Tree Shelters Fail to Enhance Height Growth of Northern Red Oak in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 1

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1 Tree Shelters Fil to Enhnce Height Growth of Northern Red Ok in the Upper Peninsul of Michign. 1 Dougls O. Lntgne, Associte Professor, MSU Deprtment of Forestry nd Rymond Miller, Resident Forester, Upper Peninsul Tree Improvement Center 1 In: Pllrdy-SG (ed.); Cecich-RA (ed.); Grrett-HG (ed.); Johnson-PS. Proceedings, 11th Centrl Hrdwood Conference. Columi, MO, Mrch 23-26, USDA Forest Service North Centrl Forest Experiment Sttion, St. Pul, MN GTR NC-188, 401 pp. (Astrct)

2 Astrct Deer rowsing in some res of the Upper Peninsul of Michign mke hrdwood estlishment difficult, if not impossile. Tree shelters hve een found to e effective in other loctions with niml rowsing prolems. In the spring of 1990, 2-0 re-root northern red ok seedlings were mchine-plnted in n old field in Delt County, Michign. Four replictions of four tretments were initilly estlished: control (no shelter or weed control), weed control only, I.2m plstic tree shelters only, nd plstic tree shelters nd weed control. At the strt of the third growing seson, weed control ws initited on ll seedlings nd rigid mesh tues were instlled on previously unsheltered trees. After six yers, survivl ws 74% for ll tretments nd there were no significnt differences etween the totl heights of plstic or mesh sheltered seedlings. Initil height gins with plstic sheltered seedlings were lost due to repeted dieck of new growth in the fifth nd sixth growing sesons. Use of plstic shelters hs not een successful for the estlishment of northern red ok on this site. Introduction High deer numers in some counties in the Upper Peninsul of Michign mke it difficult to estlish hrdwoods due to hevy rowsing. Tree shelters hve een found to e effective in the estlishment of severl hrdwoods, including northern red ok (Lntgne 1996, Schuler nd Miller 1996, Potter 1991). There re lso reports of tree shelters iding in the generl estlishment of plnts on mrginl or extreme sites (Binridge nd McAller 1996). Experience hs lso shown tht tree shelters cn dd to the stress of sheltered northern red ok seedlings, leding to poor survivl nd growth on some sites (Lntgne, unpulished dt). Dieck hs een documented for lck wlnut within tree shelters ssocited with exit time nd sesonl temperture chnges (Miller 1996). The ojective of this study ws to test the effectiveness of using tree shelters for the estlishment of northern red ok in old fields in the centrl Upper Peninsul of Michign. Mterils nd Methods Loction: Upper Peninsul Tree Improvement Center in the Upper Peninsul of Michign. Soil: Predomintely fine sndy lom (Alfisol) Site: Old field Plnted: Spring1990 with red ok seedlings. Seedlings were not undercut or top clipped fter plnting. Exp. Design (Phse 1): A 2X2 fctoril, four replictions. Tretments: Rndomly pplied to four 49-tree plots within ech repliction. These tretments were in effect the first two growing sesons. ( ) (no weed control or shelters) (CO) Weed control only (hericides) () 1.2 m plstic shelter only (PS) 1.2 m plstic shelter & weed control ( PS) Exp. Design (Phse 2): Two tretments, four replictions. Plstic mesh protectors were dded t eginning of third growing seson to unsheltered trees due to hevy deer rowsing nd weed control ws pplied to ll trees nnully in third, fourth nd sixth growing sesons. Tretments: ( ) Weed control nd mesh protectors ( MS) 1.2 m plstic shelters & weed control ( PS) Dt collection: Seedling heights mesured fll of 1990, 1991, 1993,1995. Results Seedling survivl ws 97% or etter over the first two yers of the study. (Phse I) Seedling survivl declined to 79% for unsheltered seedlings, significntly less thn the 95% survivl for sheltered seedlings t the end of the fourth growing seson. (Phse 2) Seedling survivl for sheltered seedlings with weed control declined to 74%, the sme s weed control nd mesh protected seedlings t

