Longleaf Pine Seeds and Seedlings: Summary

1. Longleaf Pine Seeds and Seedlings:Summary SRS-4158 TAV Synthesis September 11, 2012 - Atlanta

2. Longleaf pine seeds • Longleaf pine seedlings • Longleaf pine plantation establishment Topics defined

3. 1. Seed production OK for natural regeneration 1000 cones/acre/4-5 years 35 seeds/cone in average year 65 cones/year/tree (15-19” dbh) 15 cones/year/tree (10-13” dbh) 2. Artificial regeneration ??? good crop year: > 30 cones/tree (> 9” dbh) current planted LLP (0-10 year age): 630,000 acres 450 stocking, 95% germ, 4700 seeds/lb=63,500 pounds/10 years next 3 years: projected net increase 308,000 acres 31,000 pounds/3 years next 15 years: projected net increase 1.65 m acres 166,000 pounds/15 years or 11,000 pounds /year Seedling Nursery Production ??? Longleaf Pine Seeds

4. Seed Production • Increase cone/seed production in seed orchards or seed production areas on National Forests • Monitor range-wide cone/seed production to better predict cone crops (10 locations/6 states for 50 years) • Seed production sporadic • Environmental and genetic effects on production • Shorten good seed crop cycle of 5-7 years • Seed Biology • Lack of storage longevity and vigor • Screen for pitch canker disease resistance Longleaf Pine Seeds

5. Genetics and Physiology • Genetic improvement and provenance studies • Genetic traits: productivity, stem quality/branch knot size, wood quality, seed production, pine straw quality, and resistance to diseases (fusiform rust, pitch canker), pests, drought, wind storms, low nutrient levels, or herbicides • Possible linkage between disease resistance, growth, and fecundity • Genetic differences in seed sources across the range (Preliminary results: little diversity among mountain, piedmont, and coastal LLP) • Seed/planting zones in changing climate change • Montane or other sub-regional longleaf pine Longleaf Pine Seeds

6. Seedling physiology, root system architecture, and health • Bareroot Stock • Low survival in drought years • Wind firmness • Container Stock • Refine technology on container types (hard vs. soft wall; slotted-side vents vs. chemical pruning; square vs. conical shape), cavity volume/length/diameter, and nursery protocols • Root system architecture • Sapling toppling and stem form Longleaf Pine Seedlings

7. Direct Seeding • Greater wind firmness • Seedling density hard to control • Shelterwood method • Planting Guidelines • Planting depth of container stock on different soil and site types • Machine vs. hand planting affect on survival of container stock • Planting window and conditions for best survival and early growth of container stock Longleaf Pine Seedlings

8. Site Preparation • Specific requirements for wet, mesic, xeric, and mountain areas • Old field, agriculture, cutover sites • Stocking Density • Minimum stocking density to have enough trees (300/A by age 3); skip thinning at age 30; better for wildlife • Higher stocking density to produce better self-pruning trees • Stocking density affects wood quality, stand closure, and understory plant vigor • Stocking density that is sustainable with Rx burn or pine straw harvest Plantation Establishment

9. Accelerated Stem Growth/Bolting • Planting stock quality • Site preparation, post-plant brush control, and Rx burn after 1 or 2 years • Effects of genetics, environment (soil types, planting technique), and their interaction on growth and form • Under-planting of different stock types for stand conversion Plantation Establishment

10. Information on longleaf cone/seed production and biology • Information on longleaf genetics and provenance tests across the range • Off-site planting in terms of seed sources • Basic and applied research on Montane longleaf • Information on high quality container stock • Seedling establishment protocols on different sites and soils across the range Seeds and Seedlings