Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-26-2025
Department
College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Abstract
In forests dominated by deciduous tree species, coniferous species are often disproportionately important because of their contrasting functional traits. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), once a widespread emergent canopy species, co-occurs with deciduous hardwoods in the northern Lake States, but is often uncommon in contemporary hardwood stands. To gain insights into the potential utility of hardwood management strategies for simultaneously regenerating white pine, we leveraged a northern hardwood silvicultural experiment with scattered overstory pine. Seven growing seasons post-harvest, we conducted a complete census of white pine regeneration (height ≥ 30 cm) and mapped their locations and the locations of potential seed trees. Pine regeneration was sparse and strongly spatially aggregated, with most clusters falling within potential seed shadows of overstory pines. New recruits were found to have the highest density in a scarified portion of the study area leeward of potential seed trees. Low regeneration densities within treatment units, strong spatial aggregation, and the spatial arrangement of potential seed trees precluded generalizable inferences regarding the utility of specific treatment combinations. Nevertheless, our results underscore the critical importance of residual overstory pines as seed sources and highlight the challenges associated with realizing their potential in managed northern hardwoods.
Publication Title
Forests
Recommended Citation
Kromholz, D. A.,
Webster, C.,
&
Hyslop, M.
(2025).
Spatial Patterning and Growth of Naturally Regenerated Eastern White Pine in a Northern Hardwood Silviculture Experiment.
Forests,
16(8).
http://doi.org/10.3390/f16081235
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/1921
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081235