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Abstract
We quantified species composition, stand structure, canopy disturbance history, and
Quercus establishment and canopy accession patterns in an upland hardwood forest in Tennessee. The forest established in the mid-1800s and exhibited structural characteristics that were within the range of what has been reported from other late-successional forests in the region. The forest overstory was dominated by
Quercus prinus, but
Acer saccharum was the most abundant species.
Quercus recruitment was continuous from stand initiation through the 1950s. Prior to 1880, the majority of
Quercus trees established in closed canopy conditions, whereas after 1880 most
Quercus trees established in high light environments.
Quercus establishment in canopy gaps resulted in multi-aged
Quercus populations in the forest. We documented three forest-wide disturbances during development (1922, 1945, and 1973). The 1922 event coincided with an establishment pulse of largely understory taxa, and the 1945 event corresponded with an establishment pulse of
A. saccharum.
Parent Publication
Citation
Hart, Justin L.; Cowden, Merrit M.; Torreano, Scott J.; Vestal, J. Patrick R. 2017. Disturbance, succession, and structural development of an upland hardwood forest on the Interior Low Plateau, Tennessee. In: Kabrick, John M.; Dey, Daniel C.; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Larsen, David R.; Shifley, Stephen R.; Stelzer, Henry E., eds. Proceedings of the 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2016 March 28-April 1; Columbia, MO. General Technical Report NRS-P-167. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 111-114.
