Article
Succession in Loblolly Pine Plantations Converted from Second-growth Forest in the Central Piedmont of Virginia
The American Midland Naturalist
(1983)
Abstract
Vegetation composition and structure were quantified in 21 pine stands converted from second-growth hardwood-pine forest at two state forests in Virginia. These stands included three replications each of seven developmental stages ranging in age from 1-22 years. Species richness and vegetation cover in the ground stratum showed the same trend: high values in stands 1-5 years of age followed by a decline from 5-15 years, at which point canopy closure was complete, and these variables were relatively stable for the next 7 years. A peak in transgressive stratum richness in the 9th year was followed by a similar decline and leveling off. Evenness (J') values over time were nearly constant for these understory strata, except in 3-year-old stands where a decline in ground stratum evenness occurred due to dominance by Andropogon virginicus. Increasing richness and evenness in the overstory stratum was due to growth of hardwoods. Trends in richness and evenness differed from the old-field successional model due to a high diversity of seeds and sprouts at the start of succession. Despite such differences, the seral stages typical of old-field succession were discernible in converted stand succession. However, they were somewhat abbreviated and masked by the abundance and variety of reproductive units and the rapid closure of the canopy by codeveloping pines and sprout hardwoods.
Disciplines
Publication Date
1983
DOI
10.2307/2425276
Citation Information
Terry L. Sharik. "Succession in Loblolly Pine Plantations Converted from Second-growth Forest in the Central Piedmont of Virginia" The American Midland Naturalist Vol. 110 Iss. 2 (1983) p. 365 - 380 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/terry_sharik/144/