Stand Development Patterns in Southern Bottomland Hardwoods: Management Considerations and Research Needs

Stand development involves changes in stand structure over time. Knowledge of stand development patterns is crucial for effective forest management, especially of southern bottomland hardwood forests. These forests contain more than 70 tree species, many of which have commercial timber and wildlife habitat value. I n this paper, current techniques i n stand development research are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on stand development studies in bottomland red oaks (Quercus spp.), especially cherrybark oak (Q. pagoda), although examples from other oak forest types are included. These studies were divided into 3 broad categories: pure, single-cohort stands; mixed, single-cohort stands; and mixed, multicohort stands. Management implications based on these development patterns a re discussed, including the importance of many of the nonor less-commercial species during stand development. Areas for future research also are suggested to increase the knowledge base on bottomland hardwood stand development.