Effects of different silvicultural systems on initial soft mast production

Recent policy changes by federal land management agencies such as the Unite d Slates Forest Service have led to increased use of silvicultural systems other than clearcutting. Because soft mast is an integral part of wildlife habitat and the effects of these alternative silviculture systems on soft m ast production are unknown, we evaluated effects of different stand-level s ilvicultural systems on soft mast production in the Ouachita Mountains of A rkansas and Oklahoma. We evaluated differences in soft mast production and coverage among 4 replications of 5 treatments (clearcut, shelterwood, group selection, single-tree selection, and late-rotation, unharvested forest st ands) during the first (1994), third (1996), and fifth (1998) years after i nitial timber harvest. Coverage of all mast-producing plants combined did n ot differ among treatments over all years. Soft mast production did not dif fer among treatments the first year after timber harvest, but was greater i n harvested stands than in unharvested stands in the third post-harvest yea r. Production in shelterwood cuts and clearcuts was greater than in single- tree selection, group selections, and unharvested stands the fifth post-har vest year. Unharvested stands, greenbelts (unharvested buffers surrounding stream drainages), and the thinned matrix of group-selection stands produce d little mast in all years. A significant linear relationship between soft mast production and residual overstory basal area was present in years 3 an d 5. We present equations to predict soft mast production 3 and 5 years aft er harvest when residual overstory basal areas are known. Without additiona l stand treatments (e.g., thinning or burning), we expect production in eve n-aged stands (clearcuts and shelterwood cuts) to decline as canopy closure progresses; likewise, production in single-tree selection stands will like ly decline due to midstory development.