Hotspot detection for chestnut oak regeneration

Chestnut oak regeneration hotspots were investigated in 52 mature mixed-oak stands in the central Appalachians. Four methods: ranking, SaTScan, ClusterSeer, and classification tree were applied to detect chestnut oak regeneration hotspots. Ranking method provided a quick assessment of the regeneration hotspot; SaTScan and ClusterSeer compromised the spatial correlation among the plots; classification tree not only identified the regeneration hotspots but also presented the associated biotic and abiotic variables simultaneously. The results from these four different methods were similar to each other, and no method seems statistically and ecologically superior to the others. . Inclusive knowledge of the relationships between regeneration abundance and biotic and abiotic factors can help resource management agencies, such as Forest Service and Park Service to maintain a healthy, diverse, and compositionally stable forest ecosystem.