Effects of Burning and Canopy Density on Seedling Growth in an Iowa Oak/Hickory Forest

Abstract

In areas like central Iowa that are dominated by prairie, forests have not received the study they deserve. We examined the effects of late fall burning and canopy density on a variety of representative tree species seedlings in the upland White Oak forest of the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA). The num-ber, diameter, and height of seedlings was estimated in annually burned and unburned experimental plots. Significant findings included a lack of Quercus alba (White Oak) seedlings in all plots and an extremely low seedling density of all species in burned plots. We also found a negative correlation between canopy density and height among Carya cordiformis, and a negative correlation between diameter and canopy density among Ulmus spp. and Juglans nigra. Due to the few seedlings in burned plots, it was impossible to compare plant diameter or height between burned and unburned plots. A better understanding of how factors such as frequency of burn and interactions between seedling species affect the role of fire in the forest is needed, especially in light of the present use of fire in conservation and forest maintenance.