Stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform effects on understory herbaceous communities in southern Appalachian cove-hardwoods

We surveyed cove-hardwood stands aged 15, 25, 50 and greater than or equal to 85 years in the southern Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia to as sess the effects of stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform on under story herbaceous communities from April to September 1995. Of 69 species an d/or genera of spring-late summer herbaceous flora recorded, only four spec ies' abundances differed among stand-ages surveyed. Disporum lanuginosum wa s more abundant in older stands than in younger stands. Tiarella cordifolia was absent in 25-year-old stands, but common in 15, 50, and greater than o r equal to 85-year-old stands, and Lysimachia quadrifolia and Potentilla ca nadensis were more common in 25-year-old stands than in older stands and 15 -year-old stands. Species richness, diversity, and evenness values did not differ by stand-age. Stand characteristics and landform variables that were related to herb species richness, diversity, and evenness values included stand basal area, mean percent canopy cover, extent of connected cove habit at, and area of cove habitat within 1 km radius of surveyed stands. Our res ults indicate that landscape measures such as patch size or extent of simil ar habitat, and connectivity to other suitable patches or habitats may be i mportant considerations for assessing understory herbaceous community recov ery following disturbances such as forest management activities. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.