THE USE OF SOIL SCARIFICATION TO ENHANCE OAK REGENERATION IN A MIXED-OAK BOTTOMLAND

Abstract-The purpose of the study was to investigate whether soil scarification following seed fall can be used to increase the density of oak regeneration in a mixed-oak stand. The study area was a 4.5-hectare stand dominated by cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Eli.). The understory had a high percent cover of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze) and essentially lacked oak advance regeneration. In November 1999, the scarification treatment was accomplished using a tractor with a pull-behind field disk. One growing season after scarification, the number of oak seedlings was significantly higher in scarified plots (7,243Iha) than in the control plots (453/ha). Percent cover of poison ivy decreased from 36 percent to12 percent in the scarified plots. These results suggest that, in the presence of abundant acorns, scarification increased the likelihood of oak germination in a stand that lacked advanced oak regeneration prior to the treatment. Finally, because scarification increased the density of oak seedlings, it will increase the likelihood that mixed-oak stands can be successfully regenerated after a canopy distur-b a n c e