Recovery of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks in Young Boreal Forests: A Comparison of Harvesting and Wildfire Disturbance

Seedre, Meelis; Taylor, Anthony R.; Brassard, Brian W.; Chen, Han Y. H.; Jõgiste, Kalev

doi:10.1007/s10021-014-9763-7

Cited by 41 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 58 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, the majority of forests in the US Northeast are still recovering from 19th century clearing and are younger and structurally more simple compared to pre-European settlement conditions (Foster, Motzkin, & Slater, 1998). As forests age, their species composition and structure change (Tyrrell & Crow, 1994;Urbano & Keeton, 2017), which has consequences for ESB (Dıáz, Armesto, Reid, Sieving, & Willson, 2005;Fuhr, Bourrier, & Cordonnier, 2015;Seedre, Taylor, Brassard, Chen, & Jõgiste, 2014;Seidl, Rammer, & Spies, 2014). These changes complicate joint management for ESB.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness covaries with forest age in boreal–temperate North America

Thom

Golivets

Edling

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change threatens the provisioning of forest ecosystem services and biodiversity (ESB). The climate sensitivity of ESB may vary with forest development from young to old‐growth conditions as structure and composition shift over time and space. This study addresses knowledge gaps hindering implementation of adaptive forest management strategies to sustain ESB. We focused on a number of ESB indicators to (a) analyze associations among carbon storage, timber growth rate, and species richness along a forest development gradient; (b) test the sensitivity of these associations to climatic changes; and (c) identify hotspots of climate sensitivity across the boreal–temperate forests of eastern North America. From pre‐existing databases and literature, we compiled a unique dataset of 18,507 forest plots. We used a full Bayesian framework to quantify responses of nine ESB indicators. The Bayesian models were used to assess the sensitivity of these indicators and their associations to projected increases in temperature and precipitation. We found the strongest association among the investigated ESB indicators in old forests (>170 years). These forests simultaneously support high levels of carbon storage, timber growth, and species richness. Older forests also exhibit low climate sensitivity of associations among ESB indicators as compared to younger forests. While regions with a currently low combined ESB performance benefitted from climate change, regions with a high ESB performance were particularly vulnerable to climate change. In particular, climate sensitivity was highest east and southeast of the Great Lakes, signaling potential priority areas for adaptive management. Our findings suggest that strategies aimed at enhancing the representation of older forest conditions at landscape scales will help sustain ESB in a changing world.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness covaries with forest age in boreal–temperate North America

Thom

Golivets

Edling

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Globally, old-growth boreal and temperate forests serve as a major carbon sink [4]. In some specific conditions for a certain period, old-growth forests might become carbon neutral [19] or even a carbon source, when net carbon balance becomes negative [20]. In Europe, several studies have investigated ecosystem carbon pools in stands dominated by old-growth Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Pools in Old-Growth Scots Pine Stands in Hemiboreal Latvia

Ķēniņa

Jaunslaviete

Liepa

et al. 2019

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Old-growth forests are widely recognised for the benefits they provide for biodiversity; however, a more comprehensive understanding of their role in climate change mitigation must still be established to find the optimal balance between different forest ecosystem services at a national or regional scale. Very few studies have assessed carbon pools in old-growth Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)-dominated boreal forests, and none have been conducted in hemiboreal forests. Therefore, we assessed the carbon storage of the living tree biomass, deadwood, forest floor (soil organic horizon, including all litter and decomposed wood), and mineral soil in 25 hemiboreal old-growth (163-218 years) unmanaged Scots pine stands in Latvia. The studied stands were without known records of any major natural or human-made disturbance in the visible past. Our results show, that the total ecosystem carbon pool (excluding ground vegetation) was 291.2 ± 54.2 Mg C ha −1 , which was primarily composed of living tree biomass (59%), followed by mineral soil (31%), deadwood (5%), and the forest floor (5%). Within the studied stand age group, the total carbon pool remained stable; however, interchanges among the carbon pools, i.e., living biomass and laying deadwood, did occur.

