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From the text (p.143) ... 'Nineteen years ago, Catherine Keever and I published a paper entitled 'The Southern Mixed Hardwood Forest: Climax in the Southeastern Coastal Plain, USA,' in which we concluded there was a generalized type of forest common to mesic sites throughout the area. We hoped that, among other things, the publication would stimulate further research on hardwood forests of the region. It seems worthwhile now to look again at conclusions of our study in the light of more recent ecological analyses, of the same region.' (p.147) ...'To summarize briefly: the margins of the Southern Mixed Hardwood Forest region and the overall composition of the forest type remain essentially the same. Some of the questions with which we started in 1962 still need further attention, e.g., fire. Future palynological investigations with emphasis on the search for charcoal, and experimental work on effects of fire on hardwood reproduction are needed. Care in definition of the term 'mesic' is necessary for comparative reasons. The chief contribution of our 1962 paper remains the same; i.e., the widespread geographic position of the forest described as southern Mixed Hardwoods. It is the web that links the Coastal Plain uplands from east to west.'