Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Lashley, Marcus.
Committee Member
Street, M. Garrett.
Committee Member
Strickland, Bronson K.
Date of Degree
5-4-2018
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Degree Name
Master of Science
College
College of Forest Resources
Department
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Abstract
Planted pine (Pinus spp.) comprises nearly 10% of the total land cover in the state of Mississippi. Often, understory structure is limited in this system. Thus, managers use a variety of management practices to improve understory biomass and structure. I assessed the impacts of common forest management practices (canopy reduction, prescribed fire, and selective herbicide application) and their combined effects on aspects of community structure. More specifically, I assessed impacts of disturbance intensity on non-native plant invasions, and evaluated how microscale vegetation characteristics influenced use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and wild turkey (Mealagris gallopavo). Combining canopy reductions with prescribed fire, which closely mimicked historical intermediate disturbance intensities in this vegetation type, led to the greatest invasion resistance due to high abundances of native plants. Both deer and turkey increased use in areas with high levels of understory cover. Coupling canopy reductions with prescribed fire created the most favorable conditions for both species.
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16731
Recommended Citation
Chance, Donald Paul, "The Effects of Common Forest Management Practices on Community Structure in a Southern Pine Forest" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 4397.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4397
Comments
wild turkey||white-tailed deer||southern pine||invasion||habitat use||forest management