Characterization of an Old-Growth Forest in the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma

Abstract

Many cross timbers forests in central Oklahoma were neither extensively logged nor farmed and may contain some of the largest tracts of old-growth forests, particularly those dominated by oak, in eastern North America (Therrell and Stahle 1998). We studied a 90 ha old-growth forest in Osage County, Oklahoma which is one of the few designated forest preserves in the cross timbers. Our objectives were (1) to examine changes in species composition and structure across a topo-edaphic gradient and (2) to determine how well these stands conform to traditional models of old-growth stand structure.

Parent Publication

• Upland oak ecology symposium: history, current conditions, and sustainability

Citation

Clark, S.L.; Hallgren, S.W. 2004. Characterization of an Old-Growth Forest in the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-73. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 160