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Regeneration And Early Growth On Strip Clearcuts In Lodgepole Pine/Bitterbrush Habitat Type, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Establishment and growth of seedlings 13 years after strip clearcutting was investigated on a lodgepole pine/bitterbrush habitat type in southwestern Montana. Ingress of new seedlings (all from open-coned lodgepole pine) on areas that had been heavily bulldozer scarified was considerably better than on areas without bulldozer scarification. Seed:seedling ratios (established seedlings) ranged from 625:1 to 2,160:1 on scarified sites, and from 1,876:1 to 6,480:1 on unscarified sites. Only 3 years out of 13 resulted in significant numbers of seedlings being established. Advanced regeneration released by logging was growing as rapidly as seedlings established following logging.