Red maple dynamics in Appalachian hardwood stands in West Virginia

The growth strategies red maple (Acer rubrum L.) used to attain current overstory canopy positions were investigated in two West Virginia Appalachian hardwood stands. In both stands, red maple comprised a small percentage of overstory basal area but was the most abundant understory species. The stands originated after a stand-replacing disturbance around 1930. During stand initiation, red maple invaded the sites for 10-15 years longer than most other species; however, all of the codominant red maples sampled were similar in age to other codominant species. Twenty-seven percent of stem-analysed codominant maples were 1-4 years older than the disturbance and may have originated as advanced reproduction. One sampled codominant maple had been overtopped for 20 years. Other codominant maples had height growth rates similar to codominant oaks (Quercus sp.). Even at advanced ages, understory maples showed increased height growth rates in response to small canopy disturbances. Red mapleʹs understory persistence suggests that partial harvesting may release these individuals and promote greater proportions of overstory maples in the future.