Waterlogging Tolerance of Lowland Tree Species of the South¹

Abstract Many tree species in the South are adapted to periodic and/or prolonged soil waterlogging. However, artificial disturbances of natural water regimes sometimes cause flooding to occur at abnormal times or the flood water to be deeper and waterlogging longer in duration than is normal. As a consequence, it is difficult for forest managers to predict how a species will respond to such disturbances or to decide how to manage an area where the water regime has been significantly altered. This paper discusses some factors which influence the waterlogging tolerance of tree species, compiles several classification systems, indicates the pertinent literature, and offers a new relative waterlogging-tolerance rating for southern lowland tree species.