(This is Part II in a three-part series on oak
regeneration.)

KANE – Kane Hardwood, a leader in responsible forestry and the
largest private landowner in the state, has been aggressively
pursuing ways to guarantee new generations of oak trees.

It’s been successful with several experiments, most notably
changing the timing of its timber harvesting so oak seedlings get a
headstart over their competitors.

Kane Hardwood is a part of Collins Pine Co., the first
privately-owned forest products company in the U.S. to be
independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for
sustainable forestry practices.

That means the company is assessed for its management and
operations and is proven to be environmentally and socially
responsible in its practices.

“They are the most outstanding foresters anywhere. We are lucky
to have a company like that in the Pennsylvania forest whose
practices are second to none,” said Ron Ramsey, Pennsylvania
Director of Forest Conservation from the Nature Conservancy. “They
are creative with the few tools we have – it’s difficult to burn
with the liability laws and social issues, etc.”

Ned Karger, silviculture manager for Kane Hardwood, explained
that the company has looked at a variety of methods to increase the
volume of oak.

“We tried some controlled burns that were relatively small, but
they are difficult to do and there is the safety and liability
issues involved with it,” he said.

“Timing with the acorn crops is really important because oak
tends to have periodic acorn crops each year. Trying to time your
harvest with an oak acorn crop increases your chance of getting new
seedlings established on the ground,” added Karger.

“And the second stage is to leave seed trees there to drop the
seeds and eventually go back and cut some of those bigger and
better trees and time that when the smaller ones have a good root
system,” he continued.

Karger said the company has tried some fencing to keep deer out,
but he adds that they have been successful outside of the fences,
too, by having multiple harvests as described above.

In order for oak regeneration to occur, continued Karger, there
must be several conditions happening at the same or nearly the same
time.

“You can time the shelterwood sequence and thin some of the
smaller undesirable trees out (while) you open up the canopy and
protect the seedlings from browsing by deer,” he said.

“Cutting the shelterwoods right at about the time the acorns
drop seems to be a more successful activity. If the stand pushes
the acorns down with a layer of tree tops they get a chance to
germinate and start to grow,” said Karger.

As for other oak regeneration practices, Karger added that his
company has seen research on liming – which is meant to help with
the acidity in the soil to produce better regeneration, but that
the results they have seen are still inconclusive.

Ramsey said having better forest management helps when working
toward a healthier forest.

“There are a number of things we could do better to have an
economically healthier forest including reintroduction of
prescribed fire,” added Ramsey.

“We also need to require more accountability measures,” Ramsey
said.

Karger also said Kane Hardwood participates in the Deer
Management Assistance Program which allows landowners to seek and
obtain additional antlerless permits for areas with high deer
populations.

“This has also contributed to our regeneration successes,” said
Karger.

There are three companies with property in McKean County that
take part in DMAP, which is offered by the Pennsylvania Game
Commission.

Jerry Feaser, press secretary for the Pa. Game Commission, said
DMAP was created a few years ago. He said landowners get coupons
which the hunters redeem from the game commission that enables them
to take one anterless deer from a specific property.

“We give the landowners one permit for every 50 acres,” he
added, saying this is done through a general wildlife allocation.
He said farmers can also ask for the coupons as deer damage farm
lands as well.

Academic research backs up the theory that the timing of timber
cuts can immensely improve the odds for the survival of oak
seedlings.

“What we have in terms of seedlings present before a stand is
cut plays a large role in how the stand forms – you can’t depend on
regeneration coming after a harvest,” said Kim Steiner, professor
of biology at the Pennsylvania State University.

“Oak seed crops are irregular – you need to pay attention to
what you already have had from the previous seed crops from the
last two years,” said Steiner. “There are very few that last beyond
the understory (the plants that live beneath the tree canopy.)”

He added that a forest products company needs roughly thousands
of oak seedlings per acre to get good regeneration potential.

“Shelterwoods can succeed if a heavy seed crop occurs in the
first year, but heavy seed crops are unpredictable. Seedlings that
germinate in later years do not survive well under competition from
established plants that got there first,” he said.

“But we have also disproved a widespread notion that oak
seedlings must be large at the time of overstory harvest in order
to succeed in the next stand. Quantity can make up for size because
the forest environment is not homogenous.

“Some small seedlings start out in advantageous conditions and
can survive the early battle for space. That seems obvious, now
that we know it, but our findings go against conventional wisdom
and practice,” he added.

Fencing deer out before harvesting is also necessary, Steiner
said. It may seem counterintuitive to erect a fence before tree
cutting, but that’s what is needed for adequate oak regeneration in
Pennsylvania.

“Probably the most important thing is that we are beginning to
understand the critical importance of keeping deer pressure low for
several years in advance of harvest,” he said. “We aren’t sure yet
how far ahead, but we believe it’s something on the order of five
years or more.”

“We are looking at what foresters have to do to get good oak
regeneration,” he added.

Steiner also admitted that prescribed burning is an intriguing
concept.

He said they have research plots in district 13 in Elk State
Forest, Emporium, and district 15, Susquehannock State Forest in
Coudersport.

Jeanne Wambaugh, district forester of Elk State Forest, said
that they do have study plots in their forest.

“It helps both ways – sometimes people ask to do research
projects. They have to go through a process and we work together
looking for a location and then they do the research and we get a
copy of the work to possibly use in the future,” said Wambaugh.