Extension Efforts to Restore Bottomland Oaks Requires Knowledge of Both Trees and Soil

Bottomland oak restoration projects have been marginally successful because professionals often recommend conventional tree planting procedures that prove problematic in saturated soils. A reliable method of matching oak species to bottomland sites is needed prior to planting. In the study reported here, bottomland oaks were matched to hydric soils based on soil mottling. The findings suggest that as soil drainage improves, species diversity expands. Natural Resource Extension professionals should consider "active" methods of direct technical assistance and field demonstrations and "passive" methods of newsletters, publications, and pamphlets, as delivery methods to educate both landowners and professionals about this subject. Introduction Over the past several decades, federal incentive programs have encouraged the restoration of bottomland oaks throughout the United States. Private forest landowners are involved in these programs that are designed to protect water and soil resources and play a major role in sequestering atmospheric carbon (Cason, Grebner, Londo, & Grabo, 2006). Extension personnel involved in natural resource issues should be knowledgeable about these programs and be effective communicators to increase their adoption. Programs such as the Conservation Reserve (CRP) and Wetlands Reserve (WRP) have been marginally successful (Stanturf, Schoenholtz, & Schweitzer, 2001). Natural Resource Extension Professionals have been engaged in many of these projects and make general recommendations on bottomland restoration. These recommendations often follow conventional tree planting procedures that are well established for upland sites, but prove problematic in bottomlands. High water tables, soil drainage and compaction, overland flooding, and diverse soil properties make species selection difficult. Slight changes in topography and soil structure often have a dramatic effect on survival and growth of planted oak seedlings (Hodges & Schweitzer, 1979). The project reported here documented the survival and growth of 6-year old seedlings that were established on a bottomland site in 2004, located at the University of Tennessee West Tennessee Research and Extension Center (WTREC), Jackson, Tennessee. This site is adjacent to the South Fork of the Forked Deer River and periodically floods. The purpose of the project was to determine how soil drainage as indicated by Extension Efforts to Restore Bottomland Oaks Requires Knowledge of Both Trees and Soil http://www.joe.org/joe/2012december/a8.php?pdf=1[12/17/2012 1:33:49 PM] mottling (specifically, the point of >50% gray color throughout the soil profile) affects the survival and growth of bottomland oaks. Secondarily, a review of Extension's efforts in educating forest landowners about natural resource issues is made, so that the results of this work will lead to more successful plantings, increased adoption and better use of financial resources.