... Jackie F. Crim, Jon E. Schoonover, Karl WJ Williard, John W. Groninger, James J. Zaczek, and ... more ... Jackie F. Crim, Jon E. Schoonover, Karl WJ Williard, John W. Groninger, James J. Zaczek, and Charles M. Ruffner1 Abstract.A project was designed to assess erosion and sedimentation associated with tracked vehicle training in the Ft. Knox Military Reservation in Kentucky. ...
Historical evidence and ecophysiological characteristics indicate a strong link between disturban... more Historical evidence and ecophysiological characteristics indicate a strong link between disturbance regime and the occurrence of oak (Quercus) species. Research indicates that many current oak forests developed following disturbances such as logging, fire, or a combination of logging and fire from the 18th century to the early 20th century. However, during the early and mid-20th century, many oak forests were entered for the last time and fire and cutting ceased. This resulted in the development of several cohorts of mixed mesophytic species, which are poised to replace the overstory with the next disturbance. To counter this, managers are being encouraged to use prescribed fire to improve the regenerative potential of oaks. These fires encourage prolific sprouting of oak trees while limiting the growth of many oak competitors such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and black cherry (Prunus serotina). In addition, oak seedlings develop slowly in the low light of a closed overstory and thick understory. Increased light improves growth of oak species but it also encourages the growth of competing vegetation. Prescribed fire has been viewed as an effective tool to limit competing vegetation and improve the growth and form of oak regeneration in thinned versus unburned areas. In a study in the Shawnee Hills region of southern Illinois in the spring of 2003, the benefits of prescribed burning, mechanical thinning, and a combination of the two were examined. This poster includes the results of this study and implications for current and future silvicultural recommendations.
ABSTRACT The limestone bluffs of the central Mississippi River Valley represent a significant por... more ABSTRACT The limestone bluffs of the central Mississippi River Valley represent a significant portion of the remaining intermingled xeric hill prairie-savanna-woodland systems of the Midwest where different cover types may co-occur at very fine scales. Efforts to restore these landscapes would benefit from a data-driven tool to delineate existing vegetation cover characteristics and reconcile these with desired management outcomes on a spatially explicit basis. This study employed hierarchical cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling in combination with indicator species analysis and dendrochronological methods to examine the structure, composition, and temporal community patterns of the forest–prairie gradient in the Mississippi River Bluffs of Jersey County, Illinois. Four distinct community types were identified on the gradient: (1) a woodland community dominated by Juniperus virginiana, Carya glabra, Quercus stellata, and Lonicera maackii; (2) open oak woodland with high exposed soil and overstory of Acer saccharum, Q. velutina, and Q. muehlenbergii; (3) a hill prairie community with grass coverage as the sole indicator; and (4) a transitioning community with 14 significant indicators and a trajectory advancing toward mesophytic forest composition. These data, within context with stem age, historical documents, and drought data, reveal the role of historical disturbances in temporal patterns of forest–prairie dynamics and provide a resolution in greater detail than previous studies of forest and nonnative invasive shrub encroachment. Pairing management activities to stand conditions, as informed by understanding drivers of ecosystem change, provides continuity with historical disturbance regimes and an objective basis for restoration activities and targets.
The Ozark Hills region of southern Illinois is characterized by the severe topography typical of ... more The Ozark Hills region of southern Illinois is characterized by the severe topography typical of the Ozark Plateau, but is overlain by loess deposits and therefore supports site conditions more typical of mesophytic forests. As is common in lightly disturbed and undisturbed mesic upland sites throughout this region, mature stands in Trail of Tears State Forest are characterized by an oak and hickory-dominated overstory and an under- and mid-story where sugar maple and American beech predominate. Between 1980 and 2000, oak and hickory species generally declined in importance while sugar maple, American beech, and yellow-poplar increased, a trend consistent with those reported in other southern Illinois forests of similar species composition. However, the sugar maple and American beech component at Trail of Tears State Forest are larger and expanding more rapidly than those reported elsewhere within the region. Management options to address these changes are discussed.
This paper describes methods used to investigate the effects of post-European settlement land-use... more This paper describes methods used to investigate the effects of post-European settlement land-use on the structure and species composition of a central Pennsylvania woodlot. Historical accounts and witness tree analysis used to reconstruct the pre-settlement landscape describe a prairie/savanna occupying the Penns Valley region of central Pennsylvania. The historical information suggests the woodlot originated following European settlement, when land uses such as farming, grazing, and eventual land abandonment altered the original landscape, allowing development of closed canopy woodlots on hilly areas with poorer soil quality. Dendroecological analysis of the woodlot also supports post-settlement origin. The oldest tree individuals established around forty years after settlement indicating the woodlot is not a pre-settlement origin remnant but a result of post-settlement land-use patterns. In addition, subsequent land-use in the woodlot was recorded in the tree ring record. Numerou...
