Emile S. Gardiner

Development of water oak stump sprouts under a partial overstory

A 28-year-old water oak (Quercus nigra L.) plantation was thinned from below to either 254 or 462 stems per hectare to determine the influence of a partial canopy on oak stump sprout development. Sprout clump survival, number of living sprouts in a clump, and height and DBH of the dominant sprout in a clump were measured in years 1–5 and 7 after harvest. By year 7, sprout clump survival under the heavily thinned canopy was 23% higher than under the lightly thinned canopy. Within-clump sprout mortality was not influenced by overstory thinning level, but by year 2 height and diameter increment were 15% and 22% greater, respectively, under the heavy overstory removal. Positive height and diameter growth of dominant sprouts continued under both canopy conditions through year 7, but early benefits of the heavy overstory removal on sprout growth diminished. Additional overstory removal or sprout clump thinning would be necessary to sustain sprout clump survival and sprout growth over extended periods.

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF LOUISIANA’S COASTAL WETLAND FORESTS: PROBLEMS, CONSTRAINTS, AND A NEW BEGINNING

Over 345,000 ha of forested swamps occur throughout the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. Natural and anthropogenic changes in hydrology and geomorphology at local and landscape levels have reduced the productivity in many of these coastal wetland forests areas and have caused the complete loss of forest cover in some places. A summary and interpretation of the available science, suggestions for policy change, and a multidisciplinary (multi-responsibility) approach were needed to address these issues [in the context of private land]. In response, the Louisiana Governors office formed a Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use Science Working Group (SWG) and an associated Advisory Panel to provide the Governor with information and suggestions of strategies for environmental and economic utilization, conservation, and protection of Louisianas coastal wetland forest ecosystem in the long-term. The process of engaging scientists, resource managers, and other stakeholders in this effort is described, and the recommendations of the SWG are presented relative to forestry practices and the potential for sustainable management of coastal wetland forests.