Establishing Longleaf Pine Seedlings on Agricultural Fields and Pastures

Hainds, M. J. IN: Proceedings of the 12th biennial southern silvicultural research conference, p. 309-313. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, General Technical Report SRS-71. Kristina F. Connor, ed. 2004.

Abstract— Acres planted to longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) increased annually through the 1990s until 2000 with peak plantings exceeding 110 million seedlings annually. Many of these longleaf seedlings were planted on agricultural crop fields and pastures. Agricultural areas have unique characteristics that can make them more challenging to successfully plant than comparable cutover sites. Seedlings planted on agricultural sites may suffer increased mortality from insect predation,disease, competition, and inhospitable soil conditions. Inadequate knowledge of longleaf pine’s unique requirements on agricultural sites has led to many avoidable planting failures. Adequate site preparation, herbaceous release, and planting methods are critical for the successful establishment of longleaf on old fields and pastures. Combinations of site preparation and herbaceous release that have proven to be superior in the artificial regeneration of longleaf pine on agricultural sites will be discussed in this paper. Results from 4 herbicide screening trials and a site preparation study are included.

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Author(s): Mark J. Hainds

Section: Outplanting Performance