Sass, Ronald L.2009-06-042009-06-041996Kaiser, Linda Carol. "The future of longleaf pine in a mixed pine-oak forest (Big Thicket, Texas)." (1996) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/14056">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/14056</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/14056A mixed pine-oak stand in the Turkey Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve was logged in 1929-1930 and has experienced no fires since at least 1974. Stand basal area, density, and species richness increased from 1980-1993. A stage projection of the longleaf pine population at the site indicates the population will slowly decline ($\lambda$ = 0.9957) after an initial increase in population size as the population approaches stable size class distribution. Survivorship in the largest size class, 50+ cm dbh, had the largest effect on the outcome. Variations on the base model with potential stronger negative effects from fire suppression reduced $\lambda$ only slightly. Alternatively, small changes in demographic characteristics reflecting positive effects of fire raised $\lambda$ above 1.00. The modeling results suggest that the population is resilient to long-term unfavorable conditions because of the longevity of individual trees.154 p.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.EcologyForestryWildlife managementBotanyAgricultureBiologyThesisTHESIS ECOL. 1996 KAISER