Doctoral Dissertation Research in Geography and Regional Science

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The impacts of large-scale human disturbance on natural areas have not been well documented. Large-scale forest clearing provides an opportunity to examine the role of anthropogenic disturbance in the dynamics of forest succession. Nearly all of the original forest cover on the Georgia piedmont has been removed for agriculture since European settlement began in the early 19th Century. Much of this land later was abandoned and reverted to forest. It is therefore an excellent locale in which to evaluate whether differences between pre-colonial and present-day forest vegetation can be attributed to human disturbance. This doctoral dissertation project will use a systematic sample drawn from a presettlement forest survey conducted by the state of Georgia in order to reconstruct species-environment relations of this period. The sample will be analyzed to determine the physical controls of species distribution, the degree to which these factors explain forest patterns, and the ecological roles of species. The composition and structure of present-day vegetation will be sampled throughout the study area to establish the impacts of forest clearing by examining the successional status of the modern vegetation and variation in compositional controls between the two periods. This research will clarify theoretical aspects of forest succession, such as distinctions between natural and artificial disturbance and effects of the varied scales of technological impacts by native and immigrant Americans. It therefore will contribute to the scientific basis of our understanding of human-environmental relationships. In addition, it will contribute to the understanding of the region's environmental history and to evaluation of practical and conceptual issues in environmental management. The project also will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising young scholar to continue to develop independent research skills.