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Abstract
All stands experience disturbance events that impact succession and development. Most mortality in longleaf pine (
Pinus palustris) ecosystems consists of localized, gap-scale events composed of one to several canopy trees (Mueller and others 2022, Palik and Pederson 1996) that free resources including light, soil nutrients, moisture, and growing space (Hart and Kleinman 2018, Palik and others 1997). Available resources allow for tree establishment and recruitment that may result in a mosaic of age and size classes (Richards and Hart 2011, Varner and others 2003). We quantified the stand structure, composition, canopy disturbance history, and prescribed fire effects in a complex-stage reference longleaf pine stand in the desired future condition as identified by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service personnel (multiple age classes of canopy longleaf pine, presence of advance reproduction, and desired species composition). Canopy disturbance history data such as these can be used to inform current management of longleaf pine ecosystems, and quantifying prescribed fire mortality can provide insight into potentially undesirable fire effects.
Parent Publication
Citation
Phillips, David L.; Goode, J. Davis; Hart, Justin L. 2024. Disturbance and Stand Structure in a Longleaf Pine Woodland. 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: 288–291. https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-274-Pap43.
