Figure 1. The study site is
located about 5 miles southeast of Monticello, AR, in Drew County.
Operations Timetable
| DATE |
AGE |
OPERATION |
EXECUTOR |
To study the long-term effects of thinning
and pruning on stand growth, the Southern Forest Experiment Station established
40 plots in a typical 12-year-old loblolly pine plantation in 1970 (Burton
1968, 1971). The study is located about 5 miles southeast of Monticello,
Arkansas (See Figure 1). Since 1981 the study has been continued
by the School of Forest Resources of the University of Arkansas at Monticello
in cooperation with the Forest Service and Georgia-Pacific Corporation,
presently Plum Creek.
Our study is the longest active research project to document the effects
of thinning and pruning on growth of loblolly pine.
Although the observed plots have now exceeded the
age of financial maturity, they are still capable of providing great returns
for forestry. With age, growth trends become more pronounced and
the values of parameters are more stable. The longer we remeasure
the plots, the more accurately we can estimate parameters needed to manage
young stands. This information is indispensable for calibrating computer
models that are coming of age. Therefore, with the help of the landowner,
Plum Creek (previously Georgia-Pacific Corporation), we are doing
our best to remeasure and maintain this important study. This webpage
presents information on the dynamics of a typical loblolly pine plantation
under a wide range of thinning and pruning intensities.
Figure 1. The study site is
located about 5 miles southeast of Monticello, AR, in Drew County.
Operations Timetable
| DATE |
AGE |
OPERATION |
EXECUTOR |
| Winter of 1958-59 |
|
1-0 loblolly pine seedlings from the state nursery with no record of seed source were machine-planted, 8x8, on an abandoned row-cropped field | Georgia Pacific Corp. |
| 02-1969 |
|
Preliminary inventory | James D. Burton, Forest Service |
| 08-1969 |
|
Preliminary thinning |
|
| 02-1970 |
|
First thinning (to 40,60, 80 and 100 square feet/acre) (1118 trees removed from measurement plots) |
|
| 03-1970 |
|
First inventory |
|
| 05-1970 |
|
First pruning (to the height of 23,21, and 19 feet) |
|
| 10-1972 |
|
Bush-hogging |
|
| 10-1972 |
|
Second inventory |
|
| 12-1972 |
|
Second thinning (to 30, 50, 70 and 90 square feet/acre) (473 trees) |
|
| 06-1973 |
|
Second pruning (to the height of 33, 26, and 22 feet) |
|
| 01-1974 |
|
Ice storm | |
| 02-1974 |
|
Third inventory |
|
| 03-1974 |
|
Salvage cutting (211 trees) |
|
| 01-1977 |
|
Fourth inventory |
|
| 02-1979 |
|
Ice storm | |
| 03-1981 |
|
Prescribed burning | Chad Russell, Georgia Pacific |
| 08-1981 |
|
Injection of hardwoods and removal of understory | Boris Zeide, Kevin Dobelbower - UAM |
| 09-1981 |
|
Fifth inventory |
|
| 11-1981 |
|
Third thinning (172 trees) |
|
| 04-1984 |
|
Prescribed burning | Chad Russell, Georgia Pacific |
| 07-1984 |
|
Establishment of five thinning control plots | Boris Zeide, Daniel Leduc |
| 11-1984 |
|
Sixth inventory |
|
| 01-1985 |
|
Fourth thinning (46 trees) |
|
| 04-1985 |
|
Stem analysis of 24 thinned trees |
|
| 01-1986 |
|
Prescribed burning | Chad Russell, Georgia Pacific |
| 03-1986 |
|
Bush-hogging | Lewis Ulyess |
| 04-1986 |
|
Establishment of thinning control plot 44 | Boris Zeide, Daniel Leduc |
| 10-1987 |
|
Bush-hogging | Eddie Barnes |
| 02-1988 |
|
Seventh inventory | Boris Zeide, Suzanne Wiley |
| 03-1988 |
|
Fifth thinning (45 trees) |
|
| 04-1988 |
|
Stem analysis of 45 thinned trees |
|
| 08-1988 |
|
Control of insect damage near the southeastern boundary of the study area (cut 20 trees outside the study and sprayed 16 study trees) | Lynne Thompson, Suzanne Wiley |
| 03-1990 |
|
Prescribed burning | Chad Russell, Georgia Pacific |
| 02-1993 |
|
Eighth inventory | Boris Zeide, Suzanne Wiley |
| 03-1993 |
|
Sixth thinning (39 trees) | Chad Russell |
| 03-1993 |
|
Stem analysis of 38 thinned trees | Boris Zeide, Suzanne Wiley |
| 02-1994 |
|
Ice storm | |
| 05-1994 |
|
Eight trees from buffers were cut for wood quality study | Suzanne Wiley, Scott Beasley |
| 03-1995 |
|
Ninth inventory (only diameters) | Boris Zeide, Vadim Shvets |
| 03-1995 |
|
Prescribed burning | Ronny Neils, Georgia Pacific |
| 09-1997 |
|
Bush-hogging | Chris Johnson, Kingwood |
| 09-1997 |
|
Tenth inventory | Boris Zeide, Yujia Zhang |
| 11-1997 |
|
Salvage cutting of 6 trees infested by southern pine beetle | Larry Anderson, Weyerhaeuser |
| 05-1998 |
|
Seventh thinning (19 trees) | Larry Anderson, Weyerhaeuser |
| 11-2000 |
|
Eleventh inventory (only diameters) | Boris Zeide, Curtis VanderSchaaf |
| 12-2000 |
43 |
Prescribed burning | Carl Carlson, The Timber Company |
| 12-2000 |
43 |
Mild ice storm causing little damage | |
| 02-2001 |
43 |
Eleventh inventory (only heights) | Boris Zeide, Curtis VanderSchaaf |
| Spring of 2002 |
44 |
Re-monumentation of plots (see Re-monumentation) | Ralph Meeker |
| 09-2002 |
45 |
Bush-hogging | Ralph Meeker |
| 10-2002 |
45 |
Twelfth inventory | Ralph Meeker |
| 06-2005 |
48 |
Bush-hogging | John Stephens |
| 10-2005 |
48 |
Thirteenth inventory | John Stephens |
| 12-2005 |
48 |
Re-monumentation of plots (see Re-monumentation) | John Stephens |
Figure 2. Minimal ice storm damage was observed during a mild ice storm on December 13, 2000. Tree number 252 in plot 27 had the most damage with several broken branches (located at the bottom of the tree). No tops were broken and on the average one first order branch was torn off in every 15th tree.