total seedlings plus stumps which sprouted were remarkably steady between 4,700 and 5,900 per acre for the 10 yr period, with shade-intolerant and mid-tolerant species groups equally represented. Stand CCA tripled from an average of 87 ft2/100 ft2 of land area to 281 ft² between age 4 and 10. South. J. Appl. For. 20(4):203-208.