Episodic, patchy disturbances characterize an old-growth Picea abies dominated forest landscape in northeastern Europe

Kuuluvainen, Timo; Wallenius, Tuomo; Kauhanen, Heikki; Aakala, Tuomas; Mikkola, Kari; Demidova, Natalia; Ogibin, Boris

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.02.024

Cited by 30 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Although some researchers hold different concept on the scale of small-scale forest structure (Castaño-Villa et al 2014vs. Tuten et al 2015, studies are increasingly focusing on space-time dynamics at this level (Janda et al 2014, Kuuluvainen et al 2014.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The delta and gamma levels include landscapescale and large forest areas (Pommerening 2002, Kuuluvainen et al 2014, comprise all forest community types, and are considered in studies on habitat fragmentation (Kint et al 2000). The beta level, or medium scale, enables the comparison between forest stands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These classifications are directly related to the appearance of the forest community. Many studies have been carried out at landscape and especially stand levels (Boncina 2000, Pommerening 2006, Castaño-Villa et al 2014, Kuuluvainen et al 2014). This may be because standlevel data are relatively easy to acquire and interpret, particularly due to the availability of tools and techniques designed for forest management at this scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nearest neighbour relationships in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia forests along the Nanpan River, China

Li¹,

Gao²,

Yu³

et al. 2017

iForest

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Forest stand structural diversity can be examined at different scales. Smallscale structural changes are the basis of forest structural diversity and habitat heterogeneity, and play a key role in biodiversity conservation. Most research on forest structure has focused mainly at stand level and above, with little attention paid to fine-scale structure and correlations among different forest stand attributes. We set up four permanent plots within a secondary forest community of Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia mixed forests along the Nanpan River in southern China. We analyzed their nearest-neighbor relationships using a bivariate distribution of stand spatial structural parameters (SSSP) with the aim of understanding the processes that drive structural diversity in the development of a secondary forest community. Our results revealed that communities with different disturbance histories and species compositions differed in the level of species mixture. Large, small, and medium-sized trees were well mixed within the community, both conspecific and heterospecificindividual with varying densities. All plots exhibited a uniform size differentiation pattern. Trees with different dominance levels or mixture levels were randomly distributed within the plots, and only few of these displayed clumped or regular distribution. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that distribution patterns may be related to species composition and diameter differentiation, though their relationship was very weak. The results of this study are relevant to optimize forest management activities in the studied stands, and promote tree growth, regeneration and habitat diversity at the fine scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nearest neighbour relationships in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia forests along the Nanpan River, China

Li¹,

Gao²,

Yu³

et al. 2017

iForest

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“…) deciduous temperate forests, and the same is true for boreal-type forests. In boreal-type coniferous forests, these small-scale dynamics ("background mortality", classical gap dynamics; Kuuluvainen et al 2014) can, however, be interrupted and overrun by standreplacing disturbances such as fire, windthrows, and insect outbreaks, as reviewed by Shorohova et al (2009). In central Europe, with its very small, fragmented, and long-term managed areas of such boreal-type forests, there has been no experience with this type and dimension of disturbances.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small changes in species composition despite stand-replacing bark beetle outbreak in Picea abies mountain forests

Fischer

Kopecký

et al. 2015

Can. J. For. Res.

