development of pine plantation silviculture in the southern United States

In the 1950s there were vast acreages of cutover forestland and degraded agricultural land across the South. Less than 2 million ac of southern pine plantations existed at that time. By the end of the 20th century, there were 32 million ac of southern pine plantations in the US South and this region...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forestry 2007-10, Vol.105 (7), p.337-347
Main Authors: Fox, T.R, Jokela, E.J, Allen, H.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil war
Coastal plains
Divestiture
genetic improvement
Pinus
plantation forestry
Pulp & paper industry
Reforestation
seedling production
site preparation
Soil erosion control
Success
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Summary:In the 1950s there were vast acreages of cutover forestland and degraded agricultural land across the South. Less than 2 million ac of southern pine plantations existed at that time. By the end of the 20th century, there were 32 million ac of southern pine plantations in the US South and this region is the wood basket of the world. The success story that is southern pine forestry was facilitated by the application of research results generated through cooperative work of the US Forest Service, southern forestry schools, state forestry agencies, and forest industry. This article reviews the contributions of applied silvicultural research in tree improvement, nursery management, site preparation, weed control, and fertilization to plantation forestry in the South. These practices significantly increased productivity of southern pine plantations. Plantations established in the 1950s and 1960s, which produced less than 90 ft3 ac−1 yr−1, have been replaced by plantations established in the 2000s, which may produce in excess of 400 ft3 ac−1 yr−1. Currently, southern pine plantations are among the most intensively managed forests in the world. Growth of plantations managed using modern, integrated, site-specific silvicultural regimes now can rival that of plantations of fast-growing exotic species in the Southern Hemisphere.
ISSN:0022-1201
1938-3746
DOI:10.1093/jof/105.7.337