SREL Reprint #2176

A comparison of wetland tree growth response to hydrologic regime in Louisiana and South Carolina

B.D. Keeland1, W.H. Conner2, and R.R. Sharitz3

1National Biological Survey, Southern Science Center, 700 Cajundome Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70506, USA
2Baruch Forest Science Institute, Box 596, Georgetown, SC 29442, USA
3Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA

Abstract: Numerous investigations have examined the growth of wetland tree species under a variety of hydrologic conditions. Most studies have compared flooded versus non-flooded conditions in greenhouses or in one to a few field sites near each other or within the same region. Comparisons of wetland tree growth among widely separated areas of the country are rare. This study compared the diameter growth of Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora, Nyssa aquatica, and Taxodium distichum trees from Louisiana (Gulf Coastal Plain) and South Carolina (Atlantic Coastal Plain). In both regions, individual trees were distributed along a gradient of hydrologic regimes from infrequent to permanent flooding. Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora was restricted to periodically flooded sites in both regions. Within these sites, this species showed little response to differences in mean water depth. In contrast, significant differences among hydrologic regimes were detected for N. aquatica in both regions. In Louisiana, patterns of growth response did not correlate with the gradient of hydrologic regimes, but in South Carolina maximum growth was inversely related to mean water levels during the growing season. Maximum growth of T. distichum trees was observed at sites with shallow, permanent flooding in both regions.

Keywords: Flooding; Hydrologic regime; Louisiana; South Carolina; Tree growth; USA

SREL Reprint #2176

Keeland, B.D., W.H. Conner, and R.R. Sharitz. 1997. A comparison of wetland tree growth response to hydrologic regime in Louisiana and South Carolina. Forest Ecology and Management 90:237-250.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).