Forest Sciences Commons^™

Pb1679 Forest - A - Syst: Self-Assessment To Prioritize Your Forest Uses, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

You are unique. The title “Forest Landowner” is one not held by many Tennesseans. Your ownership carries with it a sense of treasure, of enjoyment, of wildness. But it’s also a privilege, one that imparts responsibility, one that can be observed and one that increasingly can be measured.

If you were to be judged on your forestry practices, how would you score? Would you even know which parameters to assess or what questions to ask? Which of these forest uses aesthetics, recreation, soil, timber, water, wildlife—are more important? Have you ever intelligently, and intentionally, began a planning process for your …

Pb1756 The All Season Pocket Guide To Identifying Common Tennessee Trees, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

This booklet was prepared by professional foresters to help you identify Tennessee’s most common trees. It is designed to go to the woods with you (where it is needed) by comfortably riding in your back pocket, pack or cruiser’s jacket. Enjoy!

Pb1774 Technical Guide To Crop Tree Release In Hardwood Forests, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Crop tree release (CTR) is a widely applicable silvicultural technique used to enhance the performance of individual trees. It offers flexibility in that it can be applied on small or large properties, and with certain modifications, it can be applied as a precommercial or commercial operation. By favoring the development of selected crop trees within a hardwood stand, the landowner can meet a variety of area-wide management objectives such as wildlife habitat, recreation, timber value, aesthetic beauty and species diversity.

CTR can be applied at various stages of development, including sapling, pole and sawtimber stands, depending on the specific opportunities …

Pb1767 Wood Protection For Log Home Owners, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Wood is a beautiful material that has been used for centuries for building log homes. Wood is also a high performance composite with good strength, insulation, fire resistance and durability characteristics. This means that uniquely beautiful log homes can be as efficient and long-lasting as structures made from wooden lumber, steel or concrete.

An understanding of wood properties will help log home owners protect and enjoy their homes. This publication is designed to provide basic information about wood, wood protection and the use of large timbers to build log homes.

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 …

Pb1731 Identifying Oak Trees Native To Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

From the bottomland swamps in the west to the mountain peaks in the east, Tennessee is enriched with a medley of forest trees like few other states. Diversity in soil types, climate and elevation give Tennessee an environmental gradient that provides habitats for approximately 190 native forest trees and large shrubs.

Oak trees are an important component of many Tennessee forests and are of particular interest to landowners, homeowners, the forest industry, students and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Oaks are deserving of special recognition, due to their important role in Tennessee’s history, both ancient and modern. Unmatched in economic and biological …

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 …

Sp678 Forest Management Strategies To Minimize The Impact Of The Gypsy Moth, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Use of silviculture to manage gypsy moth effects gives foresters additional tools for developing integrated pest management programs. Silvicultural actions should be taken prior to gypsy moth outbreaks to reduce or minimize the potential damage that arises in stands vulnerable to gypsy moth. Three approaches to reduce stand susceptibility to gypsy moth are applicable. First, change the stand composition by reducing the proportion of favored species and increasing the number of non-favored species in the stand. This can be accomplished through intermediate thinning treatments. The percentage of favored species that remain should be less than 30 percent of total composition. …

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 …

Sp679 Two-Age System And Deferment Harvests, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The two-age system is designed to maintain two distinct age classes in a forest. This system is generally initiated using a deferment harvest, sometimes referred to as a shelterwood or clearcut with reserves (Figure 1). The deferment harvest retains a limited basal area of canopy trees while allowing the majority of the area to regenerate. The harvest initially creates a stand that contains scattered or small groups of older trees, typically one rotation length in age, surrounded by a regenerating age class. The canopy trees that are left are termed reserve trees. At the end of a second rotation length …

Sp675 Managing Oak Decline, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Oak decline is a slow-acting disease complex that involves the interaction of predisposing factors such as climate, site quality and advancing tree age. No single cause is responsible for the decline. Trees that are greater than 70 years of age and that occur on drier sites such as shallow, rocky soils on ridgetops and south- to west-facing upper slopes are most affected. Mortality of rootlets in the upper 12 inches of the soil initiates dieback in severe droughts. Secondary insects and diseases (red oak borers, twolined chestnut borers, armillaria root rot, defoliating insects, hypoxylon cankers) are contributing factors that cause …

Sp676 Oak Shelterwood - A Technique To Improve Oak Regeneration, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The oak shelterwood method has been developed to enhance the regeneration potential of oaks growing on intermediate and high-quality sites. The method involves a welltimed mid-story removal to improve the number and vigor of oak advance regeneration and a subsequent overstory removal to facilitate regeneration of the stand.

