Ecological succession is the process nature goes through to grow from immaturity to maturity - from naked soil to a forest. There are a few stages of succession, each serving the purpose of preparing the land for the next step.
- Bare Earth - Where it all begins. Naked earth is typically compacted, cannot hold water, susceptible to errosion and not a good environment for growing plants.
- Pioneer Stage
- Short Annuals - Pioneer plants, typically called weeds, take root in the otherwise inhospitable landscape. Weeds need little water, and therefore opportunistically flood the areas without any competition. These short annual weeds are strong seeders, working to blanket as much ground as possible. As they die off, their roots and composting stems begin the earliest stages of mulching - preparing the land for more robust plants.
- Taller Perennials - After a year or so, those annual weeds are replaced with taller, hardier perennial pioneer plants - thick stalked weeds, wild flowers, grasses and herbs. These grow much taller, providing shade and deeper roots which protect the soil from evaporation and provide an environment where shrubs can begin to grow. This thick layer of biomass continues the mulching and composting process.
- Perennial Shrubs - Left untouched, after about fifteen or so years, the pioneer stage gives way to thick perennial shrubs which shade out the weeds almost entirely and drive deep thick roots into the earth. The purpose of these robust shrubs is to continue the process of mulching in an even more protected environment, as well as turn up the process by providing shelter for larger - more fertile - animals.
- Young Forest - Another decade or two sees young trees peeking up through the protective layer of perennial shrubs. The trees are the backbone of this young forest, and increase the mulching as well as the animal biodiversity.
- Mature Forest - A mature forest is in a state of constantly fluxing balance. The mature trees create a canopy of protection from wind, sun and extreme weather. It provides the perfect environment for all seven layers of a mature forest to thrive within.
While each step follows one after another, the plants that compose that particular step are unique to each environment.
Citations
#permaculture #toolong