Woody vegetation and fuel survey for evaluating wildfire hazard in Spotsylvania Battlefield
Orwig DA and Abrams MD. 1991. Woody vegetation and fuel survey for evaluating wildfire hazard in Spotsylvania Battlefield. Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) Research/Resources Management Report. NPS/MAR/NRTR-91/052. National Park Service. Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. Philadelphia
Woody vegetation was surveyed during the summer of 1989 and 1990 in 28 forest stands at Spotsylvania Battlefield, Virginia to examine forest composition and structure in relation to stand age and edaphic features. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and overstory importance values were used to separate stands into 4 forest types: pine, pine-oak, oak-pine, and mature oak. Two surveyed stands were planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations, and thus, were not included in the DCA due to their artificial conditions. DCA axis 1 represented a successional continuum, as it positively correlated with stand density and negatively correlated with stand age. Young pioneer stands consisted primarily of Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana, Mill.), which had relative importance values that exceeded 50%, whereas, mid-successional stands contained a mixture of pine and hardwood species including white oak (Quercus alba), tulip poplar (Lirodendron tulipifera), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). Older late successional stands were dominated by oak and hickory (Carya) species, as well as dogwood (Cornus florida) and tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) in the understory. Historical data suggest that white oak and red oak dominated presettlement forests in the area. The study area experienced large-scale agriculture, logging, and subsequent land abandonment following settlement. Radial growth analysis indicated that all stands were initiated within the last 150 years. The oldest stands experienced a lack of adequate oak regeneration and contained a scarcity of later successional species which could potentially replace oaks. Fuel surveys conducted in representative stands of each forest type revealed low wildfire hazards throughout a majority of the battlefield.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Orwig, David; Abrams, Marc
- Date of Issue
- 1991-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service. Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
- Units
- FRSP
- Keywords
- Ecology, Fire Danger, Forest, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park VA, Fuel Load (Fire), Succession, Vegetation