Early stand development on two former oak sites

Early stand development patterns on former oak sites with contrasting environmental conditions were examined using chronosequences of existing stands, simulations of individual tree height growth patterns, and stem analyses. Following clearcutting, northern red oak and white oak were replaced by less valuable species on sites of both good and average productivity. Simulations were used to test the influence of initial differences in species compositions and in tree heights on future composition and crown stratification. On the good site, the model predicts that if fast-growing, tolerant and midtolerant species such as red maple, white ash, and basswood dominated the canopy of a sapling stand, they will remain the dominant species 20 to 30 years later. Bitternut hickory is predicted to behave similarly on the average site. Sugar maple is only predicted to dominate small pole stands by age 40 if it initially comprised at least 60-80% of the dominant crown class 30 years earlier. Predictions of individual-tree height growth patterns were comparable to reconstructions of the actual patterns, as were the canopy densities of predicted and observed stands.

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