A historical perspective on longleaf pine ground cover vegetation in the Francis Marion National Forest

Abstract

Longleaf pine groundcover vegetation is characterized by high levels of species richness and local endemism. Also species composition varies distinctively by region. Unfortunately, much longleaf groundcover vegetation has been lost or altered by fire suppression and other abuses. Management and restoration of this unique vegetation therefore requires some conception (i.e., a template) of floristics and species abundances in the original (i.e., "old growth") forests. One approach to producing such a template is to consult historical sources. In this poster we compare modem vegetation samples from the Francis Marion National Forest (FMNF) and vicinity with species lists for the same general area prepared by local botanists between 1810-1850. Particularly of interest is an unpublished list of what would now be termed "indicator species" of different types of habitats prepared by Dr. James Macbride c. 1812-1814. Approximately 60-90% of Macbride's tongleaf species, depending on habitat, were encountered in our own samples. Similar results were obtained using other more comprehensive lists (e.g., Bachman's 1832 list of plants in the vicinity of Char1eston, and F.P. Porcher's 1847 list of plants of St. John's-Berkeley Parish). We conclude that longleaf pine groundcover vegetation in the FMNF is not old field vegetation but rather an important remnant of the original old growth groundcover. The absence of some species from our modem samples may indicate deterioration of groundcover quality or a need for a more comprehensive survey to better compare with the 1800's data.

Citation

Glitzenstein, Jeff S.; Streng, Donna R.; Macbride, James; Wade, Dale D.; Kjellmark, Eric; McMillian, Patrick; Peet, Robert K. 1996. A historical perspective on longleaf pine ground cover vegetation in the Francis Marion National Forest. In: Proceedings First Longleaf Alliance Conference; 1996 Sept. 17-19; Mobile, AL: 76-78.