Non-native plant species show a legacy of agricultural history in second-growth forests of southeastern Ohio

Holmes, Marion A.; Matlack, Glenn R.

doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02029-2

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…in our study. While overall our results -greater proportional cover of non-native plants in formerly cultivated compared to uncultivated sites -support those of earlier studies(Stover & Marks, 1998;Von Holle & Motzkin, 2007;Holmes & Matlack, 2019), cultivated sites in our study nevertheless were almost exclusively dominated by native plants. Thus, perhaps non-native plants were not particularly pervasive or persistent when farms were being abandoned in the 1930s-1940s, or the formerly cultivated sites and their surroundings have not been conducive to invasions of non-native plants that persistently dominate communities thus far.4.3 | SoilThin organic layers (O horizons) and loss on ignition as a surrogate for organic matter being 49% (unburned) and 66% (burned) lower on formerly cultivated, compared with continuously forested sites, were striking differences in soil among land uses.…”

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confidence: 90%

Variation in characteristics and conservation values of plant communities on abandoned agricultural lands with and without fires

Abella

Schetter

2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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Question Which plant community characteristics most consistently vary with prior land use? Location Oak Openings Preserve, Ohio, USA. Methods In 2020, we measured plant communities on 22 sites encompassing three prior land uses: (a) contemporary Quercus forests continuously forested since before the 1930s; (b) former agricultural lands, under cultivation in the 1930s and abandoned 70–80 years before our study and that were unburned; and (c) former agricultural lands also abandoned 70–80 years earlier and that were burned in 2013 prescribed fires. Among the three land uses, we compared 12 plant community variables, categorized into four groups characterizing different sets of community properties (structure, diversity, composition, and conservation values). Results A multivariate combination of the 12 community variables differed among all three land uses, each of the four categories of variables differed between at least two land uses, and eight of 12 individual variables differed between at least two land uses. Community structure displayed a gradient of decreasing tree canopy and understorey plant cover and increasing lichen–moss cover from continuously forested to unburned and burned formerly cultivated sites. Understorey plant species richness did not vary with land use, but species diversity was higher on cultivated sites, irrespective of fire history. While all three land uses now contain Quercus tree overstories, each land use exhibited unique understorey species composition. Only formerly cultivated sites contained state‐listed endangered species. Cultivated sites had a lower proportion of native species cover than did continuously forested sites, but native species still comprised over 90% of the plant cover on cultivated sites. Compared with continuous forests, the soil organic layer (O horizon) was five times thinner and loss on ignition in the 0–15 cm mineral soil 49% (unburned) and 66% (burned) lower on previously cultivated sites. Conclusions Community characteristics varied in their sensitivity to land use history, with species composition among the most sensitive to prior land use. A dense sapling layer of Acer rubrum forming in long‐unburned Quercus forests across much of eastern North America was absent in our study on formerly cultivated sites, possibly due to dry, infertile soil. From a restoration and conservation standpoint of the study region's pre‐settlement, frequently burned and open savannas and woodlands, previously cultivated sites may be easier to keep open via prescribed fire. Moreover, perhaps precisely because much of the flora historically developed in open savannas and woodlands which previously cultivated sites on the contemporary landscape most closely mimicked, previously cultivated sites presently contain higher species diversity and more conservation priority species than do continuously forested sites.

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confidence: 90%

Variation in characteristics and conservation values of plant communities on abandoned agricultural lands with and without fires

Abella

Schetter

2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…Young post‐agricultural forests probably have less dense canopies, thereby favoring colonization by invasive species which tend to be less shade‐tolerant than native forest species (Martin et al , 2009). Holmes and Matlack (2019) used a chronosequence approach and similarly found a reduction in invasive species with increased time since disturbance. Young post‐agricultural sites may receive greater propagule pressure from non‐natives than older forests because of their proximity to roads and agricultural fields (Kuhman et al, 2011), and it is possible that native species outcompete non‐native species over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Many forests herbs, in particular, have limited dispersal capacity which can delay community recovery (Bellemare et al, 2002; Flinn & Vellend, 2005; Hermy & Verheyen, 2007). Additionally, non‐native plants have been intentionally introduced to agriculture areas (Kuhman et al, 2011; Yesilonis et al, 2016), resulting in substantial changes in the vegetation communities of post‐agricultural forests (Holmes & Matlack, 2019). Post‐agricultural forests may also have different vegetation communities than reference forests with natural disturbance or silvicultural treatments due to the lack of coppice regeneration in post‐agricultural areas (Dyer, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest structure and biomass in post‐agricultural forests: Lessons learned with new spatial tools

Brubaker

Cosentino

2020

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions: With calls for afforestation to sequester carbon due to climate change, agricultural land will be converted to forests in the near future. Little is known about how the ecosystem services of reforested landscapes with an agricultural land‐use history will differ from reference forests. Our objectives were to (i) test the hypothesis that forests with a history of agricultural land use can provide the same carbon storage and biomass ecosystem services as adjacent reference forests, given some recovery time; (ii) explore whether there is a lag in the recovery of forest community composition due to prior agricultural land use; and (iii) demonstrate how remote‐sensing methods can improve our understanding of land‐use legacies at large spatial scales. Location: Finger Lakes National Forest, NY, USA. Methods: Using historic air photos, landscape‐scale lidar, and field surveys, we compared differences in biomass storage, forest structure, and vegetation communities between reference forests and post‐agricultural forests at different stages of regeneration in the Finger Lakes National Forest, New York, USA. We also used lidar to create a spatial model of biomass across the landscape to analyze the spatial distribution of biomass across our study area. Results: We found biomass and forest structure in post‐agricultural forests generally recovered to levels typical of reference forests within 50 years of abandonment. Conversely, we found the composition of woody and herbaceous communities still varied between reference and post‐agricultural forests after 50 years of abandonment. Conclusions: Collectively our results indicate afforestation efforts can be effective for carbon sequestration at early stages of forest succession. Our spatial model of biomass indicated that biomass levels can be low in forests with extensive edge. Further research is needed to understand how contemporary landscape structure interacts with legacy effects of agriculture to affect biomass and other ecosystem services.

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“…Measurements were determined from digital 7.5´ series quadrangles, 1:24,000 topographic maps. Private land, especially land with open area, is often associated with current or historic housing or agricultural land use all of which have been correlated with the presence of invasive plants (Gavier‐Pizarro et al., 2010; Holmes & Matlack, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of invasive plant abundance in disturbed versus undisturbed forests within three land types over 16 years

Huebner

2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Non-native plant species show a legacy of agricultural history in second-growth forests of southeastern Ohio

Cited by 15 publications

References 60 publications

Variation in characteristics and conservation values of plant communities on abandoned agricultural lands with and without fires

Variation in characteristics and conservation values of plant communities on abandoned agricultural lands with and without fires

Forest structure and biomass in post‐agricultural forests: Lessons learned with new spatial tools

Patterns of invasive plant abundance in disturbed versus undisturbed forests within three land types over 16 years

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