Selected naturally regenerated flatwoods forests were clearcut and chopped in preparing a large, long-term study of the effects of several multiple-use management practices on forest vegetation and wildlife. Early effects of clearcutting and chopping on understory vegetation are reported here. Clearcutting and chopping reduced woody understory coverage from 66 to 18% of surface area. Common gallberry and saw-palmetto were reduced by 75 and 89%, respectively. Herbaceous species frequency was increased: Panicums by over 3,000%; bluestems by 173%; grasslikes by over 2,000%; and forbs by 308%. Graphical analyses show an increase in herbaceous species diversity as a result of mechanical site disturbance. Comparing these graphs with those reported on the effects of prescribed burning suggests that the collective vegetative response to mechanical site disturbance is qualitatively similar to the response to fire. Quantitatively the response to mechanical disturbance is more pronounced. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.