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Will Garry oak respond to release from overtopping conifers

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Garry oak (Quercus garryana) woodlands provide unique habitat for many Pacific Northwest species but these habitats are rapidly disappearing as species composition shifts to conifer or land use changes to urban or agricultural. Many oak trees from former savannas or oak woodlands on Fort Lewis Military Reservation (near Tacoma, WA, USA) are currently overtopped by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The shade-intolerant oak has probably survived in these stands due to past thinning activities; however, as the Douglas-fir continues to increase in height, we expect most of the oaks will not survive for long. This study's primary objectives are to determine if overtopped oaks will respond to release treatments, and if so, what pre-treatment tree and stand characteristics can be used to predict response to release. The study utilizes three levels of release in each of four stands overtopped by Douglas-fir.

Keywords

Quercus garryana, restoration, forest management, acorn production, epicormic branches, understory vegetation

Citation

Harrington, Constance A.; Kern, Christel C. 2002. Will Garry oak respond to release from overtopping conifers. In: Burton, Philip J. ed., Proceedings: Garry oak ecosystem restoration: Progress and prognosis. Proceedings of the third annual meeting of the British Columbia Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration; 2002 April 27-28; Victoria, BC. Victoria BC: University of Victoria: 39-46.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/41027