... Jackie F. Crim, Jon E. Schoonover, Karl WJ Williard, John W. Groninger, James J. Zaczek, and ... more ... Jackie F. Crim, Jon E. Schoonover, Karl WJ Williard, John W. Groninger, James J. Zaczek, and Charles M. Ruffner1 Abstract.A project was designed to assess erosion and sedimentation associated with tracked vehicle training in the Ft. Knox Military Reservation in Kentucky. ...
Historical evidence and ecophysiological characteristics indicate a strong link between disturban... more Historical evidence and ecophysiological characteristics indicate a strong link between disturbance regime and the occurrence of oak (Quercus) species. Research indicates that many current oak forests developed following disturbances such as logging, fire, or a combination of logging and fire from the 18th century to the early 20th century. However, during the early and mid-20th century, many oak forests were entered for the last time and fire and cutting ceased. This resulted in the development of several cohorts of mixed mesophytic species, which are poised to replace the overstory with the next disturbance. To counter this, managers are being encouraged to use prescribed fire to improve the regenerative potential of oaks. These fires encourage prolific sprouting of oak trees while limiting the growth of many oak competitors such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and black cherry (Prunus serotina). In addition, oak seedlings develop slowly in the low light of a closed overstory and thick understory. Increased light improves growth of oak species but it also encourages the growth of competing vegetation. Prescribed fire has been viewed as an effective tool to limit competing vegetation and improve the growth and form of oak regeneration in thinned versus unburned areas. In a study in the Shawnee Hills region of southern Illinois in the spring of 2003, the benefits of prescribed burning, mechanical thinning, and a combination of the two were examined. This poster includes the results of this study and implications for current and future silvicultural recommendations.
ABSTRACT The limestone bluffs of the central Mississippi River Valley represent a significant por... more ABSTRACT The limestone bluffs of the central Mississippi River Valley represent a significant portion of the remaining intermingled xeric hill prairie-savanna-woodland systems of the Midwest where different cover types may co-occur at very fine scales. Efforts to restore these landscapes would benefit from a data-driven tool to delineate existing vegetation cover characteristics and reconcile these with desired management outcomes on a spatially explicit basis. This study employed hierarchical cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling in combination with indicator species analysis and dendrochronological methods to examine the structure, composition, and temporal community patterns of the forest–prairie gradient in the Mississippi River Bluffs of Jersey County, Illinois. Four distinct community types were identified on the gradient: (1) a woodland community dominated by Juniperus virginiana, Carya glabra, Quercus stellata, and Lonicera maackii; (2) open oak woodland with high exposed soil and overstory of Acer saccharum, Q. velutina, and Q. muehlenbergii; (3) a hill prairie community with grass coverage as the sole indicator; and (4) a transitioning community with 14 significant indicators and a trajectory advancing toward mesophytic forest composition. These data, within context with stem age, historical documents, and drought data, reveal the role of historical disturbances in temporal patterns of forest–prairie dynamics and provide a resolution in greater detail than previous studies of forest and nonnative invasive shrub encroachment. Pairing management activities to stand conditions, as informed by understanding drivers of ecosystem change, provides continuity with historical disturbance regimes and an objective basis for restoration activities and targets.
The Ozark Hills region of southern Illinois is characterized by the severe topography typical of ... more The Ozark Hills region of southern Illinois is characterized by the severe topography typical of the Ozark Plateau, but is overlain by loess deposits and therefore supports site conditions more typical of mesophytic forests. As is common in lightly disturbed and undisturbed mesic upland sites throughout this region, mature stands in Trail of Tears State Forest are characterized by an oak and hickory-dominated overstory and an under- and mid-story where sugar maple and American beech predominate. Between 1980 and 2000, oak and hickory species generally declined in importance while sugar maple, American beech, and yellow-poplar increased, a trend consistent with those reported in other southern Illinois forests of similar species composition. However, the sugar maple and American beech component at Trail of Tears State Forest are larger and expanding more rapidly than those reported elsewhere within the region. Management options to address these changes are discussed.
This paper describes methods used to investigate the effects of post-European settlement land-use... more This paper describes methods used to investigate the effects of post-European settlement land-use on the structure and species composition of a central Pennsylvania woodlot. Historical accounts and witness tree analysis used to reconstruct the pre-settlement landscape describe a prairie/savanna occupying the Penns Valley region of central Pennsylvania. The historical information suggests the woodlot originated following European settlement, when land uses such as farming, grazing, and eventual land abandonment altered the original landscape, allowing development of closed canopy woodlots on hilly areas with poorer soil quality. Dendroecological analysis of the woodlot also supports post-settlement origin. The oldest tree individuals established around forty years after settlement indicating the woodlot is not a pre-settlement origin remnant but a result of post-settlement land-use patterns. In addition, subsequent land-use in the woodlot was recorded in the tree ring record. Numerou...
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