3 Experimentl Design: Phse 1 R1 Weed () (CO) PS Plstic Shelter (PS) Replictions R2 R3 Plstic Shelter (PS) PS Weed () (CO) PS Plstic Shelter (PS) (CO) Weed () R4 (CO) PS Plstic Shelter (PS) Weed () Tretments Four replictions Four tretments Numer of tretments ws reduced t the eginning of the third growing seson. Experimentl Design: Phse 2 R1 Replictions R2 R3 R4 Tretments With the ddition of mesh protectors to unsheltered seedlings nd weed control to ll seedlings, four tretments ecme two tretments in Phse 2 of the study. Weed control nd Plstic Shelter ( PS) Weed control nd Protector ( )

4 the end of the sixth growing seson. (Phse 2) Totl seedling height ws significntly enhnced y use of tree shelters over the first two growing sesons. (Phse 1) At the end of the second growing seson, sheltered trees verged 3.76 times tller thn unsheltered seedlings. (Phse I) Growth of sheltered trees verged 38 cm during the second growing seson compred to less thn 1cm for unsheltered trees. (Phse I) Height gin from the end of the second growing seson to the end of the fourth growing seson totled only 7cm for sheltered trees with weed control. Height gin for this sme period for weed control nd mesh protected trees totled only 3 cm. The verge totl heights of seedlings within shelters with weed control declined from high of 85 cm fter the fourth growing seson to less thn 44 cm t the end of the fourth growing seson. (Phse 2) The verge totl heights of sheltered seedlings with weed control re not significntly different from weed control nd mesh protected trees fter six growing sesons. (Phse 2) Lntgne, D.O Effect of tree shelters on plnted red oks in Michign. pp In: J.C. Brissette, ed. Proceedings of the Tree Shelter Conference; 1995 June 20-22; Hrrisurg, PA. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE p. Miller, L.K Plstic tues nd tree improvement: Eight yers experience with tree shelters on grfted lck wlnut nd northern red ok (Astrct). p. 71. In: J.C. Brissette, ed. Proceedings of the Tree Shelter Conference; 1995 June 20-22; Hrrisurg, PA. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE p. Potter, M.J Treeshelters, Forestry Commission, Hndook No. 7. HMSO Pulictions Center. London, Englnd. 48p. Schuler, T.M. nd G.W. Miller Guidelines for Conclusions An unknown fctor or fctors ffected the survivl nd growth of seedlings in plstic tree shelters in this study. The repeted dieck of seedling growth is noted in the pictures. Use of mesh protectors, in comintion with weed control, ws t lest s effective s using plstic tree shelters nd weed control y the end of the sixth growing seson. The widespred nd inexperienced use of tree shelters could result in lrge nd expensive plnting filures over time. Success of ny plnting progrm is sed upon pproprite site nd tree species selection. Literture Cited Binrigde, D.A. nd R. McAller Tree shelters improve desert plnting success. pp In: J.C. Brissette, ed. Proceedings of the Tree Shelter Conference; 1995 June 20-22; Hrrisurg, PA. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE p.

5 Four exmples of six-yer old northern red ok showing dieck occurring in plstic shelters. Exmple of six-yer old plnted northern red ok showing topdieck within tree shelter.

6 Plnting site showing mesh protectors in the foreground nd plstic shelters in the ckground.

7 90 Averge Seedling Height Totl Heights (cm) Instlltion of mesh protectors Strt weed control on ll trees 0 Yer 1 Yer 2 Yer 3 Yer 4 Yer 5 Yer 6 Phse 1 Phse 2 Weed Only () Plstic Shelter Only (PS) PS Weed & Protector Weed & Plstic Shelter

8 Height nd Growth: Phse Columns within yers with different letters re significntly different c Totl Height & Growth (cm) c 10 0 Height Yer 1 Height Yer 2 Growth Yer 2 Plstic Shelter Only (PS) Weed Only () PS Columns within yers with different letters re significntly different.

9 Seedling Survivl: Phse Survivl (%) Yer 1 Yer 2 Weed Only () Plstic Shelter Only (PS) PS

10 Height nd Growth: Phse 2 Totl Height & Growth (cm) Height Yer 4 Height Yer 6 Growth Yers 3 & 4 Columns within yers with different letters re significntly different. Growth Yers 5 & Weed & Protector Weed & Plstic Shelter Columns within yers with different letters re significntly different.

11 Seedling Survivl: Phse Columns with different letters within yer re significntly different p= Survivl (%) Yer 4 Yer 6 Weed & Protector Weed & Plstic Shelter Columns with different letters within yer re significntly different t p=0.006.