Scientists & Staff

Todd Hutchinson
Current Research
Long-term vegetation dynamics following thinning and repeated fires in mixed-oak forests.Tree regeneration in shelterwood stands treated with herbicide and/or prescribed fire.
White oak (Quercus alba) seedling response to midstory removal via herbicide.
Herbaceous layer response to overstory mortality caused by Emerald Ash Borer.
Effectiveness of a native fungal wilt-causing pathogen (Verticillium nonalfalfae) as a biological control for the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-Heaven).
Research Interests
Oak regeneration and sustaining mixed-oak forestsFire ecology of oak woodlands and forests
Fire history of oak and oak-pine forest types
Understory plant composition and diversity in response to environmental gradients and disturbance.
Education
- Ohio State University, Ph.D. Ecology,
- Miami University, M.S. Botany,
- University of Louisville, B.A. Biology,
Professional Organizations
- Ecological Society of America
- Torrey Botanical Society
- Society of American Foresters (SAF)
Featured Publications & Products
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Marschall, Joseph M.; Guyette, Richard P. 2019. Historical fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, from remnant yellow pines. Fire Ecology
- Dyer, James M.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2019. Topography and soils-based mapping reveals fine-scale compositional shifts over two centuries within a central Appalachian landscape. Forest Ecology and Management
- Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Iverson, Louis R. 2019. Effects of prescribed fire and stem-injection herbicide on Ailanthus altissima demographics and survival. Forest Ecology and Management
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rebbeck, Joanne. 2019. Effectiveness of herbicide and fire to favor oak regeneration in Ohio shelterwood stands. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-237. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Stout, Susan L. 2016. The devil is in the small dense saplings: A midstory herbicide treatment has limited effects on short-term regeneration outcomes in oak shelterwood stands. Forest Ecology and Management. 372: 189-198.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2012. Repeated prescribed fires alter gap-phase regeneration in mixed-oak forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 42: 303-314.
- Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; Ford, Robert; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2009. Fire history and the establishment of oaks and maples in second-growth forests. In: Hutchinson, Todd F., ed. Proceedings of the 3rd fire in eastern oak forests conference; 2008 May 20-22; Carbondale, IL. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-46. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 149.
Publications & Products
- Pile Knapp, Lauren; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Fraser, Jacob; Pinchot, Cornelia C. 2022. Controlling an Invasive Tree with a Native Fungus: Inoculating Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-Heaven) with Verticillium nonalfalfae in Highly Disturbed Appalachian Forests of Ohio. Journal of Forestry
- Hutchinson, Todd ; Dyer, James. 2021. American chestnut in Ohio's historic woodlands. Ohio Woodland Journal. 28(3):16-17, 24-25.
- Pile Knapp, Lauren S.; Snell, Rebecca ; Vickers, Lance A.; Hutchinson, Todd ; Kabrick, John ; Jenkins, Michael A.; Graham, Brad ; Rebbeck, Joanne. 2021. The 'other' hardwood: Growth, physiology, and dynamics of hickories in the Central Hardwood Region, USA. Forest Ecology and Management
- Smith, S. J.; McCarthy, B. C.; Hutchinson, T. F.; Snell, R. S. 2021. Both weather and resources influence masting in chestnut oak (Quercus montana Willd.) and black oak (Q. velutina Lam.). Plant Ecology
- Bragg, Don C.; Hanberry, Brice B.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Jack, Steven B.; Kabrick, John M. 2020. Silvicultural options for open forest management in eastern North America. Forest Ecology and Management
- Coates, T. Adam; Waldrop, Thomas A.; Mohr, Helen H.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2020. The development of a Southern Appalachian Mountain fuels photo series. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-253. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station
- Brose, Patrick H.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2019. The fundamentals of release burning in mixed oak forests with emphasis on the shelterwood-burn technique. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-237. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station
- Coates, T. Adam; Waldrop, Thomas A.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Mohr, Helen H. 2019. Photo guide for estimating fuel loading in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-241. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
- Iverson, Louis R.; Bartig, Jarel L.; Nowacki, Gregory J.; Peters, Matthew P.; Dyer, James M.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Adams, Bryce T. 2019. USDA Forest Service section, subsection, and landtype descriptions for southeastern Ohio. Research Map NRS-10. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 68 p.
- Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Prasad, Anantha ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Bartig, Jarel ; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Yaussy, Dan ; Stout, Susan ; Nowacki, Greg. 2019. Adapting oak management in an age of ongoing mesophication but warming climate. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-237. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station
- Iverson, Louis R.; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Peters, Matthew P.; Hutchinson, Todd ; Fox, Timothy. 2019. Predicting Ailanthus altissima presence across a managed forest landscape in southeast Ohio. Forest Ecosystems
- Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Iverson, Louis ; Peters, Matthew ; Jolliff, Joan. 2019. Methods to tame Ailanthus in mixed oak forests, what works: prescribed fire, herbicides, or biological control?. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-237. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station
- Hanberry, Brice B.; Bragg, Don C.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2018. A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum. Ecosphere. 9(10): e02431.
- Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Bartig, Jarel L.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Stout, Susan. 2018. Spatial modeling and inventories for prioritizing investment into oak-hickory restoration. Forest Ecology and Management
- Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Peters, Matthew P.; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2017. Long-term response of oak-hickory regeneration to partial harvest and repeated fires: influence of light and moisture. Ecosphere. 8(1): e01642. 24 p.
- Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Iverson, Louis; Yaussy, Daniel; Fox, Timothy. 2017. Distribution and demographics of Ailanthus altissima in an oak forest landscape managed with timber harvesting and prescribed fire. Forest Ecology and Management
- Dickinson, Matthew B.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Dietenberger, Mark; Matt, Frederick; Peters, Matthew P.; Yang, Jian. 2016. Litter Species Composition and Topographic Effects on Fuels and Modeled Fire Behavior in an Oak-Hickory Forest in the Eastern USA. PLOS ONE, Vol. 11(8): e0159997-.
- Rebbeck, Joanne; Kloss, Aaron; Bowden, Michael; Coon, Cheryl; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Iverson, Louis; Guess, Greg. 2015. Aerial detection of Ailanthus altissima: a cost-effective method to map an invasive tree in forested landscapes. Forest Science. 61(6): 1068-1078.
- Huebner, Cynthia D.; Steinman, Jim; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Ristau, Todd E.; Royo, Alejandro A. 2014. The distribution of a non-native (Rosa multiflora) and native (Kalmia latifolia) shrub in mature closed-canopy forests across soil fertility gradients. Plant and Soil. 377(1-2): 259-276.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Rebbeck, Joanne ; Kennedy Sutherland, Elaine ; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2014. Repeated fires, canopy gaps, and tree regeneration in Appalachian mixed oak forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-199. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 208p
- Rebbeck, Joanne ; Hutchinson, Todd ; Iverson, Louis ; Peters, Matthew ; Yaussy, Daniel ; Bowden, Michael ; Guess, Greg ; Kloss, Aaron. 2014. Ailanthus and prescribed fire: Is it a volatile combination?. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-199. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 208 p.
- Huebner, Cynthia D.; Hutchinson, Todd; Ristau, Todd; Royo, Alejandro; Steinman, James. 2012. Documenting the Regional and local distribution of Kalmia latifolia and Rosa multiflora in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Forests along a soil fertility gradient. In: Potter, Kevin M.; Conkling, Barbara L., eds. 2012. Forest health monitoring: 2009 national technical report. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-167. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 211-217.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Long, Robert P.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2012. Long-term (13-year) effects of repeated prescribed fires on stand structure and tree regeneration in mixed-oak forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 286: 87-100.
- Dey, Daniel C.; Royo, Alejandro A.; Brose, Patrick H.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Spetich, Martin A.; Stoleson, Scott H. 2010. An ecologically based approach to oak silviculture: a synthesis of 50 years of oak ecosystem research in North America. Revista Columbia Forestal. 13(2): 201-222.
- Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Iverson, Louis; Yaussy, Daniel; Boyles, Robert; Bowden, Michael. 2010. Studying the effects of management practices on Ailanthus populations in Ohio forests: A research update. In: McManus, Katherine; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. Proceedings, 21st U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on invasive species 2010; 2010 January 12-15; Annapolis, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-75. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 50-51.
- Hutchinson, Todd F., ed. 2009. Proceedings of the 3rd fire in eastern oak forests conference. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-46. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 154 p.
- Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Prasad, Anantha; Peters, Matthew. 2009. Oak regeneration across a heterogeneous landscape in Ohio: some limited success after thinning, two fires, and seven years. In: Hutchinson, Todd F., ed. Proceedings of the 3rd fire in eastern oak forests conference; 2008 May 20-22; Carbondale, IL. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-46. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 151.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Ford, Robert D.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2008. Fire history and the establishment of oaks an maples in second-growth forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 38: 1184-1198.
- Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Prasad, Anantha M.; Peters, Matthew P. 2008. Thinning, fire, and oak regeneration across a heterogeneous landscape in the eastern U.S.: 7-year results. Forest Ecology and Management. 255: 3035-3050.
- Waldrop, Thomas A.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Phillips, Ross J.; Hutchinson, Todd A.; Brudnak, Lucy; Boerner, Ralph E.J. 2008. Fuel reduction treatments affect stand structure of hardwood forests in Western North Carolina and Southern Ohio, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 255: 3117-3129
- McEwan, Ryan W.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Ford, Robert D.; McCarthy, Brian C. 2007. An experimental evaluation of fire history reconstruction using dendrochronology in white oak (Quercus alba). Canadian Journal of Forest Research 37: 806-816.
- McEwan, Ryan W.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Ford, Robert D.; McCarthy, Brian C. 2007. Temporal and spatial patterns in fire occurrence during the establishment of mixed-oak forests in eastern North America . Journal of Vegetation Science. 18: 655-664.
- Phillips, Ross; Hutchinson, Todd; Brudnak, Lucy; Waldrop, Thomas. 2007. Fire and fire surrogate treatments in mixed-oak forests: Effects on herbaceous layer vegetation. In: Butler, Bret W.; Cook, Wayne, comps. The fire environment--innovations, management, and policy; conference proceedings. 26-30 March 2007; Destin, FL. Proceedings RMRS-P-46CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. CD-ROM. p. 475-485
- Hutchinson, Todd. 2006. Fire and the herbaceous layer of eastern oak forests. In: Dickinson, Matthew B., ed. 2006. Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers, proceedings of a conference; 2005 November 15-17; Columbus, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-1. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 136-149.
- McEwan, Ryan w.; Hutchinson, Todd; Ford, Robert; McCarthy, Brian C. 2006. Experimental evaluation of fire history reconstruction using dendrochronology in white oak (Quercus alba). In: Dickinson, Matthew B., ed. 2006. Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers, proceedings of a conference; 2005 November 15-17; Columbus, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-1. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 289.
- Rebbeck , Joanne; Yaussy, Daniel; Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; Bova, Anthony; Dickinson, Matthew. 2006. Use of temperature-sensitive paints as an index of heat output from fire. In: Dickinson, Matthew B., ed. 2006. Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers, proceedings of a conference; 2005 November 15-17; Columbus, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-1. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 295.
- Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hutchinson, Todd; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Rebbeck, Joanne. 2006. Fire research on the Raccoon Ecological Management Area. In: Dickinson, Matthew B., ed. 2006. Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers, proceedings of a conference; 2005 November 15-17; Columbus, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-1. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 303.
- Artman, Vanessa L.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Brawn, Jeffrey D.; Brawn, Jeffrey D. 2005. Fire ecology and bird populations in eastern deciduous forests. Studies in Avian Biology. 30: 127-138.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Boerner, Ralph E.J.; Sutherland, Steve; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Ortt, Marilyn; Iverson, Louis R.; Iverson, Louis R. 2005. Prescribed fire effects on the herbaceous layer of mixed-oak forests. Can. J. For. Res. 35: 877-890.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2005. Effects of repeated prescribed fires on the structure, composition, and regeneration of mixed-oak forests in Ohio. Forest Ecology and Management. 218: 210-228.
- Hutchinson, Todd; Rebbeck, Joanne; Long, Robert. 2004. Abundant Establishment of Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-heaven) after Restoration Treatments in an Upland Oak Forest. In: Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hix, David M.; Long, Robert P.; Goebel, P. Charles, eds. Proceedings, 14th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2004 March 16-19; Wooster, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-316. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 514
- Iverson, Louis R.; Yaussy, Daniel A.; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Long, Robert P.; Prasad, Anantha M. 2004. A comparison of thermocouples and temperature paints to monitor spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape-scale prescribed fires. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 13: 311-322.
