DOCUMENT
Name:   Oak Seed Production, Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Populations, and Predation Rates in Mixed-oak Forests of Southeast Ohio

Date Published:  2004

Document Type:  conference proceedings paper

Brief Description:  This report examines how fire and/ or thinning may directly influence oak seed production and how those treatments may indirectly impact seed quality by influencing the major species of pre-dispersal oak seed predators (curculionid weevils).

Complete Description:  Oaks have dominated much of the central hardwood forest region for thousands of years. However, there have been geographically widespread reports of its failure to regenerate on many types of sites for many decades. Most studies have approached the oak regeneration problem through the examination of direct effects. There are many indirect ecological effects that have not been well studied. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Native Americans may have used fire for many reasons including control of insect predators and/or pathogens. We chose to examine how fire and/ or thinning may directly influence oak seed production and how those treatments may indirectly impact seed quality by influencing the major species of pre-dispersal oak seed predators (curculionid weevils). Weevils have been known to destroy > 90% of a typical acorn crop. Two mixed-oak forests were selected for study in southeastern Ohio. Within each forest, four stands were selected and randomly assigned a control and a treatment: prescribed fire, thinned, thinned & followed by fire. Thinning treatments were executed during the fall-winter of 2000-2001, followed by controlled burns in the spring of 2001. After the treatments were executed, we selected two species for study: black oak (Quercus velutina) and chestnut oak (Q. prinus). We selected nine trees of each species (144 trees total) within each unit and erected two 0.25 m2 seed traps beneath each tree. Traps were sampled monthly throughout the growing season and for a period after leaf drop (August-December) during 2001 and 2002 to collect seeds. Acorns were destructively sampled and scored as sound, aborted, weevil-depredated, or other. Treatments did not appear to strongly influence seed production or predation rates in the first growing season (floral buds had already initiated and treatment effect was likely minimal). However, during the second season, treatment influence was dramatic. Both oak species responded by producing considerably more seeds in the combined thin-burn units. Any unit receiving a burn also produced a significantly greater number of sound acorns (weevil depredation was lowest in burn units). Long-term studies are continuing to help work out the details of how silvicultural treatments may influence periodic seed-producing (masting) species such as oaks.

Citation:

Riccardi, Cynthia L.; McCarthy, Brian C.; Long, Robert P. 2004. Oak Seed Production, Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Populations, and Predation Rates in Mixed-oak Forests of Southeast Ohio In: Yaussy, Daniel A.; Hix, David M.; Long, Robert P.; Goebel, P. Charles, eds. Proceedings, 14th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2004 March 16 19; Wooster, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-316. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 10-20..
Related Resources*
Resource Name:Fire and Fire Surrogate Study (FFS)

Availability & Use
Distribution ®
Format ®
Online Source:
http://frames.nbii.gov/ffs/documents/ContentToCatalog/FFS39-RiccardiFUEL.pdf
Fees:none
Instructions:Available for download from the FRAMES Fire & Fire Surrogates study website
Contact Information ®
Individual:Jim McIver
Organization:Fire & Fire Surrogates Study
Position:
Address:
Telephone:541-562-5129
Fax:
E-mail:james.mciver@oregonstate.edu
Hours:
Instructions:
URL:
Liability:Copyright held by publisher
Use Constraints:Copyright held by publisher
Access Constraints:Copyright held by publisher

Spatial Domain Information
Bounding Coordinates ®
Polygon ®

Time Period of Content
Single Date:
Date Range ®

Contributors
Name/OrganizationContributionRoleContact Information
Cynthia RiccardiAuthor
Brian McCarthyAuthor
Robert LongAuthor


Metadata Reference
Details ®
Created Date:12/1/2006
Metadata Creator:
Fred Rascoe
Information International Associates, Inc.
1009 Commerce Park Dr
Suite 150
Oak Ridge, TN  37831-421937831-4219  USA		PO Box 4219

Oak Ridge, TN  37831-4219  USA
(865) 298-1227
fred@iiaweb.com
Type:FRAMES document
Metadata Version:1
Security Information:
Schema:http://frames.nbii.gov/metadata/documents/documents.xsd
Keyword(s):
noneFFS
FRAMES subject categoriesprescribed fire
GACC regionsEastern
nonethinning
Alternate ID ®

Additional Information
FRAMES LogoFor additional resources, disclaimers,  and other FRAMES contact information, please visit the FRAMES website, at http://frames.nbii.gov.
*Please note: Depending on metadata completion, upkeep, and availability, not all related resources may be available through FRAMES.