If a large pine component is wanted in the next rotation, these unmerchantable hardwoods must be removed during site preparation - an expensive proposition. Generally, fire is required in combination with other treatments involving heavy equipment, chemicals, or both. In many locations the preferred system is a combination summer burn and herbicide treatment. However, in the lower Appalachians of South Carolina, another relatively inexpensive technique is employed. All residual hardwoods are felled and the area broadcast burned under exacting fuel and weather conditions.
Diseased seedlings tend to remain in the grass stage.
Control is recommended when more than 20 percent of the seedlings are infected or when some of the diseased seedlings are needed for satisfactory stocking. Once the seedlings become infected, burning is the most practical method of disease control. Any type of burning that kills the diseased needles without killing the terminal bud is satisfactory. Burning the infected needles reduces the number of spores available to infect the seedlings. Generally a fast-moving winter heading fire under damp conditions, as exist after passage of a strong cold front, is best.