Epicormic branches and lumber grade of bottomland oak.

Abstract

Epicormic branches can be a serious problem in management of hardwood forests for high-quality sawtimber production. In one study in central Alabama, defects caused by epicormic branches that developed following a partial cutting resulted in a 13 percent reduction in the value of willow oak lumber. Production of epicormic branches along the boles of hardwood trees is affected by species, stress, and sunlight. Hardwood species vary in their propensity to produce epicormic branches. Categorization of the susceptibility of southern bottomland hardwood species to epicormic branching is presented in tabular form. Various types of stress may reduce vigor in individual trees and lead to the production of epicorrnic branches. Individual-tree vigor, in conjunction with the genetics of the species, controls the propensity of an individual tree to produce epicormic branches. Sunlight and other disturbances serve as triggering mechanisms to stimulate the release of dormant buds that develop into epicormic branches. General guidelines to reduce the risk of epicormic branching in hardwoods are also presented.