Bottomland Hardwood Forest Concept

The reforestation of bottomland hardwood sites with mast producing species including oaks and hickories is the most important step in achieving the goal of ecological restoration in bottomland hardwood systems stanturf et al.

Bottomland hardwood forest concept.

These forests are critically important to biodiversity wildlife carbon storage recreation and clean water in the south. The greatest concentration of blh historically occurred within the mississippi alluvial valley mav but the ecotype also dominates floodplains throughout the gulf and atlantic coastal plains wharton et al. A bottomland hardwood forest is basically a swamp or deciduous forested wetland. To provide the scientific basis to manage southern bottomland hardwood and wetland forests and associated stream ecosystems for a sustained yield of forest products and other desired values.

They are found along rivers and streams of the southeast and south central united states generally in broad floodplains. It occurs in floodplains along major rivers and streams notably along the missouri and mississippi rivers. Bottomland hardwood forests are river swamps. These forests are subject to occasional scouring action of fast moving floodwaters.

1982 mcwilliams and rosson 1990. Historic blhs were a product of the natural hydrologic and geomorphic processes associated with their adjacent rivers. Numerous attempts at bottomland hardwood restoration throughout eastern texas have been largely unsuccessful. These lowland forests grow along river bottoms and tend to flood during the rainy season.

Bottomland hardwood forests can reduce the risk and severity of flooding to downstream communities by providing areas to store floodwater. These ecosystems are commonly found wherever streams or rivers at least occasionally cause flooding beyond their channel confines. Bottomland hardwood forests are floodplain forests that are periodically inundated or saturated during the growing season. These lowland forests grow along river bottoms and tend to flood during the rainy season.

Bottomland hardwood forests are seasonally flooded forests located along waterways. These unique forests contain many plant species structurally complex vegetation a great deal of cover and a deep litter layer. In the southeastern united states floodplain forests are referred to as bottomland hardwoods blh. A special kind of bottomland forest is riverfront bottomland forest also called riparian forest or just riverfront forest.