Plant Cover and Biomass Response to Clear-Cutting, Site Preparation, and Planting in Pinus elliottii Flatwoods

Abstract

Pine plantation management did not initially convert natural forests to monocultures; rather it increased plant species richness and diversity. During a 5-year study of two natural watersheds in Florida that were converted to plantations, woody species diminished, but herbaceous species increased. Number of plant species on permanent transects and plots increased. Diversity of cover, frequency, and biomass did not diminish or else increased after harvest.