1997 journal article
The effects of timber harvest in a South Carolina blackwater bottomland
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 90(2-3), 171–185.
author keywords: blackwater; bottomland hardwoods; herpetofauna; function; harvest; biomass; biogeochemistry
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
(OpenAlex)
15. Life on Land
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018
This study was initiated on the South Fork Edisto River in South Carolina to investigate and compare the impacts of two different harvest methods (helicopter and rubber-tired skidder) on the ecological structure and function of a blackwater forested wetland. The two harvest treatments were chosen to represent a broad spectrum of potential impacts and were compared to an undisturbed site. Following harvest in 1991, functional responses in vegetative productivity, herpetofaunal populations, and soil and water quality were evaluated in 1992 and 1993. Herbaceous biomass was greater on the helicopter and skidder treatments than on the undisturbed control. In general, the biomass measured on the skidder treatment was not significantly different from the biomass measured on the helicopter treatment. Higher decomposition rates were noted in the harvested areas as compared to the control. This was mainly attributed to higher soil temperatures, which accelerated microbial activity. Increased decomposition rates may have been responsible for elevated levels of ammonium and organic carbon observed in ground water samples. A total of 29 species of herpetofauna (10 amphibians and 19 reptiles) were observed during the study. Salamanders were found more often in the undisturbed control. Reptiles were observed more frequently in the harvested area. Although herpetofaunal species composition was different between harvest and control, indices of diversity were similar.