Pre-European Settlement Barrens and Forests among Nine Townships on the Shawnee National Forest

Identifier3.91099

TypeArticle

Date created2008

DescriptionReport to the Shawnee National Forest.

AbstractTo elucidate differences between barrens and forest vegetation, we analyzed the U.S. Public Land Survey notes from 10 townships on the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. Timber predominated in the Shawnee Hills Natural Division, while barrens was associated with Cretaceous Hills and Lesser Shawnee Hills Natural Divisions. Barrens differed from timber by having lower tree density, as well as lower species richness and generally more open conditions. No distinct differences in woody species, elevation or integrated moisture index were apparent between barrens and timber. However, the Cretaceous Hills tend to be lower in elevation and underlain by different substrates. Nevertheless, we found that barrens occurred across a range of elevations. The lack of significant differences among environmental factors suggests that they did not play strong roles in directly affecting the presence of barrens. This suggests that fire was a critical factor in maintaining barrens.

LanguageEnglish