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Gap size and succession in cutover southern Appalachian forests: an 18 year study of vegetation dynamics

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Abstract

We used clearcut logging in establishing four replicated sizes of canopy openings (0.016, 0.08, 0.4, and 2.0 ha) in a southern Appalachian hardwood forest in 1981 to examine the long-term effects of disturbance size on plant community structure, biomass accumulation, aboveground net primary productivity (NPP), and mode of recovery. The reestablishment of NPP and biomass following logging was 6–7-fold greater in large than small openings by 17 years. Total biomass in the 2.0 ha openings (127.3 Mg ha−1) recovered 59.5% as NPP (19.7 Mg ha−1 yr−1) reached 225% of precut forest levels. Biomass accumulation was 2.6–3.6-fold greater in interior than edge locations of all but the 0.016 ha gaps. The absence of significant patch size or edge vs. interior differences in tree densities suggests that growth rates of individual trees were enhanced in more insolated microenvironments. Sprouting (86–95% of tree NPP) was much more important than advance regeneration (4–10%) or seedling germination (<2%) during early recovery in all opening sizes. Canopy dominant Quercus and Carya trees exhibited limited sprouting following disturbance. Instead, shade-intolerant Robinia pseudoacacia and Liriodendron tulipifera were major sprouters that used N-fixation (Robinia) and rapid growth (Liriodendron) in attaining 7.4 and 5.9 fold greater biomass accumulation, respectively in 2.0 ha than 0.016 ha opening sizes. Seedling germination and understory production were extensive in all openings following logging, but declined rapidly as the young tree canopy began closing by 4–6 years. The relative importance of shade-intolerant tree biomass approximately doubled over 17 years as shade-tolerant tree seedlings, herbs, and shrubs gradually regained importance under the emerging canopy. Sprouting caused the persistence of a tree species composition in all openings that remained relatively similar to the precut forest. Large disturbances on mountain slopes of the southern Appalachians generally promote sprouting and rapid recovery, whereas small disturbances in low-elevation cove forests lead to a gradual recovery through seedling germination and/or advance regeneration. Continued logging in the southern Appalachians will increase the relative size and frequency of large disturbances, further the importance of sprouting of shade-intolerant species, and lead to more even-aged forest stands throughout the region.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many former undergraduate and graduate students who have assisted in the field and laboratory portions of the project, including Steve Cox, Larry Wilson, Allan Wilson, Rick Kneisel, Abby Goldsmith, Sue Carstensen, Kenny Peavy, Jackson Chen, Pete Mooreside, and Rebekah Chapman. Craig McFarlane, Chris Peterson, Bill Platt, Tom Wentworth, Aaron Cooper, Larissa Knebel, and an anonymous reviewer provided especially helpful suggestions in the development of the manuscript. Connie Burdick prepared the study area map (Figure 1). Logistical support was generously provided by Richard Bruce and the facilities of the Highlands Biological Station throughout the study. Charles Price and the staff of the Highlands Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service, were instrumental in hel** us initiate the study in 1981. Financial support was provided by U.S. Forest Service Cooperative Agreements number 18–855, 18–957, 29–136, 29–998, and 98–324 through the Highlands Biological Station; David Loftis has been of great help in continuing Forest Service support for our project. We also acknowledge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for support of the second author’s time for data analysis and preparation of the manuscript, which has been subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review, and has been approved for publication as an EPA document.

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  1. Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA

    Donald J. Shure

  2. Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 Southwest 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon, 97333, USA

    Donald L. Phillips

  3. Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, 30144, USA

    P. Edward Bostick

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  1. Donald J. Shure
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Correspondence to Donald J. Shure.

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Shure, D., Phillips, D. & Edward Bostick, P. Gap size and succession in cutover southern Appalachian forests: an 18 year study of vegetation dynamics. Plant Ecol 185, 299–318 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9105-8

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