PLANT-RESPONSE TO SOILS, SITE PREPARATION, AND INITIAL PINE PLANTING DENSITY

This study described the effects of soils, site preparation, and initi al pine regeneration spacings on tree growth and the associated unders tory woody and herbaceous plant succession, Although Sawyer soils appe ared more productive than Ruston soils before the harvest and regenera tion treatments, woody and herbaceous plant differences were not appar ent between the soils after regeneration. During the first 3 years aft er treatment, the mechanical site preparation method (shear-windrow-bu rn) reduced woody plant heights more than the underplant-release metho d; however, these height differences disappeared by the 6th year of po st-treatment, Woody plant densities decreased initially, increased by the 6th year after treatment, and decreased to pretreatment levels by the 10th year, Herbage yields increased significantly after site prepa ration and pine regeneration through the 3rd year, decreased by the 6t h year, and declined to levels below pretreatment by the 10th year, In itial pine planting densities did not significantly influence the unde rstory herbage yields during the first 10 years as a result of the con founding effects of the other woody plant growth.