Tanoak sprout development after cutting and burning in a shade environment

Mean height and number of sprouts from tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) stumps treated by repeated burning (propane weed burner) and by double decapitation (cutting twice within 24 hr) were compared to sprouts from untreated stumps in a shaded environment on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in northern California. Much is known about tanoak sprout growth in full sunlight, but little is known about its development in shade. Four years after burning or cutting, sprouts from stumps treated by burning were significantly (P 0.001) more numerous and shorter than sprouts in the double decapitation and control treatments. Double decapitation was ineffective as a sprout manipulation technique. Some natural events affected the treatments. Mold negatively affected vigor and growth of sprouts in the control and double-decapitation treatments; deer browsing shortened sprout length in the burning treatment; shade delayed sprouting for up to 1 yr after treatment