Factors influencing initial vascular plant seedling composition following either aggregated retention harvesting and regeneration burning or burning of unharvested forest

This study aimed to determine the factors that influence the species composition of vascular plant regeneration 1 year after either harvesting and burning, or burning of unharvested forest. The study was conducted in six aggregated retention sites where the post-harvest regeneration fire also burnt a proportion of unharvested forest. At each site, we established ten plots of each of four types: burnt unharvested forest and in paired plots in nearby harvested areas, as well as in undisturbed forest and in paired plots in nearby harvested areas. Although the regeneration was less speciose and dominated by wet sclerophyll species, we found a strong relationship between the floristic composition of the regeneration in harvested areas and that of nearby undisturbed forest. We found no significant difference in the floristic composition of the regeneration between the harvested areas adjacent to either burnt unharvested forest or undisturbed forest. This suggests that the undisturbed forest in aggregates and coupe edges was not a significant seed source for the initial regeneration. There was a slight difference between the floristics of regeneration in the burnt unharvested forest and the harvested areas, with reduced species richness in harvested treatments at three of six sites.