TITLE:
Influence of Forest Management on Acorn Production in the Southeastern Missouri Ozarks: Early Results of a Long-Term Ecosystem Experiment
AUTHORS:
Matthew G. Olson, Alexander J. Wolf, Randy G. Jensen
KEYWORDS:
Oak, Quercus, Hard Mast, Silviculture, Ecosystem Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.5 No.5,
July
30,
2015
ABSTRACT: Since
acorn production is a foundational process of ecosystems dominated by oaks,
understanding the impact of forest management practices on acorn production is
critical to the sustainable management of oak forests. This investigation
addressed the impact of even-aged management (EAM), uneven-aged management
(UAM), and no-harvest management (NHM) on the production of mature, sound
acorns over an 18-year period (1993-2010) of a long-term, landscape-scale
forest management experiment in the Missouri Ozarks. Forest management impacts
were investigated at two operational scales: the multi-stand compartment and
the stand. We hypothesized that acorn production at both scales would be lower
under active management (EAM and UAM) than NHM on these oak-dominated
landscapes. Acorn production (acorns/ha/year) of red oaks (mainly black oak (Quercus velutina) and scarlet oak (Q. coccinea)) at the compartment level
was lower under active management than NHM during the post-treatment period
(1997-2010), but not for white oaks (mainly white oak (Q. alba) and post oak (Q.
stellata)), which was largely a result of greater abundance and
preferential harvesting of mature red oaks. At the stand scale, acorn
production following either intermediate thinning or single-tree selection was
comparable to yields observed in untreated stands suggesting that partial
overstory removal can be implemented for harvesting timber and other
silvicultural objectives without sacrificing acorn production. In many oak-dominated forests, active management will be necessary to mitigate future losses
of acorn production driven by oak decline, succession, and climate change,
including approaches for sustaining oak recruitment and acorn production.