Evidence of mesophication following selective cutting and shelterwood in Virginia’s eastern deciduous forest, USA
Fire suppression and climate change drive oak replacement by mesic species. In Virginia, both shelterwood and selective cuts showed mesophication, but it was stronger in selective cuts, with fewer oaks and dense midstory species limiting regeneration. Timber harvesting without managing regeneration can accelerate this shift, especially on private lands.
Subject Tags
- Forest
- Fire management
- Life Sciences
Abstract
The replacement of oaks (Quercus) with mesic tree species in the eastern deciduous forests of North America involves a positive feedback loop being driven by fire suppression and climate change. In this study, we explored the impact of timber harvesting as a potential facilitator of mesophication. Young stands resulting from shelterwoods (on federal lands) and selective cutting (on private lands) were sampled to compare the composition and density of seedlings, saplings, and trees in western Virginia, USA. Oak overstory trees had lower importance values and densities at selective cutting sites compared to shelterwood sites. Among saplings, mesic species had higher importance values and densities than oaks at both selective cutting and shelterwood sites. Evidence of mesophication was found at both selective cutting and shelterwood sites; but a higher level of mesophication appeared to be occurring at the selective cutting sites than at shelterwood sites. At selective cutting sites scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) was absent from all sampled plots and a dense midstory of subcanopy trees, especially eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), appeared to be hindering successful oak regeneration. Our results indicate timber harvesting, without regard for the composition of the regeneration layer, may facilitate mesophication in the eastern deciduous forest, with selective cutting resulting in more successful establishment of mesic species compared to shelterwoods. These findings have implications for mesophication on private forest lands, where selective cutting is a very common method of timber harvesting.
Citation
Ryan, S.M., Copenheaver, C.A., Carter, D.R. and Lorber, J.H., 2024. Evidence of mesophication following selective cutting and shelterwood in Virginia’s eastern deciduous forest, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 560, p.121840. 10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121840
TNC Authors
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Jean Lorber
Forest Ecologist, Virginia
The Nature Conservancy
Email: jlorber@tnc.org