History and Status of Table Mountain Pine-Pitch Pine Forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA)

Williams, Charles

Pine forests dominated by Table Mountain pine, Pinus pungens Lam., and pitch pine, P. rigida Mill., commonly occur on xeric ridgetops and southwest-facing slopes at mid-elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North America. Table Mountain pine-pitch pine forests are fire-dependent, requiring fire at frequent intervals to ensure optimal regeneration and maintenance. Distribution and abundance of Table Mountain pine-pitch pine forests in the southern Appalachians have changed considerably since European settlement. Presettlement pine forests were primarily restricted to xeric ridgetops and rock outcrops, but they periodically spread into other parts of the landscape following fire generated by lightning or set by Native Americans and intensified by extended drought. Postsettlement clearing and burning of forests of the region, especially extensive from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, led to conditions conducive to pine forest regeneration and allowed their increase in importance in southern Appalachian landscapes. Beginning in the 1930s, changes in land use and effective fire suppression programs slowed or reversed pine forest expansion, with remaining stands on more mesic sites becoming reproductively stagnant and eventually succeeding to oak dominance. Thus, the general trend in abundance and distribution of Table Mountain pine-pitch pine forests in the southern Appalachians has been one of expansion followed by retreat, triggered by natural and anthropic disturbance. The distribution and abundance of these forests are likely to change again in the future with active management and restoration, the invasion of alien organisms, and the impact of forest decline agents.

History and Status of Table Mountain Pine-Pitch Pine Forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA)

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