Maritime live oak forests (MLO) on the barrier islands off the coast of Georgia contain globally rare habitats and cultural landscapes that have been shaped centuries of human-environment interaction. Many of these islands are undeveloped and held in public or private conservation, and are only accessible by boat. Their histories are broadly similar; after Native American inhabitants of the islands were killed or displaced, the islands were cleared for agriculture in the 18th and 19th century. Since then, many former fields on the islands have grown back into forests. These maritime live oak (MLO) forests are dominated by live oaks, Quercus virginiana, and there is widespread concern by land managers about live oak regeneration, as young live oak seedlings and saplings are rare or absent in many forests. This dissertation addresses multiple ecological stressors that are impacting MLO forests on several islands, as well as issues surrounding equity of access to these conserved island lands.
