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Home → Publications → The Ecology and Management of Atlantic white-cedar → Cypress Creek Savanna: A History of Vegetative Changes

Cypress Creek Savanna: A History of Vegetative Changes

Atlantic white cedar (A WC) and associated peatland species have been reported at Cypress Creek Savanna in Severna Park, Maryland for one hundred years. Historical records of site vegetation indicate a relatively recent significant decline in A WC and other locally rare plant species, along with an increase in Phragmites australis. The decline in the A WC population was first recorded in 1988 and has continued through 2006. We compared A WC count data collected in 1997, 2003 and 2006 to predict the fate of the A WC population. It is likely that all of the rare species will be extitpated unless there are dramatic efforts to restore the site. We concluded that increases in salinity at the site were most likely the main cause of the loss of A WC and other peatland plants.


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Author(s): David E. Walbeck, Keith R. Underwood, Karl D. Benedict

Publication: The Ecology and Management of Atlantic white-cedar