Oak Regeneration Practices: Intermediate Practices to Maintain Open Forests

Abstract

Intermediate practices are management activities used to encourage the growth of existing trees in a forest. Examples include thinnings to reduce stand density and crop tree release. These practices also increase the light penetration into the forest, improving the growing condition for small oak seedlings and providing the growing space for these shade-intermediate oaks to ultimately ascend into the overstory. Often, a “bottleneck” occurs when there are too many trees, whether oaks or other species, which limit growing space and light penetration. These treatments are intermediate disturbances that maintain open forests that are necessary to ensure that oak seedlings continue to grow and develop. Intermediate practices improve the growth of residual trees by reducing stand density while promoting oak seedling development, but are not considered regeneration methods.