Data from the original General Land Office (GLO) survey (1815) of the 5th Principal
Meridian were used to evaluate presettlement vegetation patterns in eastern Missouri and
Arkansas. Data were divided into three physiographic sections: Mississippi Alluvial
Plain, Ozark Plateau, and Dissected Till Plain. Distances to bearing trees and diameters
were used to estimate tree density and to evaluate the relative structure and composition
of presettlement vegetation. The Mississippi Alluvial Plain was the most densely
timbered physiographic section. White oak (Quercus alba), black oak (Q. velutina),
sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and hickory (Carya spp.) had high importance
values. Significantly lower tree densities occurred in the Ozark Plateau and Dissected
Till Plain. Important components of the Ozark Plateau were shortleaf pine (Pinus
echinata), white oak, black oak, and post oak (Q. Stellata). In the Dissected Till Plain,
white oak was dominant and black oak, hickory, elm (Ulmus spp.), and sycamore
(Platanus occidentalis) were important components. There has been some debate
regarding the presettlement structure of timbered lands in the Ozark Plateau. Some
biologists argue that closed forest once dominated the Ozarks, whereas others argue the
region was once dominated by open woodland. The evidence presented here suggests the
Ozark vegetation was, in general, an open woodland landscape in 1815.
