AN OVERVIEW OF OAK SILVICULTURE IN THE UNITED-STATES - THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Oaks (Quercus) are important components of forest systems throughout t he United States. This overview describes past, present, and future si lvicultural practices within the oak-hickory ecosystem of the United S tates. Past land-use activities favored oak development, but wild-fire and livestock grazing controls have caused severe oak regeneration pr oblems that were not recognized until recently. Prescriptions for weed ings, cleanings and the use of stocking charts to control intermediate thinnings were early silvicultural developments. More recently, growt h and yield models for managed stands were developed to predict curren t and future timber volumes. Currently, silviculturists are developing solutions to natural and artificial regeneration problems. Research r esults indicate that, other factors being equal, regeneration success is favored by simultaneously reducing over and understory densities an d that oak seedling survival and development is enhanced in large seed lings that have high root to shoot ratios. Future silvicultural practi ces will have an ecosystems focus.