Abstract
Oregon white oak woodlands and savannas in the Puget Sound Region have been dramatically reduced in area owing in part to the invasion and eventual dominance of Douglas-fir in oak stands after Native American burning practices ended. We initiated a study in 2001 to examine the response of overtopped oaks to three types of release (full, partial, control) from Douglas-fir. Full and partial release treatments increased oaks' stem growth and acorn production and resulted in the formation of new branches. Our findings indicate that these overtopped oaks are capable of recovery, even after an extended period of suppression.
Keywords
Quercus garryana,
Oregon white oak,
acorn production,
epicormic branching,
release
Citation
Devine, W.D.; Harrington, C.A. 2006. Changes in Oregon white oak (
Quercus garryana Dougl. ex Hook) following release from overtopping conifers. Trees. 20: 747-756.