Date of Award
1-8-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Philosophy and Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Jess Porter
Abstract
River cane (A. gigantea) is one of three bamboos native to the North American continent but has been greatly diminished since European colonization. To explore this lost landscape, this paper applies an interdisciplinary approach to examine and interpret the pre-historic, historic, and current status of cane and canebrake habitat in Arkansas. Historic cane data has been collected and used to create an informed map of canebrake habitat in 19th century Arkansas. To examine references in more detail, cane points collected within the five study areas have been examined using a Geographic Information System. Maps of historic cane references have been created for each of the study areas using the cane points included in the tables. A comparison between the original 19th century plat maps and contemporary locations of cane in the five study areas clearly demonstrates the magnitude of canebrake habitat loss. References to intensive management of cane as harvesting vegetation for basketry appears to be missing from ecologically focused research. Locations with alluvial soils that are also known to have historic canebrake habitat are recommended for restoration activities that include forest canopy reduction, prescribed fire, and selective harvesting of cane.
Recommended Citation
solomon, patrick, "Trudging Through the Brakes: Mapping River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea (Walter) Muhl.) and Canebrake Habitat in 19th Century Arkansas" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 980.
https://research.ualr.edu/etd/980
