Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) productivity 23Â years after wet site harvesting and site preparation in the lower Atlantic coastal plain

Ground based timber harvesting on wet sites has been linked to alteration of soil properties that may result in reduced long term site productivity. Following Hurricane Hugo in the fall of 1989, numerous salvage logging operations were conducted under high soil moisture conditions to reduce wildfire risk and salvage timber within the Francis Marion National Forest in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina. Study sites were established on wet pine flats to examine the long term effects of primary skid trails and site preparation on planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growth. Treatment effects were analyzed as a split-plot within a randomized complete block design with 12 blocks, four levels of site preparation (none, disking, bedding, disking with bedding), and two levels of machine traffic (primary skid trail, no obvious traffic). After 23 years, bedding and disking with bedding enhanced stand density (p < 0.0001) and above ground stand biomass (p < 0.0001) relative to the disking and non-site prepared treatments. None of the site preparation treatments were effective at increasing biomass of individual trees. Mean height (p < 0.0001), DBH (p < 0.0001), and biomass of individual trees (p < 0.0001) were lower on primary skid trails than in non-trafficked areas. Traffic did not have a significant effect on stand density (p < 0.4662) or stand biomass (p = 0.1564). Selected soil physical properties and productivity measurements were similar for the non-site prepared treatment on and off primary skid trails, suggesting that 23 years is sufficient time for soils in wet flats to naturally recover from wet weather harvest disturbance. This study indicates that bedding may be the most efficient management practice to enhance long term stand productivity for loblolly pine on aeration-limited sites by increasing seedling survival. Minimizing the spatial extent of skid trails may increase growth of individual trees.