Laws of Oak Silviculture

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Laws of Oak Silviculture

• The presence of competitive sources of oak
  regeneration
• Successful oak regeneration after harvest will
  come from advance reproduction that exists in the
  current stand and stump sprouts from trees that
  are harvested from the current stand
• Timely, sufficient release of these oak
  regeneration sources
• Concerns the timing and pattern of tree removal
  from the existing stand to ensure the
  regeneration sources develop, ultimately, into
  overstory trees

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Laws of Oak Silviculture

• Competitive oak regeneration sources can result
  from
• Natural stand processes including natural
  disturbances
• Silvicultural treatments to develop competitive
  regeneration sources.
• Silvicultural treatments should
• Make oaks more competitive
• Reduce competition from other species,
• Both of the above

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Timing of Silvicultural Treatments in Oak
Dominated Stands

• "If you go into a 10-year-old hardwood stand and
  wonder what you might do to change the species
  composition, you may be at least 20 years too
  late."
• Dr. Don Beck, US Forest Service (received from
  Dr. David Loftis, US Forest Service)
• Interpretation Planning for an oak regeneration
  treatment should begin at least 10 years prior to
  final overstory removal in the stand.

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Silvicultural Systems for Oak Dominated Forests
At least 10 years before harvest 1) Evaluate
reproduction 2) Plan regeneration 3) If
necessary, implement treatments to enhance the
number and competitive position of oak
reproduction
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• Options
• Promote advance reproduction by increasing light
  to the forest floor through understory and/or
  partial overstory cuttings
• Enhance oak seedling establishment with
  treatments such as soil scarification, prescribed
  fire, or light overstory thinning to increase
  seed production
• Underplanting
• Artificial regeneration

• Procedures
• Treat and harvest during dormant season
• Control residual stems prior to the next growing
  season

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Release of Advance Reproduction

• Timely, sufficient release of oak reproduction is
  critical
• Release window would typically be 5 10 years
  following midstory treatment
• Release done in one or more steps (depending on
  size and vigor of oak reproduction)
• One step release
• When the regeneration potential of the oak
  reproduction is adequate to replace the stand,
  remove the remaining overstory trees in one cut
• Multistep release

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Release of Advance Reproduction

• Multistep release
• Step 1 Reduce the overstory to 40-60 percent
  stocking (70-80 percent stocking on high quality
  sites where yellow-poplar is a problem)
• Leave the best dominant and codominant oaks as
  uniformly spaced as
• Kill all stems of unwanted species.
• Step 2 Monitor seedling establishment and growth
• Step 3 When the regeneration potential of the
  oak reproduction is adequate to replace the
  stand, remove the remaining overstory trees