An old-growth definition for upland longleaf and south Florida slash pine forests, woodlands, and savannas

Landers, J. Larry; Boyer, William D.

doi:10.2737/srs-gtr-029

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Six reference plots were also established in the site area. Reference plots were chosen based on "expert opinion" for the desired state for the natural ecosystem [24,40]. Each treatment was carried out only once but were under the EAFB natural resource management program, and all plots were subjected to a number of prescribed burns and wildfires between 1994 and 2009.…”

Section: Sampling Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2012

Forests

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Abstract:The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize tree-based spatial patterning of soil properties and understory vegetation in frequently burned ("reference state") and fire-suppressed longleaf pine forests; and (2) determine how restoration treatments affected patterning. To attain these objectives, we used an experimental manipulation of management types implemented 15 years ago in Florida. We randomly located six mature longleaf pine trees in one reference and four restoration treatments (i.e., burn, control, herbicide, and mechanical), for a total of 36 trees. In addition to the original treatments and as part of a monitoring program, all plots were subjected to several prescribed fires during these 15 years. Under each tree, we sampled mineral soil and understory vegetation at 1 m, 2 m, 3 m and 4 m (vegetation only) away from the tree. At these sites, soil carbon and nitrogen were higher near the trunk while graminoids, forbs and saw palmetto covers showed an opposite trend. Our results confirmed that longleaf pine trees affect the spatial patterning of soil and understory vegetation, and this patterning was mostly limited to the restoration sites. We suggest frequent burning as a probable cause for a lack of spatial structure in the "reference state". We attribute the presence of spatial patterning in the restoration sites to accumulation of organic materials near the base of mature trees.

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Section: Sampling Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2012

Forests

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“…Compared to the co-occurring Pinus taeda, P. palustris is more susceptible to stem snapping and uprooting when exposed to strong winds [74,75]. Pinus palustris snags have been well studied, and they may result from mortality by lightning, insects, or fire and may be important for wildlife habitat and fire ignition [21,31,54,[76][77][78]. In our non-gap reference plots, we found snag density was 5/ha and all but one snag, a Q. falcata, was a P. palustris stem.…”

Section: Canopy Gap and Gapmaker Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our non-gap reference plots, we found snag density was 5/ha and all but one snag, a Q. falcata, was a P. palustris stem. Landers and Boyer [76] found a snag density of 7/ha and Varner et al [19] reported snag density of 9-11/ha for complex stage P. palustris stands. When canopy gap areas are included, snag density for this montane, P. palustris woodland approximated the snag density reported in other P. palustris stands, including those stands in late stages of stand development.…”

Section: Canopy Gap and Gapmaker Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gap-Scale Disturbance Patterns and Processes in a Montane Pinus palustris Woodland

Mueller

Goode

Hart

2022

Forests

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Gap-scale disturbances drive successional and structural development patterns in most forest ecosystems. Although fire-maintained Pinus palustris woodlands are less light limited than closed canopy forests, gap-scale disturbance processes may still influence successional and developmental pathways. We quantified biophysical characteristics of 50 canopy gaps in a montane Pinus palustris woodland to analyze gap-scale disturbance patterns and processes. We found most gaps (64%) were caused by the death of a single tree. Snag-formed gaps were most common (38%) followed by snapped stems (32%). We hypothesized that insect-induced mortality, perhaps in combination with drought periods, resulted in the high frequency of snag- and snapped stem-formed gaps. We did not find significant differences in gap size or shape based on gap formation or closure mechanisms. Most gaps (74%) were projected to close by lateral crown expansion of gap perimeter trees. We hypothesized most gaps projected to close via subcanopy recruitment would be captured by a P. palustris stem. The majority of gaps were small and gap frequency declined with increased gap size. We found gaps were significantly clustered through the woodland at distances of 8–36 m from gap edge to gap edge but were randomly distributed beyond 36 m.

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“…Following the usda Forest Service Old Growth Task Force in the late 1980s, the Forest Service began a campaign to quantitatively define old growth in all forest types across the United States (White and Lloyd 1994;Hardt and Newman 1995). The Southeast Research Station alone developed a plan to quantify old growth in 42 different forest types (Greensburg et al 1997;Kennedy and Nowacki 1997;Shear et al 1997;Landers and Boyer 1999). The structural attributes used by the Southeast Research Centre are density; basal area; number of 4inch size classes; age of dominant and codominant trees; diameter of dominant and codominant trees; abundance of snags; and abundance of coarse woody debris.…”

Section: Quantitative Working Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Old-growth definitions and management: A literature review

Hilbert¹,

Wiensczyk²

2007

JEM

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Over the past two decades, scientific discoveries have altered how forest management is viewed, including the understanding of late-successional or old-growth forest communities. Some accept that old-growth forests should be managed, but the process of identification and management of these forests has proven to be very difficult. This review examines literature on old growth and old-growth management from a broad North American base with a focus on the special issues associated with high-frequency forest disturbance regimes. The purpose of this paper is to: examine the various old-growth definitions and management approaches; review the importance of old-growth management and conservation; and draw conclusions and make recommendations based on the information reviewed. Old-growth definitions were divided into three categories: conceptual functional, conceptual structural, and quantitative working. The relative merits and challenges of each category are discussed using examples from different forest types across North America, but the focus is on northern fire-dependent forest ecosystems. The authors recommend the establishment of landscape-level objectives for old-growth retention that include: approaching management from an ecological perspective; recognizing the importance of varied natural disturbance patterns; increasing funds for detailed inventories (especially in more contentious or ecologically sensitive areas); developing a regional old-growth attribute scoring theme or index; using a top-down approach to old-growth management; and developing a monitoring plan to determine the effectiveness of established objectives.

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An old-growth definition for upland longleaf and south Florida slash pine forests, woodlands, and savannas

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Gap-Scale Disturbance Patterns and Processes in a Montane Pinus palustris Woodland

Old-growth definitions and management: A literature review

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