- Iverson, Louis; Prasad, Anantha; Hutchinson, Todd; Rebbeck, Joanne; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2004. Fire and Thinning in an Ohio Oak Forest: Grid-Based Analyses of Fire Behavior, Environmental Conditions, and Tree Regeneration Across a Topographic Moisture Gradient. In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-73. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 190-197
- Boerner, Ralph E. J.; Morris, Sherri J.; Decker, Kelly L. M.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2003. Soil and forest floor characteristics. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 47-55
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Rubino, Darrin; McCarthy, Brian C.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2003. History of forests and land-use. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 17-27
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Scott, Charles T. 2003. Composition and abundance of tree regeneration. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 85-98
- Iverson, Louis R.; Yaussy, Daniel; Rebbeck, Joanne; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert; McCarthy, Brian; Riccardi, Cynthia; Prasad, Anantha. 2003. Spatial and temporal distribution of fire temperatures from prescribed fires in the mixed oak forests of southern Ohio. In: Van Sambeek, J. W.; Dawson, Jeffery O.; Ponder Jr., Felix; Loewenstein, Edward F.; Fralish, James S., eds. Proceedings of the 13th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-234. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station: 293-294
- Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2003. Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 159 p.
- Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Yaussy, Daniel A. 2003. Introduction, study area description, and experimental design. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 1-16
- Sutherland, Steve; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Windus, Jennifer L. 2003. Understory vegetation. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 67-83
- Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 2003. Structure, composition, and condition of overstory trees. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 99-111
- Yaussy, Daniel; Rebbeck, Joanne; Iverson, Louis; Hutchinson, Todd; Long, Robert. 2003. Comparison of a low-tech vs. a high-tech method to evaluate surface fire temperatures. In: Van Sambeek, J. W.; Dawson, Jeffery O.; Ponder Jr., Felix; Loewenstein, Edward F.; Fralish, James S., eds. Proceedings of the 13th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-234. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station: 295
- Iverson, Louis R.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2002. Soil temperature and moisture fluctuations during and after prescribed fire in mixed-oak forests, USA. Natural Areas Journal. 22(4): 296-304.
- Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2002. The restoration of oak-hickory forests in the central hardwoods: results of a landscape-scale prescribed burning experiment in Ohio. In: Ford, W. Mark; Russell, Kevin R.; Moorman, Christopher E., eds. Proceedings: the role of fire for nongame wildlife management and community restoration: traditional uses and new directions. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-288. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 145.
- Boerner, Ralph E. J.; Morris, Sherri Jeakins; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Hutchinson, Todd F. 2000. Spatial variability in soil nitrogen dynamics after prescribed burning in Ohio mixed-oak forests. Landscape Ecology. 15: 425-439.
- Hutchinson, Todd F.; Boerner, Ralph E.J.; Iverson, Louis R.; Sutherland, Steve; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 1999. Landscape patterns of understory composition and richness across a moisture and nitrogen mineralization gradient in Ohio (U.S.A.) Quercus forests. Plant Ecology. 144: 177-189.
National Research Highlights
Understanding Long-Term Impacts of an Invasive, Tree-Killing Pest
Year: 2019
The emerald ash borer has been killing ash trees in the United States for more than two decades. What does that mean for ash populations and the forest ecosystems? Long-term monitoring plot data collected by USDA Forest Service scientists and partners is helping to elucidate the impacts of this invasive pest and to plan management and conservation strategies.
Insights from a 250-year history of fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky
Year: 2017
In many eastern U.S. forests, undesirable shifts in tree species abundance are occurring. For oaks and pines, it is widely believed that the decreased frequency of fire over the last 75-100 years has played a major role in their decline.
Shift Toward Mesophytic Species in Oak Forests May Limit Fire Reintroduction
Year: 2016
Exclusion of fire from eastern mixed-oak forests is widely understood to be an important explanation for difficulty in regenerating oaks. Forest Service scientists studied whether the change in species composition of forest floor litter, as species composition shifts to more mesophytic and less fire tolerant species over time, could be a barrier to successful use of fire to restore oak ecosystems.
The Devil is in the Details for Regeneration Success in Mixed-oak Forests
Year: 2015
To improve oak regeneration, Forest Service scientists are studying shelterwood harvest with herbicide and prescribed fire treatments. Although large oak seedlings have developed after the partial harvest, competition from non-oak saplings is intense even after herbicide treatment. The combined use of herbicide and fire is being evaluated.
Repeated Prescribed Fires Help Sustain Oak Regeneration in Eastern Forests
Year: 2012
Research findings can help managers in their quest to sustain this forest type throughout Eastern North America