View in EDS

Underplanting in slash reduces first-year browse damage in a central hardwood forest.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Underplanting in slash reduces first-year browse damage in a central hardwood forest.
Authors: Hackworth, Zachary J.1 (AUTHOR) zachary.hackworth@uky.edu, Vickers, Lance A.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 12/12/2025, Vol. 55, p1-8. 8p.
Subject Terms: *Hardwood forests, *Tree seedlings, *Plant defenses, *Herbivores, *Plant litter, *Forest management, *Grazing, Understory plants
Abstract: Ungulate herbivory damage presents challenges to forest management in many regions and often requires mitigation to meet objectives. Under certain conditions, logging slash can exclude ungulates and provide refuge for tree seedlings. We underplanted clusters of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and white oak (Quercus alba L.) seedlings within slash and in adjacent openings and monitored herbivory damage and seedling growth during the first growing season following an operational cut-to-length partial timber harvest in Kentucky, USA. By planting in slash, the odds of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse damage decreased by a factor of 12. Oaks were 3 ± 1 cm taller in slash plantings than in non-slash plantings. Slash height and openness best predicted probability of deer browse damage, with tall, dense slash affording the greatest protection. Planting in operationally created slash provided at least short-term advantages to seedling growth potential in areas with high deer density. Further work is needed to determine slash decay rates and the concomitant changes in exclusion efficacy after year 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: GreenFILE
Description
Abstract:Ungulate herbivory damage presents challenges to forest management in many regions and often requires mitigation to meet objectives. Under certain conditions, logging slash can exclude ungulates and provide refuge for tree seedlings. We underplanted clusters of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and white oak (Quercus alba L.) seedlings within slash and in adjacent openings and monitored herbivory damage and seedling growth during the first growing season following an operational cut-to-length partial timber harvest in Kentucky, USA. By planting in slash, the odds of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse damage decreased by a factor of 12. Oaks were 3 ± 1 cm taller in slash plantings than in non-slash plantings. Slash height and openness best predicted probability of deer browse damage, with tall, dense slash affording the greatest protection. Planting in operationally created slash provided at least short-term advantages to seedling growth potential in areas with high deer density. Further work is needed to determine slash decay rates and the concomitant changes in exclusion efficacy after year 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00455067
DOI:10.1139/cjfr-2025-0173