Sp673 Forest Certification For Family-Owned Forests - Who Will Certify And Why?, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The concept of forest certification has grown as a tool to foster sustainable forest management. It began on the global scale in the 1980s, and moved rapidly to the United States. Initially in the U.S., several forest product companies completed third-party certification, followed by many publicly owned forests. Some stakeholders are beginning to discuss the need to accelerate forest certification on family-owned forests. Family-owned forests are particularly important in the U.S. because they comprise the majority of the forest land and contribute the greater part of the nation’s annual timber removal. Yet little is known about who among this diverse …

Pb1607 Landowner's Guide To Timber Sale Contracts, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

A written timber sale agreement or contract is generally the preferable and safest method of selling timber. A written contract is a legally binding document that protects both the buyer and the seller (the landowner) from misunderstandings that may develop in the absence of such an agreement. A contract will verify the seller’s ownership of the timber to be sold and the absence of liens or other liabilities. There is little legal recourse with verbal agreements. By negotiating a contract, both parties are likely to work out difficulties before they occur and be more pleased with the transaction.

No two …

Sp652 Decking Lumber Options, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

If you are thinking of building a deck, you face many choices including what decking boards to use. There are many factors to consider, and there is no perfect option. Considering the pros and cons of each product will help you decide which decking board to use.

This fact sheet briefly describes each type of decking material and discusses some of the pros and cons of each. Some of the important factors in choosing decking boards for your project include price, availability, construction flexibility, maintenance and environmental impact. Each ofthese factors will be addressed in the discussion of each material. …

Sp663 Tree Planting Procedure For Small, Bare-Root Seedings, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Tree seedlings receive foremost care while growing in a managed nursery: fertile soil; ample moisture; and weed, insect and disease control. Lifting seedlings out of this comfort zone shocks them. Consider: they are dislodged from the soil; their roots are often torn; they are handled several times; they are packaged, shipped, exposed to wind and heat, and placed in planting bags or machine buckets; their roots are unveiled to open air; and they are often replanted in harsh soil where they are left to high temperatures with the hope of adequate precipitation for sustenance through the first few growing seasons.

Sp657 Impacts Of Air Pollution On The Urban Forest, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

An average human breathes around 3,400 gallons of air each day. Included in each breath can be numerous noxious chemicals as well as suspended particles. Consequently, human lungs must cope with this pollution. It is well known that air pollution is hazardous to human health and of enormous concern today. However, the “lungs” of our urban areas, trees growing in and around our cities, must also contend with air pollution. Just as air pollution impacts humans, air pollution affects trees in a variety of ways.

Pollution has long been identified as harmful to trees. Historically, impacts of air pollution were …

Pb1751 A Southern Pine Management Guide For Tennessee Landowners, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Forestry’s impact upon Tennessee is inescapable. The wood products industry contributes more than $21 billion annually to the state economy and employs 184,000 workers.1 There are 14.4 million acres of forestland across the state, more than half the land base, and nearly 70 percent of these lands are owned by private, non-industrial landowners. Tennessee prides itself upon being one of the nation’s largest producers of hardwood timber, but 1.2 million acres of our forests are comprised of southern yellow pines.

These pines contribute not only to a diversity of products that can be commercially marketed, but also increase the wide …

Pb1465 Tree Crops For Marginal Farmland - Paulownia, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Paulownia is native to the Orient. It is also called the Chinese Empress tree, the Princess tree or the Kiri tree. Paulownia is known for its extremely fast growth, clusters of showy and fragrant lavender flowers, elephant-ear-sized leaves and extraordinary cash value. The major commercial market is with Japan. Paulownia is used to make furniture, gift boxes, bowls, toys, clogs, handicrafts and musical instruments. The wood is also used for traditional products such as construction lumber, plywood and veneer.

Athough many species of Paulownia exist in Asia, many are considered subtropical and will not become marketable trees in the southern …

Sp627 Identification And Control Of Non-Native Invasive Forest Plants In Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Invasive, exotic plants can cause significant displacement of native vegetation. But exactly what are exotic plants? What makes them invasive? To find out, let’s start with some basic definitions.

The vegetation historically found in a local area is termed native vegetation. These plants have traditionally been found in the area and are well-suited to maintain themselves in their environs. Exotic plants are those plants found in a particular area, but which originate from another continent or country. These plants can also be referred to as non-native. However, non-native plants are not always exotic. Non-native plants may also be native …

Pb1650 Understanding Log Scales And Log Rules, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

A necessary step in determining the value of timber at the mill is establishing the estimated volume by standard scaling practices. Examples of scaling practices include measuring the weight of pulpwood to estimate the volume and measuring the dimensions of hardwood sawlogs, along with applying a log rule to determine how much lumber can be sawn from the log. This publication describes common methods of log scaling and log rules used in Tennessee.

