Early Forest Succession in the Virginia Coastal Plain

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Abstract
Old field succession has not received the attention in the Coastal Plain that it has in the Piedmont. We studied 19 stands 20 to 99+ years old using the point-centered quarter method for trees and for saplings and 1 m radius circles for seedlings. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is the overwhelmingly dominant first tree invader of these old fields. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is the most important early hardwood invader, but its understory importance under pine does not translate into overstory importance, presumably because of heavy mortality. White oak (Quercus alba) becomes the first post-pine dominant. In the oldest stands, beech (Fagus grandifolia) is the leading dominant. Though still an important co-dominant in such stands, white oak is not important in the sapling layer, so it may not persist in the future. Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) is very rare in old field stands, though fairly common in post-timbering succession. In a few sites tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) invades old field stands simultaneously with sweetgum and equals it in importance, but high abundance of tuliptree in the area results from abundant invasion after timbering disturbance rather than a major role in post-cultivation succession. Southern red oak (Quercus falcata) reproduces in the late pine stage but persists in the white oak-dominated stands only as a canopy relict. Hickories (Carya spp.) are present throughout the sere but are never structurally important. The endpoint of old field succession in this area is not oak-hickory; it bears a clear resemblance to the beech- and white oak-rich Southern Mixed Hardwood Forest of areas further south.