EFFECT OF SIX SITE-PREPARATION TREATMENTS ON PIEDMONT LOBLOLLY PINE WOOD PROPERTIES AT AGE 151

Abstract—The impact of weed control and fertilization on increased tree growth is positive and significant but the effects on wood properties are not well known. Increment cores were collected from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees growing on an existing site-preparation experiment in the lower Piedmont of Georgia at age 15. The levels of site preparation were: 1-clearcut only; 2-chainsaw, 3-shear and chop; 4-shear, chop, and herbicide; 5-shear, rootrake, burn, and disk; 6-shear, rootrake, burn, disk, fertilize, and herbicide. Two, 0.472 in. increment cores were collected at d.b.h. from 35 trees representative of each site-preparation treatment. Wood basal-area growth increased significantly with increased site-preparation treatment. The site-preparation treatments did not affect length of juvenility which averaged 10 years for all treatments. Average increment core specific gravity was not significantly reduced with increased site preparation compared to the control trees. The diameter of the juvenile wood core, however, increased with increased site-preparation treatment