VEGETATIVE AND EDAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON RELIC CHARCOAL HEARTHS IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

Relic charcoal hearths are prevalent throughout the Appalachian Mounta ins as reminders of the wood charcoal era and are evident today by the characteristics of forest stand structure, composition and understory vegetation. The importance of the soil resource to the stability and recovery of these anomalies in the plant community is not well underst ood. This study was conducted to compare forest floor and soil chemica l properties, and vegetative characteristics on relic charcoal hearths to adjacent, non-hearth areas. Overstory tree cover and density was s ignificantly lower on hearths than for adjacent areas. Overstory richn ess and diversity were consistently, but not significantly, lower on h earths, as were density and species richness of understory and ground vegetation. Little difference between hearth and adjacent forest floor properties was observed; however, soil calcium concentrations, pH, an d percent carbon were higher on hearths, and phosphorus concentrations were generally lower. We discuss the effects of releasing large amoun ts of base-forming cations through repeated use of the hearths and the subsequent long-term effects on soil fertility and vegetative develop ment.