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Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Forestry Research Volume 2010, Article ID 419482, 13 pages doi:10.1155/2010/419482 Research Article Seed Bank Variation under Contrasting Site Quality Conditions in Mixed Oak Forests of Southeastern Ohio, USA Christine J. Small1 and Brian C. McCarthy2 1 Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, P.O. Box 6931, VA 24142, USA 2 Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Christine J. Small, cjsmall@ Received 31 August 2009; Accepted 3 February 2010 Academic Editor: Marc D. Abrams Copyright © 2010 C. J. Small and B. C. McCarthy. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Seed bank composition was sampled in 192–2.5 m2 quadrats, established in six regenerating clearcut (∼7 years) and six second- growth (∼125 years) mixed-oak forest stands in southeastern Ohio. Seed bank and aboveground composition diverged markedly (Sørensen’s coefficient 10%), emphasizing the importance of fast-growing, early-successional germinants to early ecosystem recovery. Seed richness was significantly (P .01) higher in clearcut stands, suggesting declining richness with stand age. Richness estimations 28%–60% higher than observed values demonstrated high seed bank heterogeneity, emphasizing the need for intensive sampling to assess temperate forest seed bank variation. Site quality (topographic aspect) strongly influenced seed bank composition, with greater importance of early-successional trees, thicket-forming shrubs, and nonnative