Managing Hardwoods in Arkansas

Thousands of acres are planted each year with hardwood seedlings. These plantings most often occur on abandoned agricultural fields or "old fields". There are several federal cost share programs (administered by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency) that promote these plantings on marginally productive agricultural fields. These programs include:

1. 1. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
   2. Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE, formerly the WRP)
   3. Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
   4. Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP)

There are many considerations when planning to plant seedlings (termed: artificial regeneration), including:

1. 1. What are the objectives for the new forest stand?
   2. What do values I want to get from the new forest?
   3. What tree species will help achieve these objectives?
   4. What tree species will grow well on the site?

What type of work will be necessary to prepare an area for planting?

1. 1. Soils
   2. Competing vegetation
   3. What type of seedlings should I purchase?
      • Size
      • Bare root, containerized, etc...
   4. Where should I purchase seedlings?
      • Public or private nurseries
      • What post planting operations will be necessary to ensure survival of the planted seedlings?

Proper planning prior to purchasing and planting hardwood seedlings can make the difference between successful survival and growth rates and planting failures (which are costly). The first two years (primarily year 1) of a hardwood planting will dictate whether it is successful in the years to come. Getting help from a professional forester is almost always a good idea to ensure success when planting hardwood seedlings.

USDA NRCS Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) Afforested Hardwood Fields

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides opportunities for cost-share and technical assistance based conservation easements through their Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Specifically the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program (formerly the WRP program) has provided easements on agricultural fields in wetland areas for over 25 years. 

There are currently thousands of acres in Arkansas that have been established in hardwoods over the past 25 years under the WRP/WRE programs. The NRCS provides technical assistance for hydrological operations and hardwood establishment through the first few years of the program.

Many of these stands have developed to a point where re-entry is warranted into the developing stands to assist in meeting the programs overarching goal of wildlife habitat and restoration of wetland systems. Forestry and wildlife researchers and professionals have worked on the development of stand management guidelines as the planted stands age. These operations may include pre-commercial or commercial thinning.

Why conduct a thinning for wildlife habitat?

As planted hardwood stands develop, the tree canopies begin to touch and close the space available for sunlight to penetrate through the canopy. Sunlight levels beneath these canopies can be reduced to under 10 percent of full sunlight. Adequate sunlight is essential to establish and grow beneficial plants at ground level for cover and food for many wetland wildlife species. Removing a targeted portion of the developed trees allows additional sunlight to once again reach the ground level and promote herbaceous plants and shrubs.

 

When to conduct a thinning for wildlife habitat

Deciding when to conduct a thinning can be impacted by a several factors:

• Stand density -
  • Very dense stands will result in canopy closure sooner and experience reduced ground level vegetation available. These stands will be in more immediate need of thinning to restore the ground level sunlight environment. For example: a 25 year old stand with 350 trees per acre.
  • Less dense stands may provide wildlife benefits for longer periods of time without intermediate treatments such as thinning. For example: a 25 year stand with 180 trees per acre. 
• Tree size -
  • Tree size will determine whether the stand is pre-commercial (yet to reach commercial value) or commercial size. Hardwood plantations become operationally commercial when the average tree diameter is 8 inches. One can see in the figure below that a planted stand with an average diameter of 8 inches will have trees ranging from small to large in size, even though they were planted at the same time. 
  • Pre-commercial stands will require a cost to conduct
  • Commercial stands may provide a revenue stream

• Presence of problematic tree species -
• • During establishment some stands may experience an influx of non-native invasive species. These species may include: privet, tallow, mimosa and others. Targeted removal of invasive tree species will improve overall stand health. (See individual plant treatment in UACES MP553.
  • Ash species -
    • Some stands were planted with components of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) that are currently under risk from the emerald ash borer. Targeted removal of these stems may be beneficial to overall stand health.

How to thin a hardwood plantation for wildlife habitat

• Row thinning - 
  • Removing a targeted number of rows in a planted stand. For example: removing every third row through a stand.
• Selective thinning -
  • Removing specific trees within the stand based on a set of criteria. For example: removing trees with inferior crowns for the tree size.
• Note: commercial thinnings often strive to incorporate both row and selective thinning in the first thinning operation.
• Group thinning -
  • Thinning designed to open small canopy gaps through a stand.

• Pre-commercial thinning -
  • Pre-commercial thinning will involve removal of targeted stems through operations like mechanical mulching and shearing, or using ground crews to mechanically fell trees.

What should a hardwood stand managed specifically for wildlife habitat look like?

• Planted hardwood stands like those enrolled in the WRP/WRE program should exhibit certain characteristics. Depending on the target wildlife species to be emphasized, some criteria may become more or less significant. For example, if managing for neotropical migratory birds, stand structure and soft mast production become important elements. Desired stand characteristics may include:
  • Lower density, open canopy stands compared to traditional "fully stocked" stands
  • Presence of snags (small number of dead stems standing or on ground)
  • Developing complex stand structure (vertical and horizontal)
  • Mast producers 
    • Both hard (e.g. acorns) and soft (e.g. persimmon) mast 
  • Reproduction - employing non-traditional harvest practices (like some designed to enhance wildlife habitat) may increase the need to establish desirable tree species (such as red oaks) earlier during stand development
  • A more detailed description for DFCs for Wildlife in hardwood forests can be found at: Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture

 

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station has several research forests located around the state. Research and Extension faculty work to develop demonstration areas for forest landowner education. There is a diversity of hardwood project areas, including:

1. 1. Hardwood natural regeneration
   2. Hardwood artificial regeneration
   3. Thinning operations
   4. Prescribed fire as a management method
   5. Herbicide usage in hardwood management
   6. Oak ecosystem restoration

   7. Managing hardwood forests for wildlife

Workshops, field tours, and other trainings are conducted annually at research stations across the state. Forest landowners are encouraged to attend these very informative, hands on educational programs (see calendar of events or check with your county Extension agent). County Offices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and Extension Stations