The response of understory species composition, diversity, and seedling regeneration to repeated burning in southern Appalachian oak-hickory forests

Abstract

Understory plant composition and diversity levels in oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests have historically been maintained by periodic low-intensity ground fires, but fire suppression has altered the structure and function of these communities. We examined burned and unburned oak-hickory stands to determine the influence of repeated burning on understory communities. We compared understory herbaceous, shrub, and tree species diversity and composition among four burn categories: unburned stands, and stands that had burned once, twice, and three times over a 20-year period (late 1960s to late 1980s). We hypothesized that stands that have received repeated burns will have greater understory diversity and reduced importance of shade-tolerant mesophytic species. We found that burned stands had greater species richness than unburned stands, regardless of burn frequency. Species composition was not drastically different among the four burn categories; however, individual species were indicative of particular burn categories. More forest herbs were associated with the single burn category, while more disturbance-dependent species (Desmodium spp. and Solidago spp.) were associated with the repeated burn categories. Burned stands contained greater densities of white oak (Quercus alba L.) and hickory species seedlings. Our results suggest that restoring and maintaining the historic fire return interval (10-15 years) will promote herbaceous species diversity and favor the regeneration of oak and hickory species. However, it has been 15-22 years since the stands we sampled last burned, and the similarity among burn categories suggests that additional burning is needed to prevent these stands from reverting to a suppressed condition.