{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/44478"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/44478","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Relationships between loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) yield and woody plant diversity in Virginia Piedmont plantations","abstract":"This study was established to determine the effects of competition control on loblolly pine (<i>Pinus taeda</i> L.), woody plant diversity, and wildlife habitat quality in Virginia Piedmont plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age. The responses of loblolly pine and competing woody vegetation in plantations 12-14 years of age were analyzed at 8 levels of competition control: total, 2/3, 1/3, or no woody stem control in combination with either total or no herbaceous vegetation control. As woody stem (plus herbaceous) control increased, pine yield increased, and percent hardwood basal area (PHWD BA) and overstory plant diversity (Shannon index (H’)) decreased. Understory percent woody cover, and woody plant species richness, evenness, and diversity (H’) were not affected at any of the competition control levels. Regression analysis was used to determine relationships between loblolly pine yield, hardwood dominance and overstory plant diversity. Pine yield was negatively correlated to PHWD BA (R²=0.74), while overstory diversity (H’) was proportional to PHWD BA (R²=0.97) and inversely related to pine yield (R²=0.77). The relationship between diversity and PHWD BA was consistent for plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age, while relationships of yield to PHWD BA and to diversity were altered in the older plantations. In plantations 12-14 years, competition control reduced proportions of oak and hickory species and reduced canopy structural heterogeneity, but increased proportions of other fruit bearing plant species, and increased deer browse availability and ground stratum heterogeneity. In plantations 24-27 years, competition control altered plant species composition and increased structural heterogeneity.","abstract_html":"This study was established to determine the effects of competition control on loblolly pine (&lt;i&gt;Pinus taeda&lt;/i&gt; L.), woody plant diversity, and wildlife habitat quality in Virginia Piedmont plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age. The responses of loblolly pine and competing woody vegetation in plantations 12-14 years of age were analyzed at 8 levels of competition control: total, 2/3, 1/3, or no woody stem control in combination with either total or no herbaceous vegetation control. As woody stem (plus herbaceous) control increased, pine yield increased, and percent hardwood basal area (PHWD BA) and overstory plant diversity (Shannon index (H’)) decreased. Understory percent woody cover, and woody plant species richness, evenness, and diversity (H’) were not affected at any of the competition control levels. Regression analysis was used to determine relationships between loblolly pine yield, hardwood dominance and overstory plant diversity. Pine yield was negatively correlated to PHWD BA (R²=0.74), while overstory diversity (H’) was proportional to PHWD BA (R²=0.97) and inversely related to pine yield (R²=0.77). The relationship between diversity and PHWD BA was consistent for plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age, while relationships of yield to PHWD BA and to diversity were altered in the older plantations. In plantations 12-14 years, competition control reduced proportions of oak and hickory species and reduced canopy structural heterogeneity, but increased proportions of other fruit bearing plant species, and increased deer browse availability and ground stratum heterogeneity. In plantations 24-27 years, competition control altered plant species composition and increased structural heterogeneity.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Watson, Lisa E."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":"Forestry","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Zedaker, Shepard M."],"committee_members":["Smith, David William","Fraser, James D."],"year":1996,"date_issued":"1996","date_published":"1996","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:03Z","subjects":["Loblolly pine","yield","diversity","wildlife","Modeling"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-08292008-063155"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-08292008-063155","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/44478","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Zedaker, Shepard M."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Smith, David William","Fraser, James D."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Watson, Lisa E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T21:43:57Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T21:43:57Z","2008-08-29"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1996"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Loblolly pine","yield","diversity","wildlife","Modeling"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-08292008-063155"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/44478"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study was established to determine the effects of competition control on loblolly pine (<i>Pinus taeda</i> L.), woody plant diversity, and wildlife habitat quality in Virginia Piedmont plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age. The responses of loblolly pine and competing woody vegetation in plantations 12-14 years of age were analyzed at 8 levels of competition control: total, 2/3, 1/3, or no woody stem control in combination with either total or no herbaceous vegetation control. As woody stem (plus herbaceous) control increased, pine yield increased, and percent hardwood basal area (PHWD BA) and overstory plant diversity (Shannon index (H’)) decreased. Understory percent woody cover, and woody plant species richness, evenness, and diversity (H’) were not affected at any of the competition control levels. Regression analysis was used to determine relationships between loblolly pine yield, hardwood dominance and overstory plant diversity. Pine yield was negatively correlated to PHWD BA (R²=0.74), while overstory diversity (H’) was proportional to PHWD BA (R²=0.97) and inversely related to pine yield (R²=0.77). The relationship between diversity and PHWD BA was consistent for plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age, while relationships of yield to PHWD BA and to diversity were altered in the older plantations. In plantations 12-14 years, competition control reduced proportions of oak and hickory species and reduced canopy structural heterogeneity, but increased proportions of other fruit bearing plant species, and increased deer browse availability and ground stratum heterogeneity. In plantations 24-27 years, competition control altered plant species composition and increased structural heterogeneity."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["BTD"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Relationships between loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) yield and woody plant diversity in Virginia Piedmont plantations"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Zedaker, Shepard M."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Smith, David William","Fraser, James D."],"dc:contributor.department":["Forestry"],"dc:creator":["Watson, Lisa E."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T21:43:57Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T21:43:57Z","2008-08-29"],"dc:date.issued":["1996"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study was established to determine the effects of competition control on loblolly pine (<i>Pinus taeda</i> L.), woody plant diversity, and wildlife habitat quality in Virginia Piedmont plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age. The responses of loblolly pine and competing woody vegetation in plantations 12-14 years of age were analyzed at 8 levels of competition control: total, 2/3, 1/3, or no woody stem control in combination with either total or no herbaceous vegetation control. As woody stem (plus herbaceous) control increased, pine yield increased, and percent hardwood basal area (PHWD BA) and overstory plant diversity (Shannon index (H’)) decreased. Understory percent woody cover, and woody plant species richness, evenness, and diversity (H’) were not affected at any of the competition control levels. Regression analysis was used to determine relationships between loblolly pine yield, hardwood dominance and overstory plant diversity. Pine yield was negatively correlated to PHWD BA (R²=0.74), while overstory diversity (H’) was proportional to PHWD BA (R²=0.97) and inversely related to pine yield (R²=0.77). The relationship between diversity and PHWD BA was consistent for plantations 12-14 and 24-27 years of age, while relationships of yield to PHWD BA and to diversity were altered in the older plantations. In plantations 12-14 years, competition control reduced proportions of oak and hickory species and reduced canopy structural heterogeneity, but increased proportions of other fruit bearing plant species, and increased deer browse availability and ground stratum heterogeneity. In plantations 24-27 years, competition control altered plant species composition and increased structural heterogeneity."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["BTD"],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-08292008-063155"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/44478"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Loblolly pine","yield","diversity","wildlife","Modeling"],"dc:title":["Relationships between loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) yield and woody plant diversity in Virginia Piedmont plantations"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:03Z"}