Successional Sequences and Rates on Tree Islands in the Okefenokee Swamp

We aged the three largest specimens of each woody species on each of 16 tree islands representing the spectrum of Okefenokee seral stages. From these data we estimated when most of the 19 species sampled entered the sere. Establishment dates on islands undergoing primary succession differed from those going through secondary succession following fire. The appearance of a species in the sere was related to its light requirements, tolerance of periodic inundation and ability to readily resprout following disturbance. Knowing when each species entered the sere, and the maximum age of each species on a tree island, allowed us to estimate the minimum age of the plant com- munity on each site.