Woody Plant Species Composition of a Fagus Grandifolia Ehrh. (American Beech) Forest Along Beech Creek, Leflore County, Oklahoma

Abstract

Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. reaches the northwestern extent of its range in LeFlore and McCurtain counties, Oklahoma. Woody species such as Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis, Halesia carolina, and Magnolia tripetala also occur in the area and may co-occur with F. grandifolia. A review of the literature failed to uncover published accounts of the species composition and structure of these forests. To characterize the beech forests of Oklahoma, 17 plots measuring 20m x 20m were established in the beech forest along Beech Creek in the Ouachita National Forest. The DBH of all stems greater than 2.54cm was recorded for each woody species present. Basal area, density, and frequency were then calculated to determine stand dominance. Thirty-five woody plant species were encountered during the sampling. The highest dominance values for overstory trees was scored by F. grandifolia, Quercus alba, and Pinus echinata, respectively.