Addressing the need for reference sites that permit wetland managers to eva
luate the relative success of wetland restoration efforts, this project exa
mines the early successional properties of a chronosequence of 17 forested
wetlands that have been clear-cut and allowed to naturally revegetate. Ordi
nations performed on the data using CANOCO software indicated three general
types of communities - one dominated by bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), one dominated by black willow (Salix nig
ra), and one with a species composition similar to that of a mature stand o
f bottomland hardwoods. These divisions were correlated with the percentage
of stems originating as coppice on stumps leftover from the dear-cut. In p
articular, the bottomland hardwood stands were regenerating predominantly a
s coppice, while the cypress/tupelo and black willow stands were regenerati
ng primarily as seedlings. As indicated by the earlier development of overs
tory basal area, coppice sites were also regenerating much faster. The hydr
ology of a site also exhibited a strong impact on the rate of regeneration,
with the semipermanently to permanently flooded portions of sites often ex
hibiting little or no regeneration. The results indicate that, because of t
he overwhelming reliance on coppice sprouts as the main source of stems and
the concomitant enhanced rates of regeneration, certain vegetative paramet
ers of clear-cut bottomland hardwood stands would not be effective benchmar
ks by which to judge the relative success of creation and restoration effor
ts.