FIRST YEAR SURVIVAL OF BAREROOT AND CONTAINERIZED HARDWOOD TREE SEEDLINGS PLANTED IN NORTHEAST TEXAS LIGNITE MINESOILS

摘要

Successful regeneration of hardwood tree seedlings is critical to the reclamation of quality wildlife habitat and commercial forests on lignite mines in northeast Texas. Because bareroot hardwood seedling survival rates have often been lower than desired, the survival of containerized and bareroot hardwood tree seedlings was compared. Seven hardwood species, including six species of oaks, were planted in lignite minesoils on sites classified as bottomland, slope and upland. Three species were planted per site. Containerized seedlings were planted during the fall and winter, whereas bareroot seedlings were planted in the winter only. Survival was determined at the end of the first growing season. Results across all sites indicate that winter-planted containerized seedlings (64% survival) had significantly lower survival than either fall-planted containerized seedlings (74%) or bareroot seedlings (76%). Within the sites, the only significant difference was on upland sites where survival of winter-planted containerized seedlings (60%) was lower than bareroot seedlings (77%). Survival among species was not significantly different. There was no significant survival benefit from using more expensive containerized hardwood seedlings. The results also question the practice of planting containerized hardwood seedlings during the typical winter planting season for optimum survival.