The History and Status of the Hemlock-Hardwood Forests of the Allegheny Plateau

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Abstract
The post-settlement history of the mixed conifer-hardwood forests of a small area of the Allegheny High Plateau region of Pennsylvania [USA] (The Allegheny National Forest) was analyzed using published and manuscript sources. Before settlement, Fagus grandifolia (beech) and Tsuga canadensis (hemlock) dominated the moister segments of the Plateau. Outliers of the more southern Appalachian oak forest occupied the more xerophytic sites, e.g. upper slopes, stonier soils, and soils with a fragipan. The disturbance regime of the pre-settlement period, creating small canopy gaps, favoured the ascendancy of the slower growing shade-tolerant beech and hemlock in the understorey and eventually the overstorey. From 1880 to 1930 the forests of the High Plateau were intensively felled for lumber, tanning material and chemical wood. Since 1930, the forest has suffered from severe overbrousing by the white-tailed deer. Rapidly growing, shade-intolerant sprouting species, e.g. Prunus serotina (black cherry) and Acer rubrum (red maple), have been the major beneficiaries of the human-mediated disturbance regime.