Status and Trend of Cottonwood Forests Along the Missouri River

Dixon, Mark D.; Johnson, William C.; Scott, Michael L.; Bowen, D. Q.

doi:10.21236/ada581215

Cited by 12 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Floodplain forests along the Missouri River in the Great Plains were historically dominated by plains cottonwood and later successional species including green ash ( Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall), American elm ( Ulmus americana L.), peachleaf willow ( Salix amygdaloides Anderson), and box elder ( Acer negundo L.), with tree species richness increasing downstream (Dixon, Johnson, Scott, & Bowen, ; Johnson, Burgess, & Keammerer, ; NRC, ; Wilson, ). Through flow regulation, land use conversion, and reservoir inundation, significant declines (estimated 70%) in floodplain forest area have occurred since the 1890s (Dixon et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dixon et al (, ) mapped land cover and sampled 332 forested sites across eight different Missouri River segments from Fort Benton, Montana, to Kansas City, Missouri, between 2006 and 2009. In this study, we resampled 168 sites across five study segments (one channelized and four unchannelized) in 2012, with about half of these sites resampled in both 2013 (84) and 2014 (81; Figure , Table ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Details of stand selection and sampling design are provided in Dixon et al () for the preflood study and in Dixon, Boever, Danzeisen, Merkord, et al () and Dixon, Boever, Danzeisen, Munes, et al () for the postflood surveys. Stands included shrublands, woodlands, and closed canopy forests within the historical floodplain of the Missouri River and were at least 4 ha in size (with the exception of some of the younger age class stands).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of a large flood on woody vegetation along the regulated Missouri River, USA

et al. 2018

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In 2011, a large, long‐duration flood occurred on the regulated Missouri River following six decades without flooding. This study evaluated the effects of the flood on riparian forest structure and composition. In 2012, 168 forest sites sampled in 2006–2009 were resampled on five floodplain segments between Montana and Missouri, with 80 sampled again in 2013–2014. Changes in riparian forest area over 2006–2012, by age class and segment, were assessed using aerial imagery and GIS. Repeated‐measures analysis of variance was used to examine (a) the initial effects of the flood (preflood to 2012) on tree and shrub stem densities, (b) postflood (2012–2014) changes in stem density, and (c) species‐level responses for cottonwood (Populus deltoides), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). Across the study area, forest area declined 6–38% among age classes, with the greatest declines in the youngest classes. Tree density declined 19–49% across segments from preflood to 2012 but did not change significantly from 2012 to 2014. Shrub density declined 52–89% across segments from preflood to 2012, with 73–78% declines in the two youngest age classes, but increased by 42% from 2012 to 2014. Cottonwood and Russian olive, but not red cedar, showed partial recovery in the shrub/sapling layer, increasing from 2012 to 2014. Although flooding is important for floodplain forest health, the 2011 flood had mixed effects, with significant mortality of native floodplain trees and shrubs and only limited cottonwood recruitment. The initial decline in invasive species (Russian olive and red cedar), however, suggests that flooding may be an effective management tool.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of a large flood on woody vegetation along the regulated Missouri River, USA

et al. 2018

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“…forested areas on the 2010 vegetation map that had been converted to river or bare sediment by 2012 computed by a remote sensing model using the WorldView and GeoEye data, see Strong, 2012 for model parameters), the proportions of the eroded forest in different age classes and species type, and the estimated mean density of trees with DBH (stem diameter at breast height) at least 30 cm in each forest age class and type, based on pre-flood field data on 66 stands sampled in 2008 (Dixon et al, 2010;Johnson et al, 2012). forested areas on the 2010 vegetation map that had been converted to river or bare sediment by 2012 computed by a remote sensing model using the WorldView and GeoEye data, see Strong, 2012 for model parameters), the proportions of the eroded forest in different age classes and species type, and the estimated mean density of trees with DBH (stem diameter at breast height) at least 30 cm in each forest age class and type, based on pre-flood field data on 66 stands sampled in 2008 (Dixon et al, 2010;Johnson et al, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large wood distribution, mobility, and recruitment in an inter‐dam river reach: A comparison with geomorphic process on the Garrison Reach of the Missouri River pre and post the historical 2011 flood

Schenk

Benthem

Dixon

et al. 2018

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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This study assessed the effect of the largest flood since dam regulation on geomorphic and large wood (LW) trends using LW distributions at three time periods on the 150 km long Garrison Reach of the Missouri River. In 2011, a flood exceeded 4390 m3/s for a two‐week period (705% above mean flow; 500 year flood). LW was measured using high resolution satellite imagery in summer 2010 and 2012. Ancillary data including forest character, vegetation cover, lateral bank retreat, and channel capacity. Lateral bank erosion removed approximately 7400 standing trees during the flood. Other mechanisms, that could account for the other two‐thirds of the measured in‐channel LW, include overland flow through floodplains and islands. LW transport was commonly near or over 100 km as indicated by longitudinal forest and bank loss and post‐flood LW distribution. LW concentrations shift at several locations along the river, both pre‐ and post‐flood, and correspond to geomorphic river regions created by the interaction of the Garrison Dam upstream and the Oahe Dam downstream. Areas near the upstream dam experienced proportionally higher rates of bank erosion and forest loss but in‐channel LW decreased, likely due to scouring. A large amount of LW moved during this flood, the chief anchoring mechanism was not bridges or narrow channel reaches but the channel complexity of the river delta created by the downstream reservoir. Areas near the downstream dam experienced bank accretion and large amounts of LW deposition. This study confirms the results of similar work in the Reach: despite a historic flood longitudinal LW and channel trends remain the same. Dam regulation has created a geomorphic and LW pattern that is largely uninterrupted by an unprecedented dam regulation era flood. River managers may require other tools than infrequent high intensity floods to restore geomorphic and LW patterns. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Without channel movement or further narrowing in tbe future, similar pulses of cottonwood regeneration are unlikely to be repeated. The rate of cottonwood regeneration has declined in recent decades (Dixon et al 2010). The proximity of these rivermarginal patches to the main channel also makes them more vulnerable to erosion from ice and high flows than would have been the case for predam patches that established on the inside of dynamic river bends.…”

Section: Forty Years Of Vegetation Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Forty Years of Vegetation Change on the Missouri River Floodplain

Johnson¹,

Dixon²,

Scott³

et al. 2012

BioScience

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Comparative inventories in 1969 and 1970 and in 2008 of vegetation from 30 forest stands downstream of Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota showed (a) a sharp decline in cottonwood regeneration; (b) a strong compositional shift toward dominance by green ash; ami (c) large increases in invasive understory species, such as smooth brome, reed canary grass, and Canada thistle. These changes, and others iiiscovered during remeasurement, have been caused by a complex of factors, some related to damming (altered hydrologie and sediment regimes, delta formation, and associated wet-dry cycles) and some not (diseases and expansion of invasive plants). Dominance of green ash, however, may be short lived, given the likelihood that the emerald ash borer will arrive in the Dakotas in 5-10 years, with potentially devastating effects. The prospects for recovery of this valuable ecosystem, rich in ecosystem goods and services and in American history, are daunting.

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Status and Trend of Cottonwood Forests Along the Missouri River

Cited by 12 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of a large flood on woody vegetation along the regulated Missouri River, USA

Effects of a large flood on woody vegetation along the regulated Missouri River, USA

Large wood distribution, mobility, and recruitment in an inter‐dam river reach: A comparison with geomorphic process on the Garrison Reach of the Missouri River pre and post the historical 2011 flood

Forty Years of Vegetation Change on the Missouri River Floodplain

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