Problems in Relating Soil to Site Index for Southern Hardwoods
W. M. Broadfoot · Forest Science · 1969
Abstract Various soil-site characters were correlated with height growth of Liquidambar slyraciflua L., Quercus falcata var. pagodaefolia Ell., Q. nigra L., Q. phellos L., Q. nuttallii Palmer, Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh., and Populus deltoides Bartr. in the Midsouth. Equations developed by multiple regression, however, do not predict site index of new populations with sufficient precision over a large area. Incomplete sampling of the conditions under which southern hardwoods grow may have contributed, but the failure resulted mainly from the inability to measure the true causes of productivity--soil moisture and nutrient availability during the growing season, soil aeration, and physical condition including root growing space.