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Presettlement forests in southwestern Pennsylvania were dominated by Quercus alba L. A relatively undisturbed remnant of this forest type on a mesic site was surveyed to nvestigate the successional status of Q. alba in the region. This old-growth stand is now dominated by Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., Acer rubrum L., and Liriodendron tulipifera L., resprestning 62% of the importance value total. Oaks (Q. alba, Q. rubra L., and Q. velutina Lam.) totalled only 18% of the importance value total. The oversotry mainly comprised L. tulipifera, F. grandifolia, Q. alba, and Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. Acer rubrum and Prunus serotina Ehrh. were the most abundant seedlings, and few saplings of any species were present. The oldest and largest trees were oak, with two Q. alba > 300 years. Over 90% of all trees were < 120 years old, including many F. Grandifolia, L. tulipifera, A. rubrum, and A. saccharum Marsh., but few oaks. Logging of several trees in the 1930-1940s apparently accelerated the speed of obtaining dominance for these mixed mesophytic species. Radial growth patterns varied with species and canopy position. On average, the oldest oaks exhibited slow radial growth of < 0.75 mm/year. Many understory trees had average radial growth of > 1.5-2.0 mm/year and exhibited a release growth associated with logging in the 1930-1940s. We believe this forest represents a primary example of an advanced stage of oak replacement by mixed mesophytic species, a process that seems inevitable in many eastern forests.© National Research Council of Canada, NRC Research Press. Abstract reproduced by permission.
Cataloging Information
- Acer
- Acer rubrum
- Acer saccharinum
- age classes
- agriculture
- Canada
- community ecology
- cutting
- dendrochronology
- diameter classes
- disturbance
- dominance (ecology)
- droughts
- European settlement
- Fagus
- Fagus grandifolia
- fire control
- fire frequency
- fire resistant plants
- fire sensitive plants
- grazing
- hardwood forests
- hardwoods
- light
- Liriodendron
- Liriodendron tulipifera
- logging
- mesic soils
- Nyssa
- Nyssa sylvatica
- old growth forests
- overstory
- Pennsylvania
- plant communities
- plant growth
- population density
- presettlement vegetation
- Prunus
- Prunus serotina
- Quercus
- Quercus alba
- Quercus rubra
- seedlings
- size classes
- slash
- species diversity (plants)
- succession
- trees
- understory vegetation
- Velutina
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