Sprouting by pondcypress (Taxodium distichum var. nutans) after logging

Abstract

After logging, 17% of the stumps left in pondcypress (Taxodium distichum var. nutans) swamps produced sprouts that persisted for several years. Significantly more sprouts were present on stumps with diameters < 60 cm (perhaps left from younger trees) and shorter than 70 cm. Stumps in large openings and from trees cut in winter tended to have more sprouts than stumps left in thinned swamps and from trees cut during the summer. Sprout production provides a mechanism for rapid recovery of pondcypress and also ensures seed availability for subsequent regeneration after a swamp is clearcut.