FLORISTICS OF UPLAND SHORTLEAF PINE/OAK-HICKORY FOREST IN NORTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

2009·6.3 MB·English

by  Barbara R Macroberts

OF UPLAND SHORTLEAF PINE/OAK-HICKORY FOREST
FLORISTICS IN
NORTHWESTERN
LOUISIANA
MacRoberts and Michael MacRoberts
Barbara
H.
R.
Bog Research and Herbarium
740 Columbia
Shreveport, Louisiana 71104, U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION
Virtually no upland shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest survived late nineteenth and early twentieth century
common
logging and known about this ecosystem, which apparently was once in the Upper West
little is
Gulf Coastal Plain (southern Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma, northern Louisiana, and northeastern Texas)
&
&
MacRoberts MacRoberts
(Williams Smith 1995; Carr 2000; Bragg 2002, 2003, 2008; Diggs et 2006;
al.
2008a, 2008b; Masters 2008 and references therein). Historical accounts and photographs indicate that
shortleaf pine often dominated and was sometimes found in pure or near pure stands on drier and fire-
prone upland sites, but that more often occurred in—association with oak and hickory (Bragg 2002, 2008;
it
—
Many community
Lester et 2005). stands appeared to be open "park like" with a rich "high-light" of
al.
and
herbaceous plants (Bragg 2002), but like most forest descriptions of the nineteenth twentieth centuries,
the herbaceous layer was ignored and certainly never described in detail (Gilliam 2007). Consequently, not
known known
only about the over-story of these forests but even less about the herbaceous layer
is little is
(Carr 2000; Bragg 2002, 2008). The destruction of the shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest community was
so complete, not only through logging but suppression and agriculture, that an understanding of this
fire
community depends almost entirely on historical documents, notably land survey records and forester's de-
MacRoberts
scriptions that emphasize trees (but not always species of trees) (Bragg 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008;
& &
MacRoberts 2005; Nowacki Abrams 2008; see also Diggs 2006; Van Kley 2006).
et
al.
In the course of our work on another project on Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier Parish, in northwestern
Louisiana, we found several areas where shortleaf pine was the dominant canopy species, where fire had
been used as a management tool, and where the herbaceous layer appeared to be intact.
We
was
took the opportunity study the of one of these recognizing that not pristine
to flora sites, it
perhaps was now Our main was the herbaceous In
but that as close to "natural" as exists. interest layer.
it
the few places where shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest exists, the understory has been radically altered by
suppression: intolerant and shade-adapted species have replaced the naturally occurring pyrogenic
fire fire
&
Nowacki Abrams
heliophytes (Bragg 2002; Gilliam 2007; 2008).
The study area located on Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, (T17NR12WS2). Natural
is
Areas on Barksdale AFB have been described by Mclnnis (1997). Land plat records from the 1830s show that
the study area was, in general, a pine-oak-hickory forest (Mclnnis 1997; Lester et 2005). While the area
al.
Canopy
has been repeatedly logged, oak-pine-hickory today but predominantly shortleaf pine.
it is still is
trees on the study plots today are only shortleaf pine (Fig. In the mid 1990s, the area's pine was thinned
1).
Removal hardwood which was
from approximately a basal area of 70 to about 45. of pine increased growth,
removed by The
subsequently helicopter application of the herbicide Arsenal. area currently controlled
is
of the year. The area was last burned in February 2008. Soils are the Sacul series, typically moderately well-
drained, acid fine sandy loam, thermic Aquic Hapludults, with a clay underlayer along the ridgetops in the
uplands
(Kilpatrick 1990).
et al.
we
To obtain a species and to determine species richness, established two 0.1 ha plots, each with two
list
m
nested 0.001 ha plots and two nested 0.0001 ha plots about 100 apart on ridge tops (Fig. All species
1).
in the plots were recorded and most species in the plots were collected. Voucher specimens are deposited
We
Herbarium monthly between
at the Louisiana State University in Shreveport LSUS). visited the site 2
km
we
To determine the geographical distribution of species in the sample, established a grid of 114 to
a side across the West Gulf Coastal Plain and, using Turner et (2003), Thomas and Allen (1993-1998),
al.
USDA NRCS AFB
and (2008), plotted the distribution of species in the Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory
study
forest plots.
cm
Soil samples were collected from the upper 30 in the center of each 0.1 ha plot. These were analyzed
by the Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Laboratory, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
RESULTS
The ha ha summarizes
flora of the 0.2 study area (two 0.1 plots) given in Table Table 2 the species rich-
is 1.
ness data from the plots. Table 3 gives the soil sample results. Figure 2 gives the results of the geographical
distribution analysis.
