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Abstract
Rates and pathways of secondary succession were investigated and compared between clearcut and surface-mined sites in east Tennessee using chronosequence techniques. Plots were established at 5-year age intervals ranging up to 30 years after the disturbances on sites with similar productivities. Clearcut sites were hypothesized to undergo vegetative succession more rapidly than surface-mined sites due to the difference in intensity and impact of disturbance on the substrate. A control site for each type of disturbance was also evaluated as a metric for the expected pathway of succession, community structure, and species composition (forest type). These control sites were selected for their lack of human disturbance and proximity to disturbed areas. Preliminary results suggest that clearcut sites are progressing away from their previous oak-hickory (
Quercus-Carya) type at a more rapid successional rate than surface-mined sites as hypothesized. If an oak-hickory species composition is to be maintained after these stand initiation disturbances, silvicultural practices to encourage these species are recommended.
Parent Publication
Citation
Kennedy, Ian; Mount, Melody; Clatterbuck, Wayne; Buckley, David; Franklin, Jennifer. 2024. Evaluating the Trajectory of Vegetation Succession on Clearcut and Surface-Mined Sites. In:Bragg, Don C.; Oswald, Brian P.; Koerth, Nancy E., eds. Proceedings of the 22nd biennial southern silvicultural research conference. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-274. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station:163–168. https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-274-Pap27.
