Effects of intermediate-scale wind disturbance on composition, structure, and succession in Quercus stands: Implications for natural disturbance-based silviculture

Cowden, Merrit M.; Hart, Justin L.; Schweitzer, Callie J.; Dey, Daniel C.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.07.003

Cited by 34 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…We established a 2 ha (100 mˆ200 m) permanently marked rectangular plot within a single stand that met the following criteria: (1) Quercus alba L. dominated; (2) fully contained within the Sipsey Wilderness; (3) establishment date circa 1900; (4) directly influenced by the April 2011 tornado; and (5) without official records or observations indicating past anthropogenic disturbances affecting stand development. Candidate stands were located using geo-referenced data provided by the USDA Forest Service, data from previous studies in the area [60,62,63], and field reconnaissance. The plot location was determined in situ with the use of topographic maps and visual reconnaissance.…”

Section: Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the time since canopy disturbance, we assumed that trees killed by the April 2011 storm event were in decay class I [62]. To assess the gradient of canopy disturbance, we categorized damage severities by averaging basal area lost over a 20ˆ20 m area.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The average amount of basal area removed (i.e., trees killed) from the natural mortality of individual trees (sensu [72]) in the control plots was used as a surrogate for background mortality in study stands within the Sipsey Wilderness. This value was acquired from Cowden et al [62] from data collected in this and adjacent stands within the Sipsey Wilderness. To account for downed trees post-disturbance, we subtracted the background rate of mortality, which was calculated as the average basal area (m 2 ) lost from control plots, from the basal area lost in each 20ˆ20 m plot to estimate the basal area removed (decay class 1 stems/live stems + decay class 1) by the moderate-severity disturbance event.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wind gusts of 152 km¨h´1 were recorded within a subsequent wake low system. Storm damage was most severe in the tornado path and decreased in severity of disturbance with distance from the main storm track [62,63]. Windstorms of this severity occur frequently in the middle-west and southeast region of the United States [64].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The "other" taxonomic group and O. virginiana were the most competitive after Quercus and these taxonomic classes had similar competitive abilities. Ostrya virginiana lacks the potential to ascend into upper canopy strata, and has formed a "recalcitrant understory layer" [62,81], as the abundance of O. virginiana in the understory is likely inhibiting Quercus recruitment. Interestingly, Acer saccharum stems were the least competitive against small-sized Quercus stems.…”

Section: Quercus Advanced Reproduction and Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Patterns of Irradiance and Advanced Reproduction along a Canopy Disturbance Severity Gradient in an Upland Hardwood Stand

Keasberry

Hart

Dey

et al. 2016

Forests

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Regeneration failure of Quercus in mature Quercus-dominated forests has been reported throughout the temperate zone. Quercus seedlings are often abundant in these forests, yet frequently fail to recruit to larger size classes despite canopy disturbances. To examine intra-stand patterns of advanced reproduction, competition, and irradiance in an upland Quercus stand, we installed a 2 ha plot that captured the canopy disturbance severity gradient caused by a wind event. To quantify disturbance severity and stand conditions, we inventoried all living and dead woody stems ě5 cm diameter at breast height (dbh, 1.37 m above the surface) and quantified irradiance in 25 m 2 quadrats (n = 800) using synchronized ceptometers. To inventory patterns of advanced reproduction within the plot, we recorded the species of every woody stem >1 m in height and <5 cm dbh. We also documented the species and height of every Quercus stem ě0.5-<5 cm dbh and the species, height, and distance to each stem nearest the focal Quercus stem. At the genus-level, Quercus was the most common nearest neighbor. However, at the species-level, the most common nearest neighbors were Acer saccharum and Ostrya virginiana. Competition index values significantly differed by species (p < 0.01), but did not significantly differ by disturbance severity class and we found no significant interactions between species and disturbance class. Quercus advanced reproduction was significantly clustered through the study plot and cluster locations overlapped with clusters of high irradiance, but these patterns were scale-dependent. Our results indicate that an appreciation for intra-stand heterogeneity may improve forest management planning.

