LOBLOLLY PINE RESPONSE TO WET-WEATHER HARVESTING ON WET FLATS AFTER 5 YEARS MARK H. EISENBIES 1∗ , JAMES A. BURGER 1 , W. MICHAEL AUST 1 and STEVE C. PATTERSON 2 1 228 Cheatham Hall, Mail Code 0324, Department of Forestry, VirginiaTech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A. 2 MeadWestvaco Corp., P.O. Box 1950, Summerville, SC 29484, U.S.A. ( ∗ author for correspondence, e-mail: meisenbi@vt.edu; phone: 540 231 7250; fax: 540 231 3330) Abstract. The timing of forestry operations relative to weather conditions is a consideration in apply- ing Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs). Harvesting during different seasons can result in degrees of soil disturbance, the distribution of logging debris, and potentially future stand productiv- ity. The purpose of this study is to examine the response of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands after wet- and dry-weather harvesting combined with three site preparation treatments. A 20 × 20 meter grid was established in fifteen 20-year-old, 3.3-ha loblolly pine plantations in South Carolina. A census of soil physical disturbance and slash distribution was made after harvesting. Growth was measured on 1/125th-ha plots at ages two and five. Dry-weather harvested (DWH) sites were 91% undisturbed, and 9% compressed. Wet-weather harvested (WWH) sites were 41% undisturbed, and 59% disturbed. WWH sites averaged 9% bare soil, while DWH sites averaged 16% with 1 kg m −2 less logging residue; primarily in the form of heavy and light slash. At age five, the green-weight biomass of flat-planted DWH and WWH sites were 13.3 and 12.6 kg tree −1 respectively, and on the bedded DWH and WWH sites were 18.6 and 22.8 kg tree −1 . Wet weather harvesting did not seem to adversely affect stand growth, and may have improved it. Due to a prolonged drought, bedding had a larger effect on WWH sites than DWH harvested sites. The effects of droughty conditions may be influencing treatment response on these highly productive sites; however, the long-term effects of harvesting on stand growth remain to be seen. Keywords: Best Management Practices, harvesting disturbance, Loblolly pine, site preparation, site productivity, sustainability, wetlands, wet-weather harvesting 1. Introduction 1.1. I NTENSIVE FORESTRY Southern forests have frequently been referred to as the timber belt of the United States and are an important part of its economy (Prestemon and Abt, 2002). In 1999, 89 million hectares were forested. Approximately 20 million acres are cur- rently used for the production of commercial species of southern yellow pine on the coastal plain and piedmont extending from East Texas to Virginia (Conner and Hartsell, 2002). Southern yellow pine plantations commonly produce 10 and up to Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus 4: 217–233, 2004. © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.