Tree regeneration responses to microsite characteristics following a severe tornado in the Georgia Piedmont, USA

Abstract

For 3 years following a severe, November 1992 tornado, abundance and growth of tree regeneration in intact forest-floor and windthrow-pit microsites were studied in three mixed pine and hardwood stands in the Georgia Piedmont, USA. The research had two objectives: (1) determine if performance of tree regeneration differed between microsite types and between pre- and post-tornado cohorts on intact forest-floor microsites, and (2) determine if variation in light and soil water availability from the disturbance affected performance of eight species artificially seeded into intact forest-floor microsites. Near each of the 42 sample points (12–20 per site) spaced on 15 m grids, species and height of tree seedlings were recorded within a 1 m radius plot of intact forest floor and the nearest windthrow pit. Intact forest-floor microsites were dominated by two late-successional species, Acer rubrum (3.5 pre-tornado stems per m 2 and 1.8 post-tornado stems per m 2) and Ostrya virginiana (2.6 post-tornado stems per m 2), while windthrow pits were dominated by an early successional species, Liriodendron tulipifera (1.7 stems per m 2). Although seedling survival did not vary significantly among species or microsite types, first-year height of seedlings in intact forest-floor microsites (24 cm) was significantly greater than those in windthrow-pit microsites (19 cm). Second-year height growth of new seedlings of Cornus florida in intact forest-floor microsites (52 cm) significantly exceeded that of many other combinations of species and microsite type. Species artificially-seeded into intact forest-floor microsites in 1994 and 1995 varied considerably in emergence (<1–24%), survival (<1–16%), and height (5–15 cm), and those with the heaviest seed survived best. From 1994 to 1995, average gap fraction, an index of light availability, decreased 17% from 0.23 to 0.19. Soil water content in 1995 under gap fractions of greater than 0.3 (21%) averaged significantly less than under gap fractions of either 0.1–0.3 (24%) or less than 0.1 (26%). Significant positive correlations were detected for relationships of emergence and survival of several species to soil water content. Overall rankings of seedling performance between microsites (intact forest floor>windthrow pits), between cohorts (pre-tornado>post-tornado origin), and among species (mid- to late->early-successional species) indicate that advanced regeneration and new seedlings of A. rubrum, O. virginiana, and C. florida will be long-term dominants of the understory because of their high abundance, initial growth responses, and shade tolerance.