Jeff Lee
In fire-dependent oak ecosystems throughout the eastern United States, recruitment of oak saplings to the overstory strata is poor. To document the current status of oak regeneration throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan as it relates to forestry practices, deer browse, and physiography, an ongoing, three-year study was initiated in February 2006. Data was collected at sites in southern and northern Michigan. Sites chosen for sampling represented various landforms and management prescriptions throughout several defined ecological units of Lower Michigan. White oak (Quercus alba), black oak (Quercus velutina), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), and northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) were the most common dominants in the overstory between regions and among landforms, whereas red maple (Acer rubrum) comprised the majority of the understory. Oak regeneration responded to varying conditions of regional (i.e., northsouth), landform, and management effects. Generally, oaks fared better in the drier and more nutrient-poor northern region (lower soil pH and base cation concentrations) than the southern region. Among landforms, sandy outwash and lake plain were more favorable for oaks than loamy moraine and ice-contact terrain. Depending on the ecological setting, active management may hinder or aid oak regeneration. When initial conditions demonstrate a presence of oak advanced regeneration, often in the driest sites, with limited competition from mesophytic and early-successional species in the understory, cutting may sustain future oak overstory dominance. In contrast, more mesic sites encourage red maple abundance, and cutting and infrequent burning may stimulate this species’ growth to the exclusion of oak species.
Keywords: OAK REGENERATION, FOREST MANAGEMENT, RED MAPLE
