Nilsen, Erik T.Huebner, Cynthia D.Carr, David E.Bao, Zhe2018-10-312018-10-312018-04-20Nilsen, E.T.; Huebner, C.D.; Carr, D.E.; Bao, Z. Interaction between Ailanthus altissima and Native Robinia pseudoacacia in Early Succession: Implications for Forest Management. Forests 2018, 9, 221.http://hdl.handle.net/10919/85600The goal of this study was to discover the nature and intensity of the interaction between an exotic invader <i>Ailanthus altissima</i> (Mill.) Swingle and its coexisting native <i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L. and consider management implications. The study occurred in the Mid-Appalachian region of the eastern United States. <i>Ailanthus altissima</i> can have a strong negative influence on community diversity and succession due to its allelopathic nature while <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> can have a positive effect on community diversity and succession because of its ability to fix nitrogen. How these trees interact and the influence of the interaction on succession will have important implications for forests in many regions of the world. An additive-replacement series common garden experiment was established to identify the type and extent of interactions between these trees over a three-year period. Both <i>A. altissima</i> and <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> grown in monoculture were inhibited by intraspecific competition. In the first year, <i>A. altissima</i> grown with <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> tended to be larger than <i>A. altissima</i> in monoculture, suggesting that <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> may facilitate the growth of <i>A. altissima</i> at the seedling stage. After the second year, <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> growth decreased as the proportion of coexisting <i>A. altissima</i> increased, indicating inhibition of <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> by <i>A. altissima</i> even though the <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> plants were much larger aboveground than the <i>A. altissima</i> plants. In early successional sites <i>A. altissima</i> should be removed, particularly in the presence of <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> in order to promote long-term community succession.application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalcompetitionearly successionforest invasionsinvasive speciesforest managementArticle - Refereed2018-10-31https://doi.org/10.3390/f9040221