Natural Regeneration of Lodgepole Pine in South-central Oregon

Book excerpt: A sequence of events is necessary for natural regeneration in the pumice soil region: Adequate seed must be probed and distributed over the area, germination must be favored by warm and moist surface soils, daily surface temperature variation must be moderate, seedlings must survive summer drought, and weather conditions must prevent severe frost heaving the fall after germination and the next spring. This sequence does not always occur within a reasonable time after cutting, and natural regeneration is often delayed. Four possibilities are open to the land manager: (1) declare as noncommercial some severe sites such as lodgepole pine/needlegrass and lodgepole pine/bitterbrush/needlegrass plant communities on flat or basin topography; (2) depend more on a planting program; (3) leave a light slash cover on the surface after shelterwood or narrow strip cutting; and (4) leave a shelterwood on the area after a more thorough slash treatment and be willing to wait much longer than 5 years for natural regeneration. Some problems now exist in obtaining good lodgepole planting stock. Also the slash cover does not guarantee success of natural regeneration and option 3 might turn into option 4.