Tree survivorship in an oak-hickory forest in southeast Missouri, USA under a long-term regime of annual and periodic controlled burning

Abstract

Fire significantly altered survivorship in southeastern Missouri forests burned at annual and four-year (periodic) intervals since 1949 and 1951. In the ANOVA model tested, treatment, species, pretreatment diameter and the interaction between species and pretreatment diameter were highly significantly related to survivorship. Overall survivorship and survivorship of hickories (Carya spp.) and red oak group species, including scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.), black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.), southern red oak (Quercus falcata Michx.), was greatest in control plots, less in annually burned and least in periodically burned plots. In contrast, the survivorship of post oak (Quercus stellata, Wangenh.) did not significantly differ among fire regimes. General fire survivorship rankings were post oak > red oak species > hickory. Logistic regression indicated that survivorship was significantly and positively correlated with diameter at breast height for post oak and red oak group species, but not for hickories. This relationship of DBH with survivorship was apparently attributable more to self-thinning and differential life-span of trees rather than fire treatment effects. However, survivorship of red oak species was more sensitive to burning regime at smaller pretreatment DBH. When using fire to maintain or increase the abundance of red oak species of oak-hickory forests, age, species life-span, stage of stand development and other environmental stresses should be considered.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings, 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference

Citation

Huddle, Julie A.; Pallardy, Stephen G. 1995. Tree survivorship in an oak-hickory forest in southeast Missouri, USA under a long-term regime of annual and periodic controlled burning. In: Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Fosbroke, Sandra L. C., ed. Proceedings, 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 1995 March 5-8; Morgantown, WV.: Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-197. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 141-151