Vegetational Changes on an Oldfield in Southeastern Ohio

Abstract

Former agricultural land in Strouds Run State Park was sampled by the quadrat method in 1962 and again in 1975. Comparisons of data show a 31% decrease in herbaceous plant cover with only a 6% increase in shrub cover, but with a shift in species composition. Stem density of trees (^2.5 cm dbh) increased by a factor of 3.2. Indexes of similarity reveal that the field has become increasingly similar to the adjacent forest during the 13-year interim between study dates.