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Study Affirms Plantations' Biodiversity The September 20 newsletter of the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) reports the results of a recent study monitoring biodiversity in managed southern pine stands. The study, conducted on 49 large plots on International Paper's Southlands Experiment Forest in Bainbridge, Georgia, compared "herbaceous species richness" in naturally regenerated longleaf pine and planted longleaf, slash, and loblolly pines. The study identified 400 plant species, finding "average richness" variable among all three overstory types although significantly richer in longleaf stands. The study found planted vs. natural regeneration to be largely irrelevant to the question of species diversity in the plots examined; the more significant indicators limiting biological richness were "past agricultural use and fire frequency." The authors suggest that more study is needed "to identify the potential for afforested old fields to recover native herbaceous species." Reprints of "Vegetation composition and structure of southern coastal plain pine forests: an ecological comparison" are available from lead author Craig Hedman at 912/246-3642, craig.hedman@ipaper.com. Back to "News" Forest Resources Association
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