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Section: Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quercus Advanced Reproduction and Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Patterns of Irradiance and Advanced Reproduction along a Canopy Disturbance Severity Gradient in an Upland Hardwood Stand

Keasberry

Hart

Dey

et al. 2016

Forests

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Intermediate‐severity wind disturbance in mature temperate forests: legacy structure, carbon storage, and stand dynamics

Meigs

Keeton

2018

Ecological Applications

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Wind is one of the most important natural disturbances influencing forest structure, ecosystem function, and successional processes worldwide. This study quantifies the stand-scale effects of intermediate-severity windstorms (i.e., blowdowns) on (1) live and dead legacy structure, (2) aboveground carbon storage, and (3) tree regeneration and associated stand dynamics at four mature, mixed hardwood-conifer forest sites in the northeastern United States. We compare wind-affected forests to adjacent reference conditions (i.e., undisturbed portions of the same stands) 0-8 yr post-blowdown using parametric (ANOVA) and nonparametric (NMS ordination) analyses. We supplement inventory plots and downed coarse woody detritus (DCWD) transects with hemispherical photography to capture spatial variation in the light environment. Although recent blowdowns transferred a substantial proportion of live overstory trees to DCWD, residual live tree basal area was high (19-59% of reference areas). On average, the initial post-blowdown ratio of DCWD carbon to standing live tree carbon was 2.72 in blowdown stands and 0.18 in reference stands, indicating a large carbon transfer from live to dead pools. Despite these dramatic changes, structural complexity remained high in blowdown areas, as indicated by the size and species distributions of overstory trees, abundance of sound and rotten downed wood, spatial patterns of light availability, and variability of understory vegetation. Furthermore, tree species composition was similar between blowdown and reference areas at each site, with generally shade-tolerant species dominating across multiple canopy strata. Community response to intermediate-severity blowdown at these sites suggests a dynamic in which disturbance maintains late-successional species composition rather than providing a regeneration opportunity for shade-intolerant, pioneer species. Our findings suggest that intermediate-severity wind disturbances can contribute to stand-scale structural complexity as well as development toward late-successional species composition, at least when shade-tolerant regeneration is present pre-blowdown. Advance regeneration thus enhances structural and compositional resilience to this type of disturbance. This study provides a baseline for multi-cohort silvicultural systems designed to restore heterogeneity associated with natural disturbance dynamics.

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Sixty‐year post‐windthrow study of stand dynamics in two natural forests differing in pre‐disturbance composition

2016

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Citation: Kosugi, R., M. Shibuya, and S. Ishibashi. 2016. Sixty-year post-windthrow study of stand dynamics in two natural forests differing in pre-disturbance composition. Ecosphere 7(11):e01571. 10.1002/ecs2.1571Abstract. We examined the dynamics of stand structure and composition over 60 years in two natural secondary forest plots in central Hokkaido, Japan, that had been severely disturbed by a stand-replacing windthrow in 1954. We determined temporal trends in tree density, species richness, species diversity, successional composition, and stand developmental stage. One of the plots contained a coniferous stand prior to the disturbance; the second plot contained a mixed stand. Tree density and species richness increased after the windthrow, and peaked in both stands in 1991, 37 years after the windthrow. Based on the dynamics of tree density and species richness, the stand development phase of both plots remained within the stand initiation stage until 1991, and then progressed to the stem exclusion stage by 2014, 60 years after the windthrow. Based on patterns of increasing tree density by species in both plots, vegetative regeneration was presumed to have contributed abundantly to the recovery of the stand after the windthrow. Species diversity increased after the windthrow as species richness increased in both stands; diversities peaked 23 or 32 years after the windthrow and declined slightly thereafter. Although the successional composition of the pre-disturbance coniferous stand regressed to an early stage under the influence of the windthrow, the relative importance of late-successional species approached the pre-disturbance value as the plot recovered. In contrast, the successional composition of the mixed conifer/hardwood plot was unaffected by the windthrow, but gradually changed to an early stage over several decades following the windthrow. The difference in successional composition between plots was likely a result of differences in pre-disturbance stand conditions between stands. Our 60-year permanent plot study determined stand and population dynamics, the duration of the stand initiation stage, and the interrelationships between diversity and species richness. Long-term permanent plot studies contribute crucial data for the interpretation of forest dynamics following disturbance.

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Effects of intermediate-scale wind disturbance on composition, structure, and succession in Quercus stands: Implications for natural disturbance-based silviculture

Cited by 34 publications

References 69 publications

Spatial Patterns of Irradiance and Advanced Reproduction along a Canopy Disturbance Severity Gradient in an Upland Hardwood Stand

Spatial Patterns of Irradiance and Advanced Reproduction along a Canopy Disturbance Severity Gradient in an Upland Hardwood Stand

Intermediate‐severity wind disturbance in mature temperate forests: legacy structure, carbon storage, and stand dynamics

Sixty‐year post‐windthrow study of stand dynamics in two natural forests differing in pre‐disturbance composition

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