Treesearch

Armillaria root rot contributes to oak decline in the Ozarks. Three Armillaria species were detected in Ecological Landtypes (ELT's) representing south- to west-facing side slopes (ELT 17), north- to east-facing side slopes (ELT 18), and ridge tops (ELT 11). Armillaria mellea was detected in 91 percent of 180 study plots; was detected with equal frequency in all three ELT's; and was ubiquitous in block 3. Armillaria gallica was detected in 64 percent of the study plots; was detected least frequently in block 3; and was detected least frequently on ELT 17 in block 3. The distribution of A....

In the pre-treatment phase of a study to determine if even- and uneven-aged forest management affects the production of acorns on the Missourt Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) study sites, acorn production was measured on the nine study sites by randomly placing from 2 to 6 plots in each of four ecological land type (ELT) groupings (N=130 plots). A split-plot multivartate analysis of valiance revealed that the production of sound, mature acoms vaned significantly among years, blocks, and ELT's. In addition, a significant year by "treatment" effect was observed. When years were combined to...

We surveyed the permanent Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) forest vegetation cluster plots in 1994 and 1995 to determine pre-treatment frequency of occurrence, amount of vegetative cover, and number of berries for plants that produce soft mast. Mean percentage occurrence of selected plants for each site ranged from 0.1 to 33.0 for Vaccinium sp., and from 0 to 8.6 for Rubus sp. Mean percentage vegetative cover (0-1 m) for each site ranged from <0.1 to 1.1 for Vaccinium sp., and from 0 to 0.3 for Rubus sp. Mean numbers of berries for each site ranged from 0 to 20.3 for...

Ozark forest soils are dynamic in space and time, and most formed in multiple parent materials. Erosion and mass movement have been variable and extensive. Soil attributes including texture, cation exchange capacity, and mineralogy are related to geologic strata and to geomorphic conditions. Soil organic carbon content is influenced by surface shape, position in landscape, and aspect. Phosphorus is universally low, and most P is occluded. Many soil attributes are distributed in patterns related to topographic, geologic, and geomorphic features, but the patterns often are masked by site-spec...

Historic and present day shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) abundance was measured and compared using 84 plots along 16 transects in site 8 of the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project. Remnant pine stumps were used to estimate historic pine density and to construct a dendrochronological record of fire frequency. There has been a 66-percent reduction in the relative abundance of pine from historic levels (circa 1900) within the study area. Present day pine abundance is only 21 percent of historic levels on slopes and only 25 percent of historic levels on ridges. Historic and present...

We conducted a study to identify pre-treatment trends in woody species density, diameter, and basal area among MOFEP sites, blocks, and treatment areas; relate woody species differences among sites, blocks, and treatment areas to differences in environmental conditions; and identify potential treatment response differences based upon our fmdings. Sites 2 through 5 had greater numbers of species per unit area. Sites 7 and 8 had fewer trees ≥ 4 cm diameter, less white oak, and more scarlet oak. Block 3 had fewer trees ≥ 11 cm, less overall basal area, and less white oak. Block 2 had less...

8imilarities and differences in MOFEP ground flora species composition were determined at site, block, and treatment levels. Ground flora data were collected across nine sites on 648 permanent forestry plots; more than 10,300 1-m2 quadrats were sampled each summer from 1991 through 1995. Approximately 530 species were identified; more than half occurred on fewer than 10 percent of the plots. Highly significant differences among sample years were observed for plot richness, but were regarded as a reflection of improved data quality over the course of the project. Though plots averaged...

In 1989, the Missouri Department of Conservation initiated a research project to examine the impacts of forest management practices on multiple ecosystem components. The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) is a landscape experiment comparing the impacts of even-aged management, uneven-aged management, and no harvesting on a wide array of ecosystem attributes. These three harvest treatments were replicated in three complete blocks on a total of nine sites in the southeast Missouri Ozarks. Each study site is approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha) in extent. More than 50 scientists...

The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) is an experiment that examines the effects of three forest management practices on the forest community. MOFEP is designed as a randomized complete block design using nine sites divided into three blocks. Treatments of uneven-aged, even-aged, and no-harvest management were randomly assigned to sites within each block. Pre-treatment data have been collected to ensure that results can be adjusted in terms of pre-existing conditions. Interdisciplinary studies are conducted within this design to provide information about relationships of...

We characterized the landscape structure within and surrounding the MOFEP study sites using Landsat TM data and GIS databases. Up to 31 percent of the landscape was within Iiparian zones. Road density was 1.4 km/km2 within the landscape but reached 2.0 km/km2 within 40-m stream buffers. More than 99 percent of the region had a slope <40 percent; about 92 percent of the area had an elevation <300 m. Land was evenly distributed among aspect categories. Upland forest dominated the landscape. Patch types were differentially distributed by elevation and slope but evenly distributed by aspect....