Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Ezell, Andrew W.

Committee Member

Self, Andrew Brady.

Committee Member

Hodges, John D.

Committee Member

Schultz, Emily B.

Date of Degree

5-7-2016

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Forestry

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Forestry

Abstract

Hurricane Katrina damaged 1.4 million hectares of forestland in Mississippi. Hardwood timber accounted for 40 percent of the damage. A cost-effective method of artificial regeneration is necessary to restore this resource. Bareroot, containerized, and EKOgrown® seedlings of Quercus shumardii and Quercus nuttallii were planted on two sites for evaluation of survival and growth. Survival was recorded monthly during the first growing season, and at the end of each growing season. Growth was measured at the end of each growing season. Survival was extremely low in 2014. Containerized seedlings suffered a total loss due to freezing at the nursery, and a large flood occurred on one site. After the two growing seasons monitored in this study, bareroot seedlings provided similar or greater growth, greater survival, and were remarkably cheaper than EKOgrown® seedlings. Consequently, bareroot seedlings are recommended as the most cost-effective method of artificial oak reforestation.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16714

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