How old are Wet Forest understories?

Mueck, Stephen G.; Ough, Keely; Banks, J. C.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1996.tb00619.x

Cited by 36 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Stands were aged by a combination of methods, including historical records of disturbance events, tree diameter-age relationships, and cross-checking with dendrochronology. Ages of understory plants ranged from to 100 to 370 years, as determined by radiocarbon dating (62). Different components of the ecosystem survive and regenerate from various previous disturbance events.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-evaluation of forest biomass carbon stocks and lessons from the world's most carbon-dense forests

Keith

Mackey

Lindenmayer

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

751

570

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From analysis of published global site biomass data (n ‫؍‬ 136) from primary forests, we discovered (i) the world's highest known total biomass carbon density (living plus dead) of 1,867 tonnes carbon per ha (average value from 13 sites) occurs in Australian temperate moist Eucalyptus regnans forests, and (ii) average values of the global site biomass data were higher for sampled temperate moist forests (n ‫؍‬ 44) than for sampled tropical (n ‫؍‬ 36) and boreal (n ‫؍‬ 52) forests (n is number of sites per forest biome). Spatially averaged Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change biome default values are lower than our average site values for temperate moist forests, because the temperate biome contains a diversity of forest ecosystem types that support a range of mature carbon stocks or have a long land-use history with reduced carbon stocks. We describe a framework for identifying forests important for carbon storage based on the factors that account for high biomass carbon densities, including (i) relatively cool temperatures and moderately high precipitation producing rates of fast growth but slow decomposition, and (ii) older forests that are often multiaged and multilayered and have experienced minimal human disturbance. Our results are relevant to negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change regarding forest conservation, management, and restoration. Conserving forests with large stocks of biomass from deforestation and degradation avoids significant carbon emissions to the atmosphere, irrespective of the source country, and should be among allowable mitigation activities. Similarly, management that allows restoration of a forest's carbon sequestration potential also should be recognized.Eucalyptus regnans ͉ climate mitigation ͉ primary forest ͉ deforestation and degradation ͉ temperate moist forest biome D eforestation currently accounts for Ϸ18% of global carbon emissions and is the third largest source of emissions (1). Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) is now recognized as a critical component of climate change mitigation (2). A good understanding of the carbon dynamics of forests (3) is therefore important, particularly about how carbon stocks vary in relation to environmental conditions and human land-use activities. Average values of biomass carbon densities for the major forest biomes (4) are used as inputs to climate-carbon models, estimating regional and national carbon accounts, and informing policy debates (5). However, for many purposes it is important to know the spatial distribution of biomass carbon within biomes (6) and the effects of human land-use activities on forest condition and resulting carbon stocks (refs. 3 and 7 and www-.fao.org/forestry/site/10368/en).Primarily because of Kyoto Protocol rules (ref. 8; http:// unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf), interest in carbon accounting has been focused on modified natural forests and plantation forests. It has been argued that primary forests, especially very old forests, a...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-evaluation of forest biomass carbon stocks and lessons from the world's most carbon-dense forests

Keith

Mackey

Lindenmayer

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

751

570

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“…Yet, there can be old growth understorey elements within a forest where the overstorey is predominantly regrowth. Carbon-dating work has shown that understorey plants such as tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica, Cyathea australis) can be 350 years old within a forest dominated by 60-year-old overstorey eucalypt trees (Mueck et al, 1996). These 'old growth' understorey plants can be important places for the establishment of epiphytic plants (Ough, 2001) and provide key food resources for some animals (Seebeck et al, 1984;Lindenmayer et al, 1994a).…”

Section: Issues For Defining Old Growth Mountain Ash Forestsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Old forest, new perspectives—Insights from the Mountain Ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia

Lindenmayer

2009

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…These fire-tolerant species are characteristic of Wet Forest understoreys, often forming a dominant component (Ough and Ross, 1992;Ashton and Attiwill, 1994;Walsh and Entwisle, 1994;Ough and Murphy, 1996). Life spans of several centuries appear to be common for these slow growing plants (Cremer and Mount, 1965;Mueck et al, 1996;Ashton and Bassett, 1997), and a variety of epiphytes often inhabit the trunks of the taller tree-ferns (Ough and Ross, 1992;Chesterfield, 1996;Ough and Murphy, 1996;Ashton and Chinner, 1999;Ashton, 2000). Ashton (2000) also observed tree-fern trunks to be especially favourable establishment sites for almost all woody species in the forest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%