Abstract
Successful wetland restoration depends on the development of the vegetation community post-restoration. Woody vegetation provides functional and structural support to the wetland ecosystem and community development post-restoration dictates restoration outcomes. We investigated basal area, stem density, and species richness of woody vegetation in 40 restored wetlands across West Virginia, USA, ranging in age from 1 to 29 years post-restoration. We aggregated field-collected data into eight indicators at the site scale and investigated stem size distribution to describe the overall woody vegetation community. Generalized linear regression shows native species richness slightly declined as wetland site age increased. In contrast, the total basal area increased over time since restoration. Total stem density did not vary by age. Regardless of age, all sites were dominated by woody vegetation with a stem diameter < 9.1 cm, whereas the frequency of stems > 9.1 cm increased as wetland age increased. This study demonstrates that the development of woody vegetation post-restoration occurs over decades in central Appalachian wetlands and shows the diverse conditions between restoration sites.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Funding support was provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Grant # CD-96383001-0). Thanks to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University, and the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center at Clemson University for additional support. Special thanks to Elizabeth Byers (WVDEP) for her input and guidance. We appreciate the landowners and managers that allowed wetland access.
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This work was supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Grant # CD-96383001-0).
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Walter Veselka IV and James T. Anderson designed the study. Jessica A. Bryzek collected the data. Jessica A. Bryzek and Christopher T. Rota analyzed the data. Jessica A. Bryzek wrote the first draft of the manuscript with substantial input from James T. Anderson. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Bryzek, J.A., Veselka IV, W., Rota, C.T. et al. Woody Vegetation Indicators vary with time Since Wetland Restoration. Wetlands 43, 89 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-023-01735-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-023-01735-x