Patterns of landuse and succession in a longleaf pine forest

This study quantified the changes in forest cover in the twentieth century in a Pinus palustris forest historically managed for bobwhite quail hunting. Many quail hunting sites in the southeast were historically characterized by annual burning and high amounts of forest fragmentation in the form of scattered wildlife food plots, agricultural fields, and homesites. Stand histories were constructed by examining series of historical aerial photographs and age class distributions of hardwoods and pines. Hardwood establishment occurred as components of interior forest succession but was more prevalent on field margins as old field succession. Longleaf pine establishment occurred during two periods, first, during a period of fire suppression in the 1930s, and second, during a period of selective timber removal in the 1950s. Hardwood establishment occurred during 1930s fire suppression as well as constantly through time as a result of annual low intensity burning which failed to kill aggressive oak regeneration.