Composition and Structure of a lY30s-Era Pine-Hardwood Stand in Arkansas

This paper describes an unmanaged 193Os-era pine-hardwood stand on ;I minor stream terrace in Ashley County, AR. Probably inventoried as a part of an early growth and yield study, the sample plot was approximately 3.2 ha in si,e and contained at least 21 tree species. Loblolly pine comprised 39.1 o/c of all stems, followed by willow oak (12.7(h), winged elm (9.6’S), sweetgum (7.8%), water oak (6.7%), white oak (h.2%), red oak (4.9%), and hickory (4.6%). Pine, sweetgum, and oak dominated the midcanopy and overstory, with few late successional species. Stand basal krrea averaged 32 m’/ha, with 409 live trees/ha. The dominance of shade intolerant species, the lack of very big trees, and a scarcity of snags sug{rested that this stand was second-growth and likely arose from a disturbance c in the mid-19”’ Century. Because this forest was sampled in the 1930s, its composition and structure should better reflect mature presettlement pinehardwoods on minor stream terrace sites than modern examples.