Vegetation community responses to different establishment regimes in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in southern MS, USA

Management treatments involving multiple herbicide applications are standard procedure on most industrial pine plantation sites in the southern USA, raising concerns about biodiversity impairment. Management decisions impact not only plant communities but also the habitat potential they create for wildlife. We tested the effects of five intensities of stand establishment treatments on vegetation communities in loblolly pine plantations (n = 4) to age 5 in the Middle Coastal Plain (MCP) of Mississippi. Measurements were species richness, diversity, coverage, and community composition. Treatments were combinations of mechanical site preparation (MSP), chemical site preparation (CSP), and herbaceous weed control (HWC) both banded or broadcast for 1 or 2 years using the same herbicide mixtures. Tree richness and diversity were reduced by increasing treatment intensity; tree coverage, which included crop and non-crop trees, was less in moderate-intensity treatments. Vine richness and coverage were less in more intensive treatments, but 2 diversity indices differed on whether vine diversity was likewise affected. Richness and coverage of forbs and graminoids was lessened by broadcast HWC, with effects mostly limited to the year of application. Plant communities differed in all 5 years, with CSP acting as the primary factor for years 2–5. Early seral communities were favored by CSP, but broadcast HWC suppressed resulting herbaceous plants. Though CSP may somewhat reduce stand-level plant diversity, it may increase overall biodiversity within plantation-dominated landscapes by creating early succession plant communities that enhance wildlife habitat.