Recalling open old growth forests in the Southeastern Mixed Forest province of the United States

Hanberry, Brice B.; Brzuszek, Robert F.; Foster, H. Thomas; Schauwecker, Timothy

doi:10.1080/11956860.2018.1499282

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Today, loss of frequent fire means that open oak and pine forest ecosystems have declined precipitously in the eastern North America (Noss et al 1995, Hanberry and Abrams 2018, Hanberry et al 2018b, and similar open forest ecosystems such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) in the western United States are also imperiled. During this period, forest structure was often in the open part of the canopy closure spectrum due to frequent fire's limitations on understory woody stem recruitment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These open forests also contained a simple overstory structure and low diversity oak and pine composition that nevertheless resulted in old-growth. Today, loss of frequent fire means that open oak and pine forest ecosystems have declined precipitously in the eastern North America (Noss et al 1995, Hanberry and Abrams 2018, Hanberry et al 2018b, and similar open forest ecosystems such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) in the western United States are also imperiled. Functional open oak and pine forests persist only when and where circumstances permit application and sustenance of the needed fire regime.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most ecology and forest management texts consider only closed successional forests (i.e., forests with tree development throughout the vertical profile that have not developed typical old-growth structure or shadetolerant composition) as the predominant vegetative cover in eastern North America, and focus on stand dynamics driven by differences in tree shade tolerance and other related forest characteristics (Oliver and Larson 1996, Barnes et al 1997, Perry et al 2008. While this may be the case for most of these landscapes today (given their long-term lack of fire and disturbance regimes dominated by timber management), this view of ecosystem response is limited and largely unsuitable for the conceptualization and restoration of open forest conditions (Hanberry et al 2018b). We believe that recognition of open old-growth forests, controlled by a disturbance regime (i.e., regular surface fires) that regulates tree success in the understory, has been lacking perhaps because the transition from open forests to closed forests either occurred gradually enough over such an extended time frame as to be imperceptible to most observers or was thought to conform to successional stages in closed forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum

2018

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We present a reconceptualization of forests in eastern North America by differentiating the ecological characteristics of open oak (Quercus) and pine (Pinus) forests from closed successional and oldgrowth forests. Despite historical abundance of savannas and woodlands, the fundamental ecology of open forest ecosystems remains ill-defined when compared to either closed forests or grasslands. Open forests were characterized by simple internal stand structure consisting of a single stratum of variably spaced, often very old overstory trees and limited midstory, maintained by understory disturbance that controlled tree regeneration and allowed instead a taxonomically rich herbaceous groundlayer. In contrast, closed forests have dense woody growth throughout the vertical profile, limiting herbaceous plants. To provide further clarity about these ecosystems, we developed a canopy closure spectrum model dependent on the interactions between prevailing disturbance regimes of the historical and current eras, which affect either the tree understory (regeneration) or overstory, and tree traits of fire and shade tolerance. Recognition of different stand structures, disturbance regimes, and their interrelationships should expand understanding of open forests and limit ecological misunderstandings and restoration misapplications, thereby improving management of these once historically extensive ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum

2018

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“…Open forests of fire‐tolerant pine and oak covered large extents of the United States for thousands of years that varied over time with changes in populations of indigenous people (Fig. ; Delcourt and Delcourt , Hanberry and Abrams , Hanberry et al ). Forests of the southeastern United States were approximately 75% pine or oak–pine ( Quercus spp., Pinus spp.)…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Estimated extent of open forests in the eastern United States during the 1800s (based on Hanberry and Nowacki , Hanberry and Abrams , Hanberry et al ). Finer scale variation within the open forest regions occurred based on features such as wetlands, rocky outcrops, and topography that provided protection from fire and resulted in some closed forest within these regions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Open forest management for early successional birds

Hanberry

Thompson

2019

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Wildlife biologists classify some bird species as early successional because of apparent dependence on early successional vegetation such as forbs, grasses, shrubs, and small trees. We propose that many "early successional" species were more often associated with open forests such as savannas and woodlands, which covered a much greater extent of the eastern United States under historical disturbance regimes than more ephemeral early successional forest. We draw on several lines of evidence, including knowledge of historical ecosystems and disturbance, landscape analyses, and general literature review to evaluate benefits of open forest ecosystems for early successional birds. Early successional forests covered 1-13% of forestlands in the eastern United States prior to Euro-American settlement, whereas open forests covered large extents of the United States. Many early successional songbirds reach great densities in open forests and potentially greater numbers in landscapes with historical amounts of open forest than in presentday landscapes and those under intensive even-aged forest management. Restoration and management of open forests has not been prioritized or well-articulated for management of early successional birds and other species. Although both early successional forests and open forests provide habitat for birds, we suggest the great reduction in the historical extent of open forests needs to be addressed through greater restoration and management of open forests if we want to better meet the needs of some early successional birds and other wildlife. Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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Can restoration of fire‐dependent ecosystems reduce ticks and tick‐borne disease prevalence in the eastern United States?

Gallagher

Kreye

Machtinger

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Over the past century, fire suppression has facilitated broad ecological changes in the composition, structure, and function of fire-dependent landscapes throughout the eastern US, which are in decline. These changes have likely contributed mechanistically to the enhancement of habitat conditions that favor pathogencarrying tick species, key wildlife hosts of ticks, and interactions that have fostered pathogen transmission among them and to humans. While the longrunning paradigm for limiting human exposure to tick-borne diseases focuses responsibility on individual prevention, the continued expansion of medically important tick populations, increased incidence of tick-borne disease in humans, and emergence of novel tick-borne diseases highlights the need for additional approaches to stem this public health challenge. Another approach that has the potential to be a cost-effective and widely applied but that remains largely overlooked is the use of prescribed fire to ecologically restore degraded landscapes that favor ticks and pathogen transmission. We examine the ecological role of fire and its effects on ticks within the eastern United States, especially examining the life cycles of forest-dwelling ticks, shifts in regional-scale fire use over the past century, and the concept that frequent fire may have helped moderate tick populations and pathogen transmission prior to the so-called fire-suppression era that has characterized the past century. We explore mechanisms of how fire and ecological restoration can reduce ticks, the potential for incorporating the mechanisms into the broader strategy for managing ticks, and the challenges, limitations, and research needs of prescribed burning for tick reduction.

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Recalling open old growth forests in the Southeastern Mixed Forest province of the United States

Cited by 20 publications

References 35 publications

A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum

A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum

Open forest management for early successional birds

Can restoration of fire‐dependent ecosystems reduce ticks and tick‐borne disease prevalence in the eastern United States?

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