Stump sprout growth and quality of several Appalachian hardwood species after clearcutting

Abstract

Results of a 10-year study showed that stumps from 50- to 60-year-old red oak, black cherry, yellow-poplar, white oak, and chestnut oak trees sprouted vigorously. A high percentage of the dominant sprouts had good stem form, and many had excellent height and diameter growth. For all species, we found that the proportion of stumps sprouting, number of sprouts per stump, and dominant-sprout height were not correlated with parent-tree vigor or parent-tree dbh. In red oak, sprouting was not related to season of cutting or site quality.