Chapter 14 Fertilization of Southern Pines at Establishment 1

Fertilization is a silvicultural practice used for increasing forestland productivity in the southern U.S. Effective operational use of fertilizers requires diagnos­ tic systems, used individually or in combination, that accurately identify site nutrient status, needs, and potential responsiveness. Interactions of fertilization with other silvicultural practices such as site preparation and genetic tree improvement, and impacts of fertilization on pests, wood quality, and the environ­ ment, must be accounted for if fertilizer prescriptions are to be biologically effective and economically justified. This chapter introduces important concepts of forest nutrition and provides guidelines for fertilizing young, intensively managed southern pine plantations. 1 Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 10044.