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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Booneville, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145135
Title: ICE DAMAGE IN A CHRONOSEQUENCE OF AGROFORESTRY PINE PLANTATIONS IN ARKANSAS

Author
item Burner, David
item Ares, Adrian

Submitted to: Southern Silvicultural Research Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/13/2002
Publication Date: 2/27/2003
Citation: BURNER, D.M., ARES, A. 2003. ICE DAMAGE IN A CHRONOSEQUENCE OF AGROFORESTRY PINE PLANTATIONS IN ARKANSAS. 12th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Acute (broken and leaning) and transient (bending) damage to loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were assessed in a case study of experimental agroforestry plantations following a December 2000 ice storm. Stand ages were 7-, 9-, and 17-years-old and tree density ranged from 150 to 3,360 trees ha-1 in rectangular and multi-row configurations. Wider tree spacing or lower stand density of 7-year-old trees increased stem breakage, while closer spacing increased bending. There was substantial straightening of bent 7-year-old trees 8 months after the storm, and this recovery was determined more by degree of initial bend rather than height or diameter. Nine-year-old loblolly pine had 19% more top breakage and 59% more stem breakage than shortleaf pine (P. echinata Mill.) (P<0.001). Agroforestry design influenced ice damage in 7-year-old stands, but no design had catastrophic loss. Thinning from above caused an increased susceptibility of ice damage to a 17-year-old stand compared to a nonthinned stand. The case study supports the cultivation of loblolly pine in areas prone to ice damage.