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Traditional Pine Plantation Management in the southeastern U.S. has resulted in production of more industrial roundwood than in any other region of the world. In fact, the forest base in the southeastern U.S. includes about one-half of the pine plantations found throughout the world. Traditional management of these plantations has resulted in average growth rates of between 100 to 150 cubic feet/acre/year. For the most part management of these plantations has been rather extensive and was designed to minimize costs per acre. A typical regime would be to mechanically or chemically prepare the site for planting and plant seedlings. The plantation would then be left on its own and the seedlings allowed to develop along with all of the competitors coming onto the site. This type of regime may have a total cost of about $200 - $250 per acre.
Demand for paper and wood products and the raw materials used to produce them has been and is continuing to increase. Simultaneously, the land base on which wood can be grown is decreasing due to urban/suburban expansion, environmental concerns and other factors. Thus, we have two opposing situations, the demand for wood is increasing and the land base on which to produce it is decreasing. If the demand for wood is going to be met domestically there is only one option for its production – we must increase the amount of wood produced on a given acre of land.
Intensive pine plantation management uses cultural treatments such as competition control, fertilization, various mechanical soil treatments, genetically improved planting stock and possibly other treatments to increase wood production to 300, 400, 500 cubic feet/acre/year or more. This type of management is relatively capital intensive and requires well trained foresters to insure that appropriate cultural treatments are used on each site.
The underlying goal of the CAPPS program is to learn how to make site specific prescriptions of cultural treatments for increasing wood production in appropriate areas. We also are investigating the characteristics of fast grown wood for use in various wood products. Finally, simulation models are being developed to help decision makers make wise use of their land base and investment capital.
If we are successful in CAPPS we will be well on our way to meet the increasing demand for wood products from a decreasing wood production land base which will allow us to protect environmentally sensitive areas.
Investigators Studies(#1, #2, #3, #4) Published Papers Contact Us Links
A control plot in An H plot in An HF plot in Collecting needle sample Stem bolt samples Waycross, GA Waycross, GA Waycross, GA
Branch samples Weigh branches Tree crowns Tree crowns of Field work
of an H plot an HF plot
Contact Information
Telephone FAX Postal Address
706-542-6205 706-542-8356 Warnell School of Forest Resources, the University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-2152
Electronic mail General Information: yzhang@smokey.forestry.uga.edu Director: borders@smokey.forestry.uga.edu
