Longevity of windthrown logs in a subalpine forest of central Colorado

Brown, Peter; Shepperd, Wayne D.; Mata, S. A.; McClain, Douglas L.

doi:10.1139/cjfr-28-6-932

Cited by 32 publications

(41 citation statements)

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“…Our estimate of the decay constant across all sites and both lodgepole pine and Englemann spruce logs (0.0017±0.0005 year −1 ) is slower than that reported for 40+ cm Douglas fir logs in the Pacific Northwest, for other temperate forests (Harmon et al 1986), and for the same species measured by most other researchers (Busse 1994;Fahey 1983;Laiho and Prescott 1999). Using a dendrochronological approach, Brown et al (1998) reported lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce decay rates in similar Colorado forest to be linear with time, decreasing by 0.0004 and 0.0015 g cm −3 year −1 , respectively. At these rates, the time for CWD to reach 37% of its original density is~570 years for pine, comparable to our estimated turnover time of 340-630 years, and 140 years for spruce, which is much less than the 650-800 years we estimated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To obtain dates of tree death in sites with little recorded disturbance history, some researchers have turned to dendrochronology, matching the tree-ring patterns of live trees with those of fallen trees to determine how long ago a tree died (e.g., Brown et al 1998;Daniels et al 1997). This approach integrates a greater diversity of log ages within a single site and can be used in remote forests that do not have carefully documented disturbance histories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient

et al. 2004

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Dead wood biomass can be a substantial fraction of stored carbon in forest ecosystems, and coarse woody debris (CWD) decay rates may be sensitive to climate warming. We used an elevation gradient in Colorado Rocky Mountain subalpine forest to examine climate and species effects on dead wood biomass, and on CWD decay rate. Using a new radiocarbon approach, we determined that the turnover time of lodgepole pine CWD (340+/-130 years) was roughly half as long in a site with 2.5-3 degrees C warmer air temperature, as that of pine (630+/-400 years) or Engelmann spruce CWD (800+/-960 and 650+/-410 years) in cooler sites. Across all sites and both species, CWD age ranged from 2 to 600 years, and turnover time was 580+/-180 years. Total standing and fallen dead wood biomass ranged from 4.7+/-0.2 to 54+/-1 Mg ha(-1), and from 2.8 to 60% of aboveground live tree biomass. Dead wood biomass increased 75 kg ha(-1) per meter gain in elevation and decreased 13 Mg ha(-1) for every degree C increase in mean air temperature. Differences in biomass and decay rates along the elevation gradient suggest that climate warming will lead to a loss of dead wood carbon from subalpine forest.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient

et al. 2004

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“…This knowledge can also be useful in describing disturbance or forest use patterns through what can be called forensic forestry. Many studies have provided insights into forest dynamics by examining persistence of dead wood and describing the decomposition process (Lang and Knight 1979;Lambert et al 1980;Robertson and Daniel 1989;Brown et al 1998).…”

Section: Stump and Log Decompositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In tropical moist forests, decomposition rates can be rapid but variable (10 years for 99% decomposition in Panama: Lang and Knight 1979;43 years in Puerto Rico: Odum 1970), compared with much slower rates in temperate and montane regions (Lambert et al 1980;Brown et al 1998). In mangroves, downed wood can be persistent (Smith et al 1994) due to regular inundation as well as to the high wood density and presence of organic chemicals typical of many mangrove species (Cragg 1993).…”

Section: Stump and Log Decompositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking Human Disturbance in Mangroves: Estimating Harvest Rates on a Micronesian Island

Hauff

Ewel

Jack

2006

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Disturbance is an integral component in mangrove forest dynamics, influencing forest structure, composition, and function. The impacts of human disturbance, however, threaten mangrove forests throughout the world. Small-scale wood harvesting on the small Pacific island of Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, provided an instructive scenario for exploring the dynamics of human disturbance. Natural disturbances on the island are rare, but the growing island population harvests mangrove trees for firewood and construction materials, placing pressure on the forest. In order to determine recent harvest rates, we estimated gap ages by developing a time scale for mangrove wood decomposition and by quantifying growth rates for Rhizophora apiculata and Bruguiera gymnorhiza seedlings. Stump and log decomposition patterns were useful in aging gaps, although some patterns were more reliable than others. Seedlings of both species added approximately 5 nodes/year depending on light conditions. The island-wide harvest rate was 10% over the last 10 years, but the rates varied widely among different parts of the island. Rhizophora apiculata has been harvested preferentially, and a dearth of young trees where harvesting has been heaviest portends a decline of this highly desired species in the forest. Socio-economic data substantiated some but not all of the trends we observed. Even on a small island, local differences in both natural and anthropogenic factors are important to understanding forest dynamics.

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“…There can be a continuous increase of CWD mass with stand age (Hély et al 2000), an inverse U-shaped accumulation curve (Brown and See 1981) or a U-or S-shaped curve (Sturtevant et al 1997;Clark et al 1998;Pedlar et al 2002;Brais et al 2005;Martin et al 2005). The most common of these in the boreal forest is the U-shaped CWD accumulation curve.…”

Section: Dead Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon dynamics of North American boreal forest after stand replacing wildfire and clearcut logging

Seedre

Shrestha

Chen

et al. 2011

Journal of Forest Research

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Boreal forest carbon (C) storage and sequestration is a critical element for global C management and is largely disturbance driven. The disturbance regime can be natural or anthropogenic with varying intensity and frequency that differ temporally and spatially the boreal forest. The objective of this review was to synthesize the literature on C dynamics of North American boreal forests after most common disturbances, stand replacing wildfire and clearcut logging. Forest ecosystem C is stored in four major pools: live biomass, dead biomass, organic soil horizons, and mineral soil. Carbon cycling among these pools is inter-related and largely determined by disturbance type and time since disturbance. Following a stand replacing disturbance, (1) live biomass increases rapidly leading to the maximal biomass stage, then stabilizes or slightly declines at old-growth or gap dynamics stage at which late-successional tree species dominate the stand; (2) dead woody material carbon generally follows a U-shaped pattern during succession; (3) forest floor carbon increases throughout stand development; and (4) mineral soil carbon appears to be more or less stable throughout stand development. Wildfire and harvesting differ in many ways, fire being more of a chemical and harvesting a mechanical disturbance. Fire consumes forest floor and small live vegetation and foliage, whereas logging removes large stems. Overall, the effects of the two disturbances on C dynamics in boreal forest are poorly understood. There is also a scarcity of literature dealing with C dynamics of plant coarse and fine roots, understory vegetation, smallsized and buried dead material, forest floor, and mineral soil.

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Longevity of windthrown logs in a subalpine forest of central Colorado

Cited by 32 publications

References 0 publications

Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient

Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient

Tracking Human Disturbance in Mangroves: Estimating Harvest Rates on a Micronesian Island

Carbon dynamics of North American boreal forest after stand replacing wildfire and clearcut logging

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