Abstract On the Hitchiti Experimental Forest, 22-year records of seed production in sawtimber-sized stands of loblolly pine indicate that good seed crops (100,000 to 200,000 sound seed per acre) occurred at 3- to 7-year intervals in lightly cut stands and that in seed-tree stands production was just as irregular; however, bumper (over 200,000) or good crops occurred in one-half the years observed in shelterwood stands. Because seed production of loblolly pine is generally low in the Piedmont, prompt production of enough seed for natural regeneration will require that 25 to 30 square feet of basal area per acre be left in released seed trees.
Brender et al. (Thu,) studied this question.