show abstract

“…For example, Rothstein et al () observed an initial decrease in total C storage in jack pine forests in Michigan, followed by an increase as stands develop along 72‐year chronosequence. Seedre et al () also depicted a similar pattern in jack pine forest of central Canada over a 27‐year chronosequence following fire. The results of nonlinear regression analysis showed that the AC pools in stands along this chronosequence remained as net C sources to the atmosphere until approximately 30 years after fire (Figure a), losing about an average of 1.94 Mg C·ha −1 ·year −1 over this period (Figure b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…This forest biome has been characterized as a C sink with slow decomposition rate of litter (Harden et al, ; Luyssaert et al, , ) and plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change (Luo et al, ; Pan et al, ). Wildfire is one of the most pervasive natural disturbances in boreal forests (Kelly et al, ; Randerson et al, ; X. L. Wang et al, ), strongly influencing landscape variations of forest age and structure (Johnstone et al, ) as well as ecosystem functions such as C storage and sequestration (Harden et al, ; Kashian et al, ; Seedre et al, ). Climate driven models predict an overall increase of wildfire frequency in boreal forests before the end of the 21st century (Girardin et al, ; Goetz et al, ; Z. H. Liu et al, ; Stephens et al, ), which will intensify fire‐induced C losses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the fire free interval becomes shorter than recovery time, the AC pool would not recover to its previous C storage capacity (Harvey et al, ; Johnstone et al, ), hence altering its ecological role in global C cycling. Additionally, a long recovery time could increase the exposure risk of ecosystems to natural or anthropogenic hazards, such as repeated wildfires, nonnative species invasion, and land clearing (Harvey et al, ; Seedre et al, ; Stevens & Latimer, ). With higher fire frequency, the nutrients that are lost will limit regrowth capacity, lowering the maximum potential for C storage in the region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Dynamics of Postfire Aboveground Carbon in a Chronosequence of Chinese Boreal Larch Forests

Yang

Cai²,

Yang

et al. 2018

JGR Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Boreal forests store a large proportion of the global terrestrial carbon (C), while wildfire plays a crucial role in determining their C storage and dynamics. The aboveground C (AC) pool is an important component of forest C stocks. To quantify the turning point (transforming from C source to C sink) and recovery time of postfire AC, and assess how stand density affects the AC, 175 plots from eight stand age classes were surveyed as a chronosequence in the Great Xing'an Mountains of Northeast China. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses were conducted to describe postfire AC recovery patterns. The results showed that (1) postfire AC exhibited a skewed U-shaped pattern with the turning point at approximately year 30, when the change rate of AC shifted from negative to positive, (2) it took more than 120 years for this forest ecosystem to recover 80% of AC in unburned old-growth (200 years) stands, and (3) there was an overall positive relationship between AC and stand density over the entire range of stand age classes; and such relationship was stronger during the early-and late-successional stages, but weaker (p > 0.05) during the midsuccessional stage. Although boreal larch forests have been C sinks under historical fire free intervals, predicted increases in fire frequency could potentially shift it to a C source. Understanding postfire AC dynamics in boreal larch forests is central to predicting C cycling response to wildfire and provides a framework for assessing ecosystem resilience to disturbance in this region. Plain Language SummaryBoreal forests store more than 32% of total global forest carbon (C), but this C pool is very susceptible to wildfires which are one of the most pervasive disturbances in the boreal biome. Identifying the dynamic trajectory and recovery pattern of postfire aboveground C (AC) storage is crucial for understanding the global ecological significance of wildfire disturbance. A total of 175 plots from eight stand age classes were surveyed in the Great Xing'an Mountains of Northeast China to quantify ecological resilience, and further examine the relationship between various components of AC and stand density throughout successional stages. Our data analysis showed that the AC pool could be a C source to the atmosphere for several decades following fire disturbances; and it would take more than a century for the AC to recover 80% of that in old-growth boreal larch forests in Northeastern China. Increases in fire frequency due to climate change and human activities will increase C emission, which may significantly influence the regional C budget. Stand density was considered as a positive factor on AC accumulation following wildfire, but this effect may be counteracted by variation in tree size due to site productivity in other successional stages. Key Points:• Postfire dynamics of aboveground carbon storage were depicted over a 200-year chronosequence in boreal larch forests • Aboveground carbon transformed from a source to a sink after 30 years, and it took over 120 years to recov...

show abstract

Recovery of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks in Young Boreal Forests: A Comparison of Harvesting and Wildfire Disturbance

Cited by 41 publications

References 58 publications

The climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness covaries with forest age in boreal–temperate North America

The climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness covaries with forest age in boreal–temperate North America

Carbon Pools in Old-Growth Scots Pine Stands in Hemiboreal Latvia

Dynamics of Postfire Aboveground Carbon in a Chronosequence of Chinese Boreal Larch Forests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About