Scaling estimates the log volume on a board foot, cubic foot, linear foot or cord basis. In scaling pulpwood or chipwood, the volume of available material is …

Pb1744 Quality Hardwood Veneer, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Private forest landowners have long understood that some trees are distinguished as being exceptional. Not every forest contains such rare trees. In the hardwood industry, such trees are termed veneer. From veneer trees come veneer logs; from veneer logs come veneer sheets. Unlike most logs that are processed into conventional lumber, veneer sheets are thin layers of wood produced by slicing logs.

Essentially any log can be processed as veneer. However, for hardwood trees, normally only those logs of desired species and with the finest characteristics are selected. This is especially the case when the finished wood product is …

Pb1692 Wood Identification For Hardwood And Softwood Species Native To Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

This publication provides information on how to identify wood of several species common to Tennessee by using a hand-magnifying lens. Included in this publication are a wood identification key for some common Tennessee species, a list of key specie characteristics and a list of companies that sell wood identification sample sets.

Tennessee has a rich variety of tree species, and the wood produced from each of these has unique structure, physical and mechanical properties. The differences in wood structure and properties allow for the manufacture of wood-based products with many different appearances and uses. Since wood is a popular and …

Pb1463 Tree Crops For Marginal Farmland - Christmas Trees, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Growing Christmas trees can be a profitable use for marginally productive farmland. Though more labor-intensive than other tree crops, a Christmas tree crop can return a profit in as little as five to seven years. In addition, Christmas tree production requires little up-front capital investment. Most production operations require only hand tools or common farm machinery.

Most industry experts predict that Christmas tree markets will remain stable. However, there is a surplus of Christmas trees in many regions of the United States. To be competitive, growers must efficiently produce high-quality trees of the species that consumers demand.

Artificial Christmas trees …

Sp595 Timber Theft! How To Avoid It And What To Do If It Happens, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Timber theft, or timber trespass, is common throughout the Southeast. Each year numerous private forest landowners discover their timber has been stolen or inadvertently harvested.

Timber theft carries a civil penalty in Tennessee and often results in a complete financial loss to the owner. The value of stolen timber can be written off against income tax as an involuntary conversion. The deductible loss, however, is limited to the tax basis of the timber. If caught, the trespasser can be required to pay damages double or triple the current market value of the timber, according to whether the timber was negligently …

Pb1693 Sawing Logs For Quartersawn Lumber, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Hardwood lumber producers are constantly looking for ways to increase the value of their products. One way to increase lumber value is to saw logs using a method that will produce quartersawn lumber where growth rings appear parallel to one another on the wide face of the board. Quartersawn lumber is more valuable than lumber sawn using other methods and is very desirable for applications such as furniture and cabinet making. This publication describes quartersawn lumber, explains how it differs from lumber with other grain patterns and details several methods for producing quartersawn lumber on either a sawmill with a …

Pb1462 Tree Crops For Marginal Farmland - White Pine, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

White pine has flexible, blue-green needles that are grouped in fascicles of five. Each year, branches originate from the terminal growing tip (whorled pattern) giving the tree a distinctive appearance of layers of branches. The distance between successive whorls represents one year of growth. In forested settings, white pine grows rapidly on good sites, exceeding 100 feet in height and averaging 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The trunk is usually straight with a pyramidal crown. White pine is capable of attaining ages of 200 years.

White pine was extensively used in construction when old-growth white pine forests were abundant. …

Pb1628 Forest Products Measurements And Values, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Success in buying and selling forest products depends on one’s knowledge of product measurement and ability to predict the current market value. When trees are harvested, they can be sold as whole trees, factory class sawlogs, construction class sawlogs, veneer logs, pulpwood and/or chipwood. Lumber is sold by its grade, which is determined by the size and location of defects. Each product from the forest has a particular method by which it is measured and its market value estimated. This publication explains common forest products measures used in Tennessee and how to estimate the current market value.

Pb1466 Tree Crops For Marginal Farmland - Loblolly Pine, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Throughout the South the amount of timberland — about 182 million acres — exceeds the amount of cropland and pasture combined. Approximately one-third of all land in the South is covered with pine trees. Loblolly pine is by far the most abundant pine species. Its natural range in cludes the 12 southern states from Texas to Virginia, as well as Maryland and Delaware.

Loblolly pine has spread remarkably in the South east, growing quickly and forming pure stands in aban doned agricultural fields. For this reason, it is also known as “old field pine.”

The early colonists called a moist …

Pb1574 Managed Forests For Healthy Ecosystems, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

In this publication, we will more completely describe the concept of ecosystem management, and provide examples of how it may apply to your woodland. The older multiple-use and sustained-yield principles will not be forgotten; they will simply become part of a larger goal of maintaining healthy ecosystems. Responsible forestry and agricultural practices that are consistent with this goal will not be affected.