ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES in rocky mountain coniferous ...

Es tab1 ishment and Initial Development of
Lodgepole Pine in Response to Residue Management
Wyman C. Schmidt
Principal Research Si lvicul turist
and
James E. Lotan
Supervisory Research Forester
USDA Forest Service, Intermountai n Forest and
Range Experiment Station
ABSTRACT
Four 1 odgepol e pine cl earcu ts i n Wyoming were quartered
and wood residues treated as follows: (1) dozer piled
and burned (scarified), (2) broadcast burned, (3) com-
pletely removed, and (4) chipped and spread over the
site. Equal portions of each quarter were auger-planted,
hand-seeded, or left to regenerate with seed dispersed
from nearby trees.
Five growing seasons after outpl anti ng , nearly 90 percent
of the seedlings survived on the dozer-scarified and the
broadcast-burned treatments, and only 50 to 60 percent
survived on the chips-spread and complete residue-removal
treatments. Height growth fol lowed the same pattern--trees
on the scarified and broadcast-burned treatments grew
nearly twice as fast as those on the other two treatments.
Stocking rates and i ni tial height growth for hand-seeded
spots were about twice as great on the scarified and
broadcas t-burned treatments as on the chi ps-spread and
complete residue-removal treatments.
Natural regeneration was plentiful on the scarified and
residues-removed treatments, and 1 acki ng on the chips-
spread treatment. Lack of a good seed crop after broad-
cast burning resulted in 1 i t tle natural regeneration on
that treatment.
KEYWQRDS: Pi nus contorta, lodgepol e pine, natural
regenera ti ~Etificialregenera ti on, residues
disposal, prescribed burning , seed1 i ng development