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The southeastern United States was historically characterized by open forests featuring fire-adapted species before land-use change. We compared tree composition and densities of historical tree surveys (1802 to 1841) to contemporary tree surveys, with the application of a similarity metric, in the Coastal Plain ecological province of Mississippi, southeastern USA. We detected the boundary between historical pine and oak-pine open forests and differentiated historical and current forests. In the Coastal Plain, historical open forests converted from fire-tolerant longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) dominance, with pines comprising 88% of all trees, to loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash (P. elliottii) pines within monocultures (45% of all trees). Wetland and successional tree species increased to 33% of all trees. Contemporary forests have greater tree densities, transitioning from closed woodlands (range of 168 to 268 trees ha−1) to closed forests (336 trees ha−1). In the ecotonal boundary of the northern Coastal Plain between historical pine and pine-oak woodlands, the pine component shifted over space from 88% to 34% of all trees due to a greater oak component. Fire-tolerant shortleaf pine and oak dominance converted to planted loblolly pine (52% of all trees), while successional tree species increased (20% of all trees). Historical tree densities represented woodlands (range of 144 to 204 trees ha−1) but developed into closed forests (400 trees ha−1). Historical Coastal Plain longleaf pine woodlands differed more from historical ecotonal oak-pine woodlands than contemporary forests differed from each other, demonstrating unique historical ecosystems and landscape-scale homogenization of ecosystems through forestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the southeastern United States, there is a wide range of pine plantation establishment practices, varying by chemical or mechanical site preparation before planting and chemical herbaceous controls after planting. To investigate small mammal responses to a gradient of pine plantation establishment practices, we monitored small mammals for 5 years in pine plantations established with chemical, mechanical, or chemical and mechanical site preparation, followed by chemical herbaceous control after planting, in the Lower Coastal Plain of Mississippi. We captured small mammals at four study sites during February 2002-2006 in each of five different establishment practices. We caught 2,476 individuals of five common species (Blarina carolinensis, Neotoma floridana, Peromyscus spp., Reifhrodontomys fulvescens, and Sigmodon hispidus). There were no differences by species or overall abundance among treatments that used a range of stand establishment practices in the Lower Coastal Plain. However, excluding Peromyscus spp., total small mammal abundance was greater in the lesser intensity establishment practices. Although increasing plantation establishment intensity in the southeastern Coastal Plain may not be detrimental to common species that are abundant in young plantations, further research is necessary to support our results. Future research should identify differences in demographics among establishment practices through mark-recapture studies, which can address mechanisms of population dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine ( Pinus spp.) plantations are a common type of managed forest in the southeastern United States that may supply habitat for early successional bird species, many of which are declining. To provide information about young pine plantations as bird habitat, we evaluated spring bird presence in 5 combinations of stand establishment practices during years 2 through 5 post-establishment in the Lower Coastal Plain of Mississippi, USA. We detected 38 species with point counts and compared bird metrics among establishment practices using mixed general linear models. Species richness, total relative abundance, and relative abundance of many species were greater by at least a factor of 1.5-4 in the chemical-only establishment practice than mechanically prepared establishment practices, and values declined by about 5-60% within mechanically prepared establishment practices as herbicide intensity increased. Tree and snag retention contributed to avian abundance and richness in the chemical-only establishment practice. Our study, in conjunction with past research, demonstrated the conservation value to early successional bird species of managed pine stands established with tree retention, indicating that silvicultural and wildlife habitat objectives can be met within the range of stand establishment treatments available to managers. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine plantation establishment methods can alter vegetation composition and structure, thus affecting habitat important characteristics for declining early successional bird species. We evaluated eight vegetation characteristics, which varied due to a range of pine plantation establishment methods, to identify vegetation most closely associated with spring bird abundance in the Lower Coastal Plain of southern Mississippi, USA. Presence of residual trees and snags was positively related to relative abundance of 10 of 14 common species present in regenerating stands. Cover of woody vegetation was positively related to relative abundance of 4 species and negatively related to relative abundance of 2 species. For 5 species, increasing pine tree cover had a negative relationship with relative abundance. Residual trees and snags contributed to avian abundance and richness in regenerating pine plantations. Integration of habitat elements, such as residual trees that influence abundance of birds and other wildlife, with intensive pine plantation establishment can aid managers to attain wildlife conservation in intensively managed stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]