Influence of Residual Basal Area on Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) First Year Germination and Establishment under Selection Silviculture
Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=53061#.VLSP8cnQrzE Author(s) Ferhat Kara * , Edward F. Loewenstein Affiliation(s) School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, USA . ABSTRACT Even-aged silvicultural methods have been successfully used to manage longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) forests for wood production; however, successful use of uneven-aged methods to manage this ecosystem is less well documented. In this study, the effects of varying levels of residual basal area (RBA) (9.2, 13.8, and 18.4 m 2 ·ha -1 ) on longleaf pine germination and establishment under selection silviculture marked using the Proportional-B method were observed. In addition to RBA, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was measured, and the relationships between light penetration, germination, and growth were examined. The study found an inverse relationship between RBA and n...