Abstract
This study synthesizes published height growth measurements for a range of bottomland hardwood species commonly used in afforestation efforts in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), including a variety of oak and non-oak species, from establishment up to 20–30 years of age. Over this time period, cottonwood outperforms all species, while red oaks (cherrybark, Nuttall, water, and willow), sweetgum, and sycamore show intermediate growth trends. Green ash and swamp chestnut oak show lower growth over the same period. In terms of site quality effects, heavier textured clay soils tend to produce lower growth rates for most species, while higher quality loam soils produce the highest growth. Nonetheless, the lack of published data suggests that an increased sampling effort is needed to improve our knowledge of growth patterns of trees commonly used in afforestation in the LMAV and assist landowners and managers in anticipating stand development and silvicultural treatments.
Parent Publication
Citation
Frey, Brent R.; Stoll, Jonathan; Veira Leite, Rodrigo; Boerger, Ellen; Sabatia, Charles O. 2018. A preliminary synthesis of growth data for bottomland hardwood species commonly planted in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In: Kirschman, Julia E., comp. 2018. Proceedings of the 19th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. e-General Technical Report SRS- 234. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 444 p (pages 175-183) 9 p.
