SPACING AND STRATIFICATION PATTERNS OF CHERRYBARK OAK AND AMERICAN SYCAMORE IN MIXED, EVEN-AGED STANDS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED-STATES

Cherrybark oak (Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia Ell.) can create stands of complex structures when grown in even-aged conditions with American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.). Vertical spatial patterns and relative tree sizes reflect the initial spatial patterns and subsequent development of interacting trees. Rapid early height growth of sycamores allows them to overtop closely growing oaks, curtailing the oaks' diameter and height growth. At greater distances from the sycamores, the oaks curtail diameter and height growth correspondingly later, until, at very wide spacings, the oaks can equal or surpass the sycamores' heights. Oaks can be managed with sycamores on similar sites if initial spacings and thinnings are planned to remove either the oaks or sycamores before the oaks become severely suppressed. Understanding the complex structures of these stands can help the understanding and management of other mixed-species stands in temperate and tropical regions. © 1990.