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In the mid-1990s, a Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus L.) outbreak affected the Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forests in the higher elevations of the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany. To monitor the effect of this large-scale disturbance on the understory vegetation, a series of permanent plots was established in 1998. Until 2000, most of the trees of the spruce-dominated forests at elevations > 1.100 m a.s.l. died. To explore the long-term vegetation development after the disturbance, we resurveyed these plots in 2010. We hypothesised that as a consequence of the stand-replacing disturbance, (i) species composition would change substantially, (ii) shade-tolerant forest species would be replaced by light-demanding species, and (iii) the expansion of the light-demanding species would homogenize species composition. Comparing the 1998 and 2010 situations, we found that species composition did not change substantially after the dieback of the tree layer, shade-tolerant species survived, light-demanding species increased only marginally, and vegetation heterogeneity did not change. The main reason is the missing forest floor disruption: there is no open space emerging for species to establish when trees die standing. As a consequence, a dramatic change in ecosystem structure (loss of the whole canopy layer) is not necessarily connected with a general change in species composition.Résumé : Au milieu des années 1990, une épidémie du bostryche typographe (Ips typographus L.) a frappé les forêts d'épicéa commun (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) dans les secteurs plus élevés du Parc national de la forêt bavaroise en Allemagne. Pour surveiller les effets de cette perturbation à grande échelle sur la végétation de sous-bois, une série de placettes échantillons permanentes ont été établies en 1998. Jusqu'en 2000, la plupart des arbres dans les forêts dominées par l'épicéa situées à plus de 1100 m a.s.l. sont morts. Pour explorer le développement à long terme de la végétation à la suite de cette perturbation, nous avons inventorié de nouveau ces placettes échantillons en 2010. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse que cette perturbation majeure aurait comme conséquence : (i) un changement substantiel de la composition en espèces, (ii) le remplacement des espèces forestières tolérantes à l'ombre par des espèces héliophiles, et (iii) l'homogénéisation de la composition en espèces due à l'expansion des espèces héliophiles. En comparant la situation de 1998 avec celle de 2010, nous avons noté que la composition en espèces n'avait pas beaucoup changé après le dépérissement de la strate arborescente, que les espèces tolérantes à l'ombre ont survécu, que les espèces héliophiles ont seulement marginalement augmenté et que l'hétérogénéité de la végétation n'a pas changé. La raison principale est l'absence de perturbation de la couverture morte : il n'y a pas d'ouvertures qui se créent pour que les espèces puissent s'établir lorsque les arbres meurent debout. En conséquence, un changement dramatique de la structure de l'écosystème (p...

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“…() proposed a system of gap phase disturbance cycles nested within larger episodic disturbance. A study of old‐growth Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) on a landscape scale from Archangelsk demonstrated a multiscaled disturbance regime with a combination of small stand‐scale gap dynamics, and landscape scale intermediate severity mortality episodes (Kuuluvainen et al., ). Kuuluvainen and Aakala () reviewed natural forest dynamics in boreal Fennoscandia and concluded that only two of 48 papers discussed old‐growth Picea abies forests from the southern boreal zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gap formation and dynamics after long‐term steady state in an old‐growth Picea abies stand in Norway: Above‐ and belowground interactions

Nygaard

Strand

Stuanes

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Stand dynamics and the gap initiation prior to gap formation are not well‐understood because of its long‐term nature and the scarcity of late‐successional stands. Reconstruction of such disturbance is normally based on historical records and dendroecological methods. We investigated gap initiation and formation at the fine‐scale stand level in the old‐growth reserve of Karlshaugen in Norway. Given its long‐term conservation history, and thorough mapping in permanent marked plots with spatially referenced trees, it provides an opportunity to present stand development before, during, and after gap formation. Late‐successional decline in biomass was recorded after more than 50 years of close to steady state. Gaps in the canopy were mainly created by large old trees that had been killed by spruce bark beetles. Snapping by wind was the main reason for treefall. Long‐term dominance of Norway spruce excluded downy birch and Scots pine from the stand. Comparisons of the forest floor soil properties between the gap and nongap area showed significantly higher concentrations of plant available Ca within the gap area. Plant root simulator (PRS™) probes showed significantly higher supply rates for Ca and Mg, but significantly lower K for the gap compared to the nongap area. Soil water from the gap area had significantly higher C:N ratios compared to the nongap area. Fine‐scale variation with increasing distance to logs indicated that CWD is important for leaking of DOC and Ca. Our long‐term study from Karlshaugen documents gap dynamics after more than 50 years of steady state and a multiscale disturbance regime in an old‐growth forest. The observed disturbance dynamic caused higher aboveground and belowground heterogeneity in plots, coarse woody debris, and nutrients. Our study of the nutrient levels of the forest floor suggest that natural gaps of old‐growth forest provide a long‐lasting biogeochemical feedback system particularly with respect to Ca and probably also N. Norway spruce trees near the gap edge responded with high plasticity to reduced competition, showing the importance of the edge zone as hot spots for establishing heterogeneity, but also the potential for carbon sequestration in old‐growth forest.

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Episodic, patchy disturbances characterize an old-growth Picea abies dominated forest landscape in northeastern Europe

Cited by 30 publications

References 26 publications

Nearest neighbour relationships in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia forests along the Nanpan River, China

Nearest neighbour relationships in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia forests along the Nanpan River, China

Small changes in species composition despite stand-replacing bark beetle outbreak in Picea abies mountain forests

Gap formation and dynamics after long‐term steady state in an old‐growth Picea abies stand in Norway: Above‐ and belowground interactions

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