| Producing seedlings with specific traits along with altering the configuration of forest gaps may improve reforestation success of longleaf pine seedlings. Seedlings traits such as shoot, root and primary needle length may be good predictors of survival and vigor at the regeneration site. At the Florida planting site, for example, primary needle length and shoot length were correlated with survival one year later in containerized seedlings, and increased root length of bare root seedlings raised survival. Nitrogen fertilization in the nursery did not impact survival but resulted in earlier bud burst in the spring, a possible advantage especially in competitive environments. At the Georgia planting site, where the survival was low due to the drought of 1998, survival was higher in the forest than in small (0.10 ha) and large (1.6 ha) gaps. In the large gaps, survival of containerized seedlings was higher at the edges, particularly the SW edge. The shade of adult trees and the nurse effect of shrubs increased the survival. Grass competition reduced survival. During dry years the “exclusionary zone” at the edge of gaps may be renamed the “survival zone.” A model using oval-shaped gaps oriented from NW to SE, with an area of 0.25 ha is proposed to maximize the survival and growth of longleaf pine regeneration. |
