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- Title
Vegetation and disturbance history of a rare dwarf pitch pine community in western New England, USA.
- Authors
Motzkin, Glenn; Orwig, David A.; Foster, David R.
- Abstract
Abstract Aim This study documents the vegetation history and age-structure of a rare, ridgetop dwarf pine–oak community and compares the dynamics of this unusual vegetation with similar dwarf pine communities found elsewhere in the north-eastern United States (US). Location The study area is located on the summit of Mt Everett in the Taconic Mountains of south-western Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA (42°06′N 73°26′W). Methods Vegetation composition, tree age-structure, physical site characteristics, and evidence of fire and other disturbances were determined for twelve 15 × 15 m plots in dwarf pine–oak vegetation and two plots in oak forests on the summit. Age-structure analyses, tree-ring patterns, and historical records of human and natural disturbance were used to investigate the long-term history and dynamics of the summit vegetation. Results The summit of Mt Everett has been dominated by dwarf pines (1–3 m tall) and ericaceous shrubs similar to the modern vegetation throughout the historical period; there is no evidence that tall-stature forests occurred on the site at any point in the past few centuries. The summit supports uneven-aged stands; pitch pine (Pinus rigida ) recruitment began in the 1830s and occurred in every decade since the 1860s. Average pitch pine age is seventy-eight with a range of 12–170 years. Red oak (Quercus rubra ) and red maple (Acer rubrum ) increased in importance in the twentieth century, with most stems establishing from 1940 to 1980. Pitch pine radial growth rates averaged <0.5 mm year-1 while red oak and red maple averaged 1.0 and 0.8 mm year-1 , respectively. In some areas, hardwoods have overtopped pitch pines, apparently resulting in pitch pine mortality. Whereas most dwarf pitch pine communities occur on sites that burn frequently and have a high degree of cone serotiny, we found no evidence of recent fires or cone serotiny. Small...
- Subjects
UNITED States; VEGETATION dynamics; PINE; OAK; DWARF plants
- Publication
Journal of Biogeography, 2002, Vol 29, Issue 10/11, p1455
- ISSN
0305-0270
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1365-2699.2002.00764.x