Twenty years of forest change in the woodlots of Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2005

Abstract

Changes in forest composition and structure were investigated by comparing two decades of permanent plot records (1977-1978 and 1995-2002) for the woodlots of Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. The importance of late-successional shade-tolerant species, such as Tsuga canadensis L. Carr. (eastern hemlock), increased in the understories and overstories of all of the forest types examined. The most significant increases were observed in the white pine-mesic oak and successional pine types. Our results suggest that most of the woodlots are currently undergoing stem exclusion with some stands in the early stages of understory reinitiation. The most pronounced structural changes were observed in the successional pine woodlots, which are experiencing rapid attrition of Pinus virginiana Mill. (Virginia pine), a short-lived pioneer species. Over the last two decades the diversity, richness, and density of woody understory vegetation in the woodlots has declined. These results are likely due to a combination of factors including natural stand developmental processes and the legacy of high white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) densities at Cades Cove.

Publication Title

Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society

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