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Herbaceous Layer Cover and Biomass in a Young Versus a Mature Stand of a Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Herbaceous Layer Cover and Biomass in a Young Versus a Mature Stand of a Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest

Frank S. Gilliam and Nicole L. Turrill
Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol.120(4), pp.445-450
10/01/1993
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2996749
Web of Science ID: WOS:A1993MR35300009

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Abstract

This study examined herb layer vegetation (all vascular plants ≤1 m in height) of two montane watersheds of different stand ages in the Fernow Experimental Forest, in north-central West Virginia (WS3, ∼20 yr; WS4, >80 yr). Mean herb layer cover was 19.3 and 26.4% for WS3 and WS4, respectively. Herb layer biomass was significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with herb cover for both watersheds. Mean herb layer biomass was 8.1 and 11.6 g/m2for WS3 and WS4, respectively. Herb cover responded positively to elevation on both watersheds. Within WS3, herb cover was only weakly correlated with canopy characteristics, but was positively correlated with soil pH, organic matter, sand content, cation exchange capacity, Ca, K, Mg, and NO3-N. Within WS4, herb cover was negatively correlated with understory basal area and density, but not significantly correlated with any soil variables except Ca. From these data we suggest a hypothesis that in early forest succession in these ecosystems, early herb layer development is influenced greatly by allogenic factors (such as soil fertility) but that autogenic factors, such as canopy closure, become more important as the stand matures and becomes more stratified.

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