Regional and geomorphic influence on the productivity, composition, and structure of oak ecosystems in the western central hardwoods region

Abstract

The steeply dissected glaciated landscapes of the Chariton River Hills Ecological Subsection (CRHES) in northern Missouri have extensive, but largely unmanaged, oak forests that are relatively unstudied. There is increasing interest in these forests for oak ecosystem restoration, ecological site description, and production of oak timber for biofuels. Our objectives were to determine how productivity, composition, and structure varied across the CRHES and locally by slope position and aspect. We inventoried vegetation and soils at 48 sites on upper and lower slope positions paired by northeast-facing and southwest-facing aspect classes on six minimally disturbed sites across the CRHES. Among sites, the site index of the two most abundant species ranged from 51 to 58 feet (white oak) and 51 to 62 feet (northern red oak) For white oak, site index was significantly greater on north-facing aspects (P

Parent Publication

• Proceedings, 18th Central Hardwood Forest Conference

Citation

Steele, Amber M.; Kabrick, John M.; Miles, Randall J. 2013. Regional and geomorphic influence on the productivity, composition, and structure of oak ecosystems in the western central hardwoods region. In: Miller, Gary W.; Schuler, Thomas M.; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Brooks, John R.; Grushecky, Shawn T.; Spong, Ben D.; Rentch, James S., eds. Proceedings, 18th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2012 March 26-28; Morgantown, WV; Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-117. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 80-92.