When Is Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.) a Problem in Allegheny Hardwoods?

Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.) has important effects on early stand development when it occurs at high densities. We used data describing the first 15 years of stand development in eight clearcuts and used plots that had at least 25 black cherry or 100 desirable seedlings at age 3, as well as different levels of pin cherry stocking. Our findings identified seven pin cherry >5 ft tall at age 3 on 6-ft-radius plots as the threshold for negative effects on stocking of seedling-origin trees of desirable species at age 15. We incorporated these finding into the regeneration followup chart used as part of the Silviculture of Allegheny Hardwoods (SILVAH) decision support framework. Of eight stands used in this study, four had a pin cherry interference problem, and four did not. By age 15, there were one-third as many desirable seedling-origin stems, mostly black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), in stands with pin cherry above the critical threshold density. We suggest some silvicultural options for addressing the problem.