Effects of Prescribed Fire and Thinning on the Spatial Heterogeneity of the Seed Bank in a Mixed Oak Forest

Abstract

Abstract Prescribed fire and thinning are commonly employed management practices in mixed-oak forests of the central Appalachians. The effects of these practices on the soil seed bank are important to consider in order to evaluate the full impact of these treatments on plant community dynamics in the understory. Species composition of the soil seed bank was examined under three treatments: thin, burn, and thin followed by burning, and an untreated control. Thinning was conducted in Fall 2000, and burns were conducted in Spring 2001. Soil samples were collected in March 2004, three years following treatment. Species composition was assessed by seedling emergence. Seventy total species were found in the seed bank. Ruderal species such as Erechtites hieraciifolia, Carex spp., and Rubus spp. were the most commonly occurring species across all treatments. No significant difference in species composition or proportion of functional groups was found between any of the treatment groups. However, as found in previ...