SILVICULTURE


Pine pushes past poor soils


Academics Michael Blazier and Michael Dunn team up with State


Forester Terry Clason to discuss the management practices that enhance the establishment


success and growth of southern pine plantations on water and nutrient-poor soils


rates of return for plantation management ranging from 8-25% depending on species, site conditions, and management requirements. The potential for favourable returns on investment makes forest plantation management attractive to landowners, but profitably establishing and managing


F


orest plantation management is increasing worldwide, with internal


to plant extra seedlings, sometimes more than twice the number planted on better sites, in hope that enough surviving seedlings will remain to produce an adequate plantation. However, seedlings rarely die in an evenly


Figure 1A: container seedling


The potential for favourable returns on investment makes


plantations on sandy, gravelly soils in upland areas can be problematic. Such soils are poor at holding water and nutrients so seedling mortality can be high, particularly in a droughty year, and the long-term growth of the surviving trees is often relatively low. Poor tree survival and slow growth reduces timber yields and financial returns of forest plantations. A conventional management tactic for overcoming survival and growth problems on droughty sites in some regions is


forest plantation management attractive to landowners, but profitably establishing and managing plantations on


sandy, gravelly soils in upland areas can be problematic


distributed pattern. The resulting plantation often has sections of tightly-spaced, relatively low-value trees and other sections with few trees. Thus, the tendency to plant higher numbers of seedlings on droughty sites negatively affects economic success because it


Figure 1B: bareroot seedling


increases planting costs and reduces the value of the surviving trees. Forests of the Southeastern United States managed for timber


production constitute a top agricultural enterprise of states within the region, contributing between $3-20 billion annually to their economies. Typical rates of


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 | International Forest Industries 57


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