(12Nov04)%20copy.jpg)
|
The Ecology and Management of
|
A peat-based seed bank underlies many East Coast Atlantic white cedar (AWC) swamps, and this globally-threatened ecosystem exhibits self-maintenance through high rates of natural regeneration after a stand-clearing fire. AWC stands in the Great Dismal Swamp have been in decline for approximately 200 years at least in part due to the draining of water by ditches. In this study we (1) report the amount of regeneration of AWC in the Great Dismal Swamp after the South One Fire of 2008 and (2) evaluate survival and change in height as an indicator of annual AWC growth. For regeneration in 8-m2 plots during 2009 and 2010, regenerants were counted in 143 and 41 plots, respectively. For evaluation of survivorship and growth, 25 10-m2 plots containing up to 18 AWC regenerants were established and height was measured in 2010 and 2011. Mean regeneration in 2009 (26,500 ± 23,800 stems ha-1) was not significantly different than in 2010 (29,339.8 ± 38,048.8 stems ha-1, Paired t-Test P=0.315). Mean height in 2010 (46.7 ± 11.8 cm) was significantly lower than in 2011 (86.5 ± 13.5 cm, Paired t-Test P < 0.01) and survival in 2011 was 95%. Regeneration rates suggest that most regeneration occurred in the first year after the fire, and regenerants that were present in 2010 exhibited high survival and growth. Regeneration rates reported in the literature were much higher for natural AWC swamps and the lower regeneration rate in the current study might be the result of low water tables coincidental with the 2008 fire.
Atlantic white cedar, Regeneration, Growth, Seedling survival, Post-fire, Great Dismal Swamp