An Ecological Study of a Hardwood Forest Area in Central Iowa

Abstract

According to land office surveys of the mid-nineteenth century, native deciduous forests occupied the major stream courses and tributaries in central Iowa. Records dated 1847 for Story County, located in the geographic center of Iowa, reveal that forests occupied 8% of the area. For the state as a whole, approximately 16% of the land was originally wooded. Interest in the forest lands has been given impetus in the philosophy that such areas have a multiple-use potential in wood utilization, recreation, wildlife cover, soil conservation, and flood control. Information arising from past ecological studies of such lands is basic to our knowledge of forest development in a prairie region, and to the adoption of a sound policy of land use. The present investigation attempts further study of plant composition and environmental relationships of existing forest cover. For this purpose a number of suitable forest sites were selected along the Des Moines River in and near the Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa. These site locations were appropriate for the study because a variety of slopes, aspects, and cover conditions were available within a limited area. Furthermore, the proximity of crop and pasture land to undisturbed forest communities, under similar conditions of climate, topography, and parent materials, made possible an evaluation of edaphic and micro-climatic changes caused by removal or depletion of the native forest cover. Sincere appreciation is expressed to Dr. J. M. Aikman, who directed this project; to Dr. F. F. Riecken for suggestions in the soils interpretations; to Dr. A. L. McComb and to Dr. J. C. Gilman for advice on the field studies and the manuscript, respectively; and to several statisticians for assistance in analysis of data. PAGE