The two 0.1 ha plots contained 122 species. Taxa from the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae domi-
nated and accounted for 46 percent of the flora. The mean number of species in the two 0.1 ha plots was
99.5 species (92 and 107), the mean number in the four O.OOlha plots was 30.25 species (range 28 to 33)
pH
and the mean number in the four 0.0001 ha plots was 17.5 species (range 15 to 19). The soils have low
(5.2 and 5.4 in two samples) and are generally low in nutrients (see Table The data in Figure 2 indicate
3).
that the species found in the study plots are not specific to any particular region of the West Gulf Coastal
Plain but occur throughout the area.
DISCUSSION
AFB
The Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest flora is remarkably similar to upland longleaf pine forest/
savanna in central Louisiana and southeastern Texas (see Harcombe et al. 1993; Van Kley 1999a, 1999b and
especially Carr 2000 and references therein). Turner et (1999) listed the species groups identified during
al.
among
multivariate analysis be important in distinguishing communities in the longleaf pine ecoregion of
to
Texas and Louisiana. These species are abundant enough to occur consistently within a community, but are
We
markedly abundant
absent or less in others.
t
Fig. 1 Barksdale Air Force Base sh
.
2. Percentage of Barksdale AFB shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest study plot species occurring across the West Gulf Coastal
Fig.
found that our shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest plots had 71 percent of the species in their "Schizachyrium
group," which characterizes the upland longleaf pine forest/savanna. This similarity between Barksdale
AFB
shortleaf pine/oak-hickory and particularly upland longleaf pine forest/savanna reinforced by
forest is
the plants listed by the Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (2008) as typifying western upland longleaf
AFB
more
pine forest: 63 percent occurred in the Barksdale plots. Turning to detailed studies, 53 percent
AFB
of the Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest species occur in four 0.1 ha upland longleaf pine
forest/savanna plots in central Louisiana on the Kisatchie National Forest (MacRoberts et al. 2002), and
AFB
60 percent of the Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest species occurred in eight 0.1 ha upland
An
longleaf pine savanna/forest plots in eastern Texas on the Sabine National Forest (Philipps et al. 2007).
Index of Similarity (S0rensen) between the Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest flora and the flora of
upland longleaf pine forest/savanna in both the Kisatchie National Forest in central Louisiana and the Sabine
and
National Forest in eastern Texas (MacRoberts 2002; Philipps 2007) gives figures of 46.4
et al. et al.
AFB
46.5, respectively. Considering the differences in sample size (Barksdale sample, 122 species; Kisatchie
;
md
shortleaf pine/oak-hickory f
&
pedunculata 8
Ruellia Torr. A. Gray,
Acalypha monococca (Engelm. ex Gray)
A.
L.
n
Baptisia
.,8187 Centrosema virginianum Benth., 8260, 8321
(L.)
8374
Eupatorium perfoliatum 8301
L, Crotalaria sagittalis L,
Eupatonum 8286 Desmodium
rotundifolium L, ciliare (Muhl. ex Willd.) D.C., 8263,
1
Nesom,
Eurybia hemispherica (Alexander) 8338, Lespedeza Hornem.
hirta (L)
Euthamia leptocephala & Greene 8336 Mimosa 8269
(T. G.) nuttallii (DC.) B.L.Turner,
8222 & Pogge
Cabrera, 8208,
Stylosanthes biflora Britton, Sterns,
(L.)
.)
8262, 8277 8279
s Raf., Tephrosia virginiana Pers.,
(L.)
Hieracium gronovii L, 8288 8149
Liatris pycnostachya Michx. Quercus falcata Michx., 8373
8287 Munchh.
Liatris squarrosa (L) Michx., Quercus mariiandica
8352
squarrulosa Michx., 831 Quercus 8292
Liatris 8, phelios L,
8347
8278, 8372
1.
&
Pseudognaphaiium 8
obtusifoiium Hilliard Burt,
(L.)
8270 Liquidambar 8266
styrac
.,
8377
altissima L,
nalbidum 8140
Raf.,
8376 Juglandaceae
8256
Carya
sp.,
dumosum Nesom
Symphytorichum
(L.)
&
Symphyotrichum Love
lateriflorum A. D. Lc
(L.)
