Responses of hardwood advance regeneration to seasonal prescribed fires in oak-dominated shelterwood stands

Published source details Brose P.H. & Van Laer D.H. (1998) Responses of hardwood advance regeneration to seasonal prescribed fires in oak-dominated shelterwood stands. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 28, 331-339.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use prescribed fire: effects on young trees Action Link

Use prescribed fire: effects on young trees

A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 1995-1996 in temperate broadleaf forest in Virginia USA (Brose & Van Lear 1998) found that prescribed burning reduced densities of new trees of all hardwood species. Declines in density were greater following summer burns than spring or winter burns and smallest in unburned plots for hickory Carya spp. (summer burn: 1,105; spring burn: 662; winter burn: 643; unburned: 76 trees/ha) and oak Quercus spp. (summer burn: 1,124; spring burn: 543; winter burn: 531; unburned: 79). Declines in density were higher in summer and spring burn than in winter burn and the lowest in control of red maple Acer rubrum (summer burn: 1,475; spring burn: 1,425; winter burn: 541; unburned: 82/ha) and yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera (summer burn: 4,231; spring burn: 4,169; winter burn: 2,801; unburned: 70) were. In 1995, four 2-5 ha areas were randomly assigned to one of four burn treatments: winter (February), spring (April) and summer (August) fires and unburned, in each of three forest sections. Each section had been shelterwood harvested. Monitoring was carried out in the autumn of 1994 (before treatments), 1995 and 1996 (after treatments) in 15 plots (20 m²) in each treatment.