Pine Straw Production: Stand Management & Economics

Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Georgia

Date: May 05, 2009 08:00 AM to May 06, 2009 02:30 PM

This course will provide information that will help you to effectively manage pine stands for pine straw production. Revenues for pine straw paid to forest landowners in Georgia have increased from an estimated $15.5 million in 1999 to more than $25 million in 2003. During the same period, stumpage revenues in Georgia declined by 27%. Many forest landowners and land managers are interested in managing their loblolly, longleaf, or slash pine for pine straw.

Brochure

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Objectives

Participants will:

Learn about pine straw yields by species, site quality, land-use history, and basal area.
Review cut-over and old-field pine straw studies, as well as other factors that affect pine straw yields.
Learn how the effect of pine straw raking (semiannual, annual, periodic) relates to soil moisture status, nutrient cycling, and stand growth.
Learn the effect of fertilization on pine straw yields on cut-over and old-field sites.
Learn how to use diagnostic tools and soils information to determine fertilizer needs, herbicide use, and recommendations.
Learn how to control invasive exotic species.
Learn management alternatives to moving a cut-over pine stand into pine straw production, hear about sequencing fertilizer and herbicide use, and discuss the economics of pine straw in overall pine stand management.

Who Should Attend?

Foresters, landowners, land managers, pine straw contractors, and others who are interested in making effective silvicultural and economic management decisions for loblolly, longleaf, or slash pine stands for pine straw.

Parking and Directions

The UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center is strategically located in the geographic center of South Georgia at the crossroads of I-75, U.S. 319, U.S. 82 Sunshine Parkway and U.S. 41, at the intersection of I-75 and Highway 41 North in Tifton, Georgia.

The UGA TCCC is only a one-hour drive from Albany, a two-hour drive from Macon or Tallahassee, and a three-hour drive from Atlanta, Athens, Savannah, Jacksonville and Montgomery. From I-75, take Exit 64.