Life Sciences Commons^™

Pb1783 Site Preparation And Competition Control Guidelines For Hardwood Tree Plantings, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Establishing a successful hardwood planting requires attention to several key elements, including proper species selection, seedling quality, proper planting technique, and short- and long-term control of competing vegetation. This publication addresses these aspects of successful hardwood plantation establishment and maintenance, with special emphasis on controlling competing vegetation. The latter is best achieved through the combined effects of proper tree density management, proper use of groundcovers and pro-active herbicide prescriptions.

Unfortunately, controlling weeds, particularly broadleaf weeds, in hardwood plantings is difficult once weeds become established. Preventing weed problems before they occur is the key to successful competition control. The use of …

Sp559 Crop Tree Release In Precommercial Hardwood Stands, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The length of time necessary to grow quality hardwood trees is perhaps the greatest deterrent preventing private landowners from practicing hardwood management. Valuable trees such as white and red oaks, cherry, ash, yellow poplar and black walnut require decades to reach financial maturity. This publication describes how to accelerate growth rates in your young hardwood forest, which is vital to keeping your interest alive during the critical and dynamic time between seedling establishment and final harvest.

Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) is a forest management tool used to enhance growth rates of timber and shorten the time required for hardwood crops …

Sp677 Hardwood Plantations As An Investment, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Deciding what to do with a piece of land is not always easy. Appraisers use the phrase “highest and best use,” which implies that one should use the land for its maximum “economic/monetary value.” For example, would the landowner make more money by building a new shopping center or residential subdivision (with a substantial investment required) or would he or she do “better” renting to a livestock producer for grazing or cutting hay? Many acres are valuable as cropland growing annual crops such as soybeans, wheat or cotton. The choices for using land are many.

One choice that should be …

Sp680 Treatments For Improving Degraded Hardwood Stands, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Pthe large trees of tomorrow. This assumption has been perpetuated in the diameter-limit harvests that have led to what we call high-grading today. The largest and best trees are repeatedly harvested leaving the smaller, inferior trees to perpetuate the next stand. In reality, the trees being released are probably of similar age as those being cut. The smaller, released trees did not have a chance to prosper in competition with the faster-growing, overstory trees. These released trees are incapable of continued growth with their small, spindly crowns. The consequence of removing only highly valued trees with each harvest is a …