Symphyotrichum patens (Aiton) N< 8209
Gray) Small, 8271
(A.
DC, 93
81
5 6 9
,
&
Poggenb., 8201 Rubus
tton, Sterns,
trivialis
I
8218 Rubiaceae
Andropogon gerardii Vitman, 83 Diodia teres Walter, 8337
1
Andropogon ternarius Michx. Galium obtusum Bigelow, 8 96
1
Aristida purpurascens 8350, 835 8375 Galium pilosum Aiton, 8257
Poir.,
1 ,
Chasmanthium 8283 Houstonia Schoepf
sessiliflorum (Poir.) Yates, pusilla
&
Dichanthelium aciculare (Desv. ex Gould Clark, 821 7 Scrophulariaceae
Poir.)
Dichanthelium dichotomum (L) Gould, 8204, 821 5, 821 Agalinis tenuifolia (Vahl) Shinners, 8:
&
Dichanthelium ravenelii (Scribn. Merr.) Gould, 8206 Aureolaria grandiflora (Benth.) Penn<
Dichanthelium scoparium (Lam.) Gould, 8259 Pedicularis canadensis L, 8148, 81 92
Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon Gould, 8214 Penstemon Penned, 8285
(Elliott) laxiflorus
8379 Smilacaceae
Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud., 8342, 8344,
Panicum anceps Michx., 8273, 8302 Smilax bona-nox
L.
Paspalum setaceum Michx., 8258, 8348 Smilax glauca 8261 8289, 832'
Walt.,
,
m
scoparium (Michx.) Nash Smilax Morong, 831
smallii
Sphenophoiisobtusata 8220
(Michx.) Scribn., 8205,
8345
Tridensflavusd.)
Hitch.,
8343, 8346
Polygala verticillata L, 81 99
Claytonia virginica L, 81 43
National Forest sample, 158 species; Sabine National Forest sample, 196 species) these figures indicate that
three are probably the same or very similar communities. Van Kley and Welch in study using
all (2003), a
and 420 West
multivariate ordination classification of sites across the Gulf Coastal Plain including shortleaf
pine/oak-hickory forest and upland longleaf pine forest/savanna, found that plant communities are very
similar throughout the region. Carr (2000) found that shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest resembled pine
savanna elsewhere in the southeast United States and pointed out that southeastern pine savanna commu-
may
nities not be most appropriately defined by dominant overstory species; rather, the hundreds of other
may much
plant species present provide a better designation of community types. The conclusions of both
Carr and Van Kley are reinforced by our finding that none of the species in our shortleaf pine/oak-hickory
Upper West
forest study site is restricted to the Gulf Coastal Plain.
Other similarities between upland longleaf pine forest/savanna and shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest
The AFB
are also interesting. three families that dominate the Barksdale shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest
—
—
study area Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae also dominate the upland longleaf pine forest/savanna in
both the Kisatchie National Forest and the Sabine National Forest and account 43 percent and 42 percent
for
AFB
of the flora, respectively (Barksdale shortleaf forest is 46 percent) (MacRoberts et al. 2002; Philipps et
al. 2007). Also, shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest species richness is similar to upland longleaf pine forest/
savanna in both the Kisatchie National Forest, which averaged 100 species (range 82-113 species) in four
0.1 ha plots (MacRoberts et 2002), and the Sabine National Forest, which averaged 82 species (range
al.
71-112 species) in eight 0.1 ha plots, 29 species (range 17-46) in sixteen 0.001 ha plots, and 12 species
(range 5-25) in sixteen 0.0001 ha plots. Finally, the soils in upland mgleaf pine forest/savanna and shortleaf
pine/oak-hickory (MacRoberts
forest are similar et 2002).
al.
Floristics of upland shortleaf pine/oak-hickory forest
s,
sample two
Table 3. Soil results for the plots.
**_
Sample (ppm) PH Calcium Copper Magnesium
A
Plot 5.35 275.05 0.27 4.83
Plot B 5.24 222.69 0.20 45.63
Table 3 continued from right
M.
Sample (ppm) Potassium Sulfur Zinc Texture
Soil
A
Plot 73.93 5.78 5.26 0.74 sandy loam
PlotB 4.86 sandy loam
fine
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bruce Holland, Natural Resources Manager, Barksdale AFB, and Matthew Stroupe, Forester, Barksdale AFB,
aided with the study. Charles Allen and Barney Lipscomb made several comments that aided the paper.
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