Conclusions from this study are based on the establishment of
longleaf pine regeneration during the first three years after planting,
and it is not clear how our treatments will affect long-term resource
availability. Furthermore, when the management goal
includes restoring other components of longleaf pine ecosystems,
managers will need to consider broader effects of canopy and cultural
treatments. Clearcutting could result in the largest light availability
and consequently the greatest seedling RCD, but it could
also result in the greatest growth of midstory or understory vegetation.
In addition, changes in the fuel dynamics following canopy
removal have important implications for fire management, and
treatments that increase hardwood dominance may reduce the
continuity of prescribed burns. Therefore, future studies are
needed to test how these silvicultural treatments affect the restoration
of other critical components of longleaf pine ecosystems.