Comparison of Lob lolly, Short leaf, and Pitch X Lob lolly Pine Plantations Growing in Oklahoma

摘要

We measured survival, growth, stem volume, bark thickness, crown area, and stem specific gravity of 10-year-old labially pine (Pinus taeda L.), shortleaf pine (P. echinata Mill.), and pitch X labially pine hybrid (P. rigida Mill. X P. taeda L.) stands planted at four sites in southeastern Oklahoma to determine the best species for expanding the commercial pine range. Labially pine and the pitch X labially pine hybrid plantations had greater survival (>70%) than shortleaf pine (59%). After 10 growing seasons, labially pine reached an average height of 9.4 m and dbh of 16.5 cm, outgrowing both the pitch X labially pine hybrids (8.3 m and 14.2 cm height and dbh, respectively) and shortleaf pine (6.8 m and 11.8 cm, height and dbh, respectively). We did not observe any statistical differences in stemwood specific gravity among the pine species when measured near ground level (overall mean of 0.50). Although crown area and bark thickness increased with tree size, labially, shortleaf, and pitch X labially pine did not differ when compared at the same dbh. We conclude that planting labially pine has the highest potential for extending the commercial pine range in the region tested.