Windstorm Disturbance without Patch Dynamics: Twelve Years of Change in a Minnesota Forest

Webb, Sara L.; Scanga, Sara E.

doi:10.2307/2680207

Cited by 34 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…As similar to the stands described in Webb and Scanga (2001), delay in recovery of tall tree species after a major disturbance is common also in the region, because of the interference of dense dwarf bamboo cover to tree regeneration. The elevated soil surface is particularly important for seedlings establishments against dense dwarf bamboos in this type of mixed forests (Noguchi and Yohida 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Vulnerability to strong winds for major tree species in a northern Japanese mixed forest: analyses of historical data

Yoshida

Noguchi

2008

Ecological Research

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This study examined historical census data to evaluate the vulnerability of major tall-tree species in northern Japan to strong winds. Intensive data, which measured more than 20,000 damaged trees (defined as trees that were killed or lost their major crown) in >500 ha of a natural mixed forest, were collected immediately after a severe typhoon in 1954. More than half of the damaged trees had been uprooted, and the negative size-dependency was found for the proportion of uprooting throughout species. Simple correlation analyses with respect to the averaged species-specific characteristics suggested that tree species with a high crown-depth/height tended to uproot (against to stem breakage) in a size-class with diameter at breast height 30-50 cm. Although the census data had yielded no information about non-damaged trees, the estimation of pre-disturbed stand (based on 63 1-ha plot data together with aerial photographs and GIS) revealed that the observed damage reached ca. 25% in terms of basal area. The proportion of damaged trees seemed to be doubled among species (15-42% in basal area). A higher proportion of uprooting, which indicates a large supply of tip-up mounds, and mixture of less vulnerable species, might contribute to recovery process after a wind disturbance in this type of mixed forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Vulnerability to strong winds for major tree species in a northern Japanese mixed forest: analyses of historical data

Yoshida

Noguchi

2008

Ecological Research

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“…Only P. serotina density is presently higher than its occurrence in 1967, increasing from approximately 10 to 360 -stems ha )1 . Though numerous studies have reported canopy gaps to promote diversity enrichment (Collins and Pickett 1988;Goldblum 1997;Anderson and Leopold 2002) and additional studies report increased plant density and cover in treefall gaps as compared to the surrounding closed canopy conditions (Moore and Vankat 1986;Collins and Pickett 1988;Goldblum 1997), these trends are not always observed (Clebsch and Busing 1989;Webb and Scanga 2001;Forrester and Runkle 2000). We measured few differences between these two environments within the Sunken Forest, even though low light conditions in the forest understory created by the evergreen canopy led us to expect the vegetation would respond to increased light conditions in treefall gaps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Extant and potential vegetation of an old-growth maritime Ilex opaca forest

Forrester

Leopold

2006

Plant Ecol

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The extant and potential (seed bank) vegetation of a rare maritime holly forest on Fire Island, New York was described to assess whether treefall gaps act as a mechanism for the persistence of the species composition of this plant community over time. The Sunken Forest overstory is dominated by Ilex opaca, Amelanchier canadensis and Sassafras albidum. A survey of canopy gaps indicated canopy openings compose 11.3% of the land within the Sunken Forest (16 ha). The composition and density of the seed bank were described using the emergence method. Germination from soil samples placed in the greenhouse was monitored over 2 years. Sixteen species germinated with an average propagule density of 215±41 germinants per square metre. An early successional species (Rhus copallinum) dominated the seed bank, but the late-successional, shade-tolerant I. opaca was also present. Though only one species in the seed bank did not appear in the current vegetation, species abundance differed between vegetation strata. The mean cover and density of the ground-layer flora were higher beneath treefall gaps than closed canopy. Sapling density did not differ between the two canopy conditions, but the dominant species differed with A. canadensis occupying several closed canopy plots and P. serotina saplings appearing more often in gap plots. Most of the dominant canopy species are present in the seed bank and ground layer but are not present in the shrub and sapling layer, with the exception of A. canadensis. Current (2002) sapling density is lower than three decades ago for all species except P. serotina, which is now the dominant woody species in the Sunken Forest understory. The results of this study indicate that if the cause of the sapling reduction is lessened or removed, the characteristic species of the overstory of this unusual plant community may rebound and redevelop a sapling and shrub layer akin to that present before the increase in Odocoileus virginianus on the island.

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“…Similarly, five years after the storm at Kemp Station, yellow birch and white pine seedlings were common in large gaps or on tip-up mounds in partial shade (J. J. Hanson, personal observation). Successful recruitment of midtolerant tree species is sometimes prevented by dense advance regeneration or shrubs (Webb 1989, Beckage et al 2000, Webb and Scanga 2001, but the pre-storm, hemlock-dominated stands in this study did not have dense hardwood understories.…”

Section: Influence Of Moderate-intensity Storms On Canopy Conditions mentioning

confidence: 72%

Forest Structure and Light Regimes Following Moderate Wind Storms: Implications for Multi-Cohort Management

Hanson

Lorimer

2007

Ecological Applications

163

125

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Moderate-severity disturbances appear to be common throughout much of North America, but they have received relatively little detailed study compared to catastrophic disturbances and small gap dynamics. In this study, we examined the immediate impact of moderate-intensity wind storms on stand structure, opening sizes, and light regimes in three hemlock-hardwood forests of northeastern Wisconsin. These were compared to three stands managed by single-tree and group selection, the predominant forest management system for northern hardwoods in the region. Wind storms removed an average of 41% of the stand basal area, compared to 27% removed by uneven-aged harvests, but both disturbances removed trees from a wide range of size classes. The removal of nearly half of the large trees by wind in two old-growth stands caused partial retrogression to mature forest structure, which has been hypothesized to be a major disturbance pathway in the region. Wind storms resulted in residual stand conditions that were much more heterogeneous than in managed stands. Gap sizes ranged from less than 10 m2 up to 5000 m2 in wind-disturbed stands, whereas the largest opening observed in managed stands was only 200 m2. Wind-disturbed stands had, on average, double the available solar radiation at the forest floor compared to managed stands. Solar radiation levels were also more heterogeneous in wind-disturbed stands, with six times more variability at small scales (0.1225 ha) and 15 times more variability at the whole-stand level. Modification of uneven-aged management regimes to include occasional harvests of variable intensity and spatial pattern may help avoid the decline in species diversity that tends to occur after many decades of conventional uneven-aged management. At the same time, a multi-cohort system with these properties would retain a high degree of average crown cover, promote structural heterogeneity typical of old-growth forests, and maintain dominance by late-successional species.

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Windstorm Disturbance without Patch Dynamics: Twelve Years of Change in a Minnesota Forest

Cited by 34 publications

References 19 publications

Vulnerability to strong winds for major tree species in a northern Japanese mixed forest: analyses of historical data

Vulnerability to strong winds for major tree species in a northern Japanese mixed forest: analyses of historical data

Extant and potential vegetation of an old-growth maritime Ilex opaca forest

Forest Structure and Light Regimes Following Moderate Wind Storms: Implications for Multi-Cohort Management

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