Stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform effects on understory herbaceous communities in southern Appalachian cove-hardwoods

We surveyed cove-hardwood stands aged 15, 25, 50 and ⩾85 years in the southern Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia to assess the effects of stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform on understory herbaceous communities from April to September 1995. Of 69 species and/or genera of spring–late summer herbaceous flora recorded, only four species' abundances differed among stand-ages surveyed. Disporum lanuginosum was more abundant in older stands than in younger stands. Tiarella cordifolia was absent in 25-year-old stands, but common in 15, 50, and ⩾85-year-old stands, and Lysimachia quadrifolia and Potentilla canadensis were more common in 25-year-old stands than in older stands and 15-year-old stands. Species richness, diversity, and evenness values did not differ by stand-age. Stand characteristics and landform variables that were related to herb species richness, diversity, and evenness values included stand basal area, mean percent canopy cover, extent of connected cove habitat, and area of cove habitat within 1 km radius of surveyed stands. Our results indicate that landscape measures such as patch size or extent of similar habitat, and connectivity to other suitable patches or habitats may be important considerations for assessing understory herbaceous community recovery following disturbances such as forest management activities.