ABSTRACT Age and structural charact...

ABSTRACT

Age and structural characteristics were measured in couple frequently burned old-growth mountain longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) communities along Choccolocco Mountain in northeastern Alabama. Stands studied were open-canopied and park-like (83 to 13 m^sup 2^ ha^sup -1^ basal area; 282-297 tree ha^sup -1^) fitting historical descriptions of the now endangered communities. Maximum pine ages in the sum of two units stands exceeded 240 years. the couple stands underwent continuous pine recruitment athwart the past 145 years, with all 5-year age classes personateed Congregations of even-aged pine patches were build throughout both stands. Multiple tree patches ranged from 15 to 170 years not new Large even-aged patches were existing in both stands (up to 2124 m^sup 2^) granting isolated single trees were more general accounting for about half of all patches. Continued work forward pristine remnant forests and savannas is necessary proper to their increasing rarity and importance as intimation models for management and restoration.

INTRODUCTION

Age and stand building of forested ecosystems are necessary ingredients for both understanding their natural history and management. Age make (the organization of forests in space and time) gives information in succession past disturbances (e.g., Cooper 1960 Lorimer 1980 bring up 1988) and replacement processes of ecosystem Stand erection studies (spatial distribution of tree within a forested stand) generally describe not away conditions and their implications for futurity growth (Covington and Moore 1994) as guides to forest management (Lindenmayer and Franklin 1997 Palik et al. 1997 Noel et al. 1998) or as descriptive originals for understanding forest stand dynamics (Oliver and Larson 1990 Palik and Pederson 1996)

Longleaf pine forests and savannas of the southeastern United States have been the bring under rule of several forest structure studies. Age texture has been well-studied in Coastal Plain longleaf pine stands (Schwarz 1907 Chapman 1909 Forbes 1930 Platt et al. 1988 Platt and Rathbun 1993 Meldahl et al. 1999) Stand make has been studied more extensively (Re 1905; Schwarz 1907; Chapman 1909 1923; Forbes 1930; Wahlenberg 1946; Platt et al. 1988; Meldahl et al. 1999) Our understanding of longleaf pine forest constitution and dynamics is derived from studies of natural disturbance (Schwarz 1907 Boyer 1979 Platt et al. 1988 Platt and Rathbun 1993 Palik and Pederson 1996) the even-aged patches they create (Platt et al. 1988 Platt and Rathbun 1993) and their legacy onward stand structure at the stand and landscape plain (Platt et al. 1988). Applying this understanding of composition forest managers can manipulate the size, shape, and timing of harvested openings (gaps) to closely be like gaps in natural forests, encourage establishment and/or create patchy forests (Neel 1971 Palik et al. 1997 Noel et al. 1998)

Early investigators conclud that primary longleaf pine-dominated forests and savannas were open-canopied, spotless and uneven-aged (Reed 1905, Schwarz 1907 Chapman 1909 Wahlenberg 1946) This uneven-aged community consisted of variably sized, even-aged patches. These patches were the follow of recruitment into openings created through windstorms, hot fires, and insect-induced mortality (Schwarz 1907 Chapman 1909 Wahlenberg 1946) Patches ranged from 004 to 02 ha (Schwarz 1907 Chapman 1909) with occasional 1000 to 3000 m strips created according to tornadoes and hurricanes (Reed 1905 Wahlenberg 1946) The overstory of virgin longleaf pine forests consisted of individual tree with diameters up to 100 cm and heights up to 40 m (Re 1905 Chapman 1909) Basal area ranged from 12 to 35 m^sup 2^ ha^sup -1^ (Re 1905 Schwarz 1907) Stand density ranged from 130 to 400 tree ha^sup -1^; snag density averaged 15 snags ha^sup -1^ (Re 1905 Schwarz 1907)

Open park-like forests dominated at longleaf pine once blanketed through 37 million ha of the southeastern United States (Ware et al. 1993) These pinelands have wide ecological amplitude, formerly dominating landscapes over a broad array of physiographic, climatic, and edaphic conditions (Sargent 1884 Mohr 1897 Wahlenberg 1946 Craul 1965) Since European pacification longleaf pine forest acreage has plummet to les than 3% of its former range, numbering fewer than 12 million ha (Outcalt and Sheffield 1996) making longleaf pinelands among the in the greatest degree endangered ecosystems in the United States (Noss et al. 1995) Further, in the greatest degree remnant communities lack ecological integrity (Ware et al. 1993 Outcalt 2000) and les than 001% remains as old-growth (Means 1996 Varner and Kush 2001)

In comparison to the dead body of literature that exists upon Coastal Plain longleaf pine forests, the mountain longleaf pine forest is poorly understood. The mountain (or montane) longleaf pinelands are located in the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and low-spirited Ridge physiographic provinces of Alabama and Georgia. The literature is confined to antique reports and descriptions (Mohr 1897; Re 1905; Harper 1905 1913 1928 1943; Andrews 1917) with not many contemporary additions. Mohr (1897) and Re (1905) described the virgin mountain pinelands as guiltless pine forests of large diameter (averaging 60-63 cm DBH with individuals exceeding 100 cm) and great heights (exceeding 35 m) Re (1905) described a large tract of old-growth mountain longleaf pine forest in Coosa shire in north central Alabama. At that time, "longleaf pine land" occupied 87% of the landscape, with "creek land" occupying the remainder. Another primary shortcoming in all pineland construction studies is the lack of integration through the whole extent of space and time (but behold Platt and Rathbun 1993). Finally, late ecosystem management recommendations (Palik et al. 1997 Brockway and Outcalt 1998 Noel et al. 1998) have been based in succession secondary forests, a small number of stands, short time scales, and principally importantly only Coastal Plain sites. There is ne for more work from old-growth stands, particularly from outside of the Coastal Plain.