Publication Date:
2016-09-01
Description:
In this study, we tested the efficacy of establishing lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) from seed using woody mulch produced from slashed tree tops from a pine harvesting site; this mulch contained the closed serotinous cones of the lodgepole pine. Mulch was spread on prepared reclamation sites at depths of 0, 1, 3, and 5 cm. Broadcast seeding of pine was also done at mulch depths of 0 and 1 cm. Mulch cover that was 1 cm thick was the preferred treatment, as it produced 17 000 seedlings·ha−1 by the third year after treatment while being similar in seedling density to the 3 and 5 cm treatments. When 50 000 seeds·ha−1 were added, seedling density went up more on the sites with 1 cm of mulch than the sites with no mulch. Soil temperature was lower and temperature extremes were reduced under the mulch layer compared with the control plot. The plots with 1 cm of mulch also had higher soil moisture in the mineral layer than the plots with 0 cm of mulch. A thin layer of woody mulch, therefore, provided a source of pine seed and the covering of the ground provided a more benign environment for the establishment of pine germinants.
Print ISSN:
0045-5067
Electronic ISSN:
1208-6037
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Permalink