Pine Straw Production - Stand Management and Economics

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Time and Event

8:00 a.m. Registration

8:30 Introduction
Pine Straw Revenues vs. Stumpage
Factors Affecting Pine Straw Yields-Dickens

9:30 Cut-Over and Old-Field Pine Straw Studies (Loblolly, Longleaf, and Slash Pine)-Dickens

10:15 Break

10:30 Magnitude and Duration of Fertilization
Benefits — Case Studies; Fertilization Payoffs;
Weed Re-growth with Fertilization-Dickens

11:20 Using Diagnostic Tools (Leaf Area Index Estimations, Soil, and Foliar Sampling), Soils, and Yield Information for Determining Effective Recommendations-Dickens

Noon Lunch

1:00 Forest Floor Nutrient Release Rates-Dickens

1:30 Raking Regimes (Semi-annual, Annual, Periodic) and Pine Straw Production, Stand Growth, and Soil Moisture-Dickens

2:15 Break

2:30 Possible Stand Stressors Imparted by Pine Straw Raking-Clabo

3:15 Herbicides and Herbicide Use-Clabo

3:45 Identification and Control of Invasive Exotic Species-Clabo

4:30 Forest Management Alternatives for Moving a Cut-Over Pine Stand into Pine Straw Production-Dickens

5:15 Adjourn

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

8:15 a.m. Sequencing Fertilization and Herbicide Use to Reduce Overall Costs-Dickens

8:45 Economics of Pine Straw at Various Returns per Acre in Overall Pine Stand Management -Case study reviews – old-field and cut-over sites-Dickens

10:15 Break – depart for study area visit in Tift County

10:45 Travel to a thinned old-field longleaf stand (planted in December 1986) where pine straw production was a management objective prior to thinning.

11:00 Old-field longleaf pine stand discussion points: pine straw management, stand management pre- and post-thin, prescribe fire use, planting spacing, thinning, % defect, longleaf growth rate through age 32-yrs, growing poles, herbicide use, fertilization, and economics-Dickens, Clabo

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Continue with above discussion points while in the field.

3:00 Adjourn