Effects of Time and Frequency of Cutting on Hardwood Root Reserves and Sprout Growth

Abstract

We examined the effects of time and frequency of cutting during the growing season on fall root starch reserves and sprout production in saplings of four hardwood tree species--red maple, gray birch, white ash, and black cherry. For all species, there was a well-defined window of time during the growing season when cutting resulted in low levels of starch in roots at the end of the growing season, and subsequent low sprout growth rates the following year. Cutting at the very beginning or the very end of the growing season resulted in the highest levels of fall root reserves and sprout production. The duration of the window varied for each species and was closely related to the phenology of aboveground growth. The species with a determinant shoot growth pattern had the shortest window (white ash), while the two species with the most indeterminant shoot growth pattern had the longest windows (red maple, gray birch). For. Sci. 37(2):524-539.