Evaluating open canopy conditions from forest management on biodiversity

Abstract Open canopy pine (Pinus spp.; OCP) conditions are generally described as canopy cover with sparse midstory cover that allows sunlight penetration, which supports dense understory groundcover. Historically, fire was the primary disturbance that created and maintained OCP conditions within southeastern US pine forests. Today, these conditions are created and maintained in pine forest systems throughout the southeastern USA by frequent natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Many taxa, including species of conservation concern, depend on persistence of OCP conditions at broad spatial scales. Although OCP conditions are generally associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), they also occur in stands dominated by other pine species, including forest stands on working forest landscapes. Through a synthesis of previous literature and existing Forest Inventory and Analysis data, we addressed OCP definitions, extent, trends, how forest management can create and maintain OCP conditions, and examined how biodiversity is influenced by OCP conditions. While OCP systems are generally well-studied, developing metrics to define OCP conditions has been difficult, and current definitions do not always represent where OCP-associated species occur. We used the best available information to assess OCP conditions across the southeastern USA from 2010 to 2019. We found that the quality of 8.7 million hectares of OCP could be increased with additional forest management, highlighting the potential of forest management to create and maintain OCP at the regional scale.