Succession dynamics in a maritime forest following Hurricane Hugo and fuel reduction burns

Abstract

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo devastated the maritime forest communities on Bull Island, SC, where a system of permanent plots was established. This catastrophic disturbance and subsequent fires provided an opportunity to study secondary succession following interacting disturbances. This study quantifies the effects of the disturbances on woody vegetation and investigates potential long-term community change using TWINSPAN. Overstory live oak ( Quercus virginiana Miller) remained relatively intact, whereas old-growth loblolly pines ( Pinus taeda L.) and stands of the exotic tallow tree ( Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.) were destroyed. Aggressive recruitment by S. sebiferum, unfavorable conditions for loblolly growth, and broad changes in sapling community composition indicate that successional trajectories in some sites may have been changed by severe disturbances.