Abstract
Stratified loblolly pine (
Pinus taeda L.) seeds were placed at three depths in a reconstructed forest floor and subjected to simulated prescribed winter burns. Within the forest floor, pine seeds were placed at the L/upper-F interface, upper-F/lower-F interface, and lower-F/mineral-soil interface. Wind was generated by electric box-fans. Seeds that survived the burns were transferred to moist sand flats for 30-day germination tests. About 96% of seeds placed at the two upper layers in the forest floor were either destroyed by the fires or failed to germinate. Germinative capacity of seeds placed at the lower-F/mineral-soil interface averaged 79% as compared to 97% for unburned control seeds.
Keywords
Loblolly pine,
natural regeneration,
seed bank,
southeastern Arkansas
Citation
Cain, Michael D.; Shelton, Michael G. 1998. Viability of litter-stored
Pinus taeda L. seeds after simulated prescribed winter burns. New Forests 16: I-10, 1998.