Woody Debris Volume Depletion Through Decay: Implications for Biomass and Carbon Accounting

Fraver, Shawn; Milo, Amy M.; Bradford, John B.; D’Amato, Anthony W.; Kenefic, Laura S.; Palik, Brian J.; Woodall, Christopher W.; Brissette, John C.

doi:10.1007/s10021-013-9682-z

Cited by 77 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Decomposition is (generally) a gradual process that affects wood structure and chemical properties, due to the activities of invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria [6,[30][31][32]. As decomposition proceeds, the density of wood decreases, while the volume of the twig is maintained by its lignin "skeleton" and in some cases by the persistence of recalcitrant bark [6,33,34]. At a certain point in the decomposition process, the twig loses structural integrity and crumbles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between Fine Wood Decomposition and Flammability

Zhao

Blauw

Logtestijn

et al. 2014

Forests

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Abstract:Fire is nearly ubiquitous in the terrestrial biosphere, with profound effects on earth surface carbon storage, climate, and forest functions. Fuel quality is an important parameter determining forest fire behavior, which differs among both tree species and organs. Fuel quality is not static: when dead plant material decomposes, its structural, chemical, and water dynamic properties change, with implications for fuel flammability. However, the interactions between decomposition and flammability are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine decomposition"s effects on fuel quality and how this directly and indirectly affects wood flammability. We did controlled experiments on water dynamics and fire using twigs of four temperate tree species. We found considerable direct and indirect effects of decomposition on twig flammability, particularly on ignitability and burning time, which are important variables for fire spread. More decomposed twigs ignite and burn faster at given water content. Moreover, decomposed twigs dry out faster than fresh twigs, which make them flammable sooner when drying out after rain. Decomposed fine woody litters may promote horizontal fire spread as ground fuels and act as a fuel ladder when staying attached to trees. Our results add an important, previously poorly studied dynamic to our understanding of forest fire spread. OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 828

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between Fine Wood Decomposition and Flammability

Zhao

Blauw

Logtestijn

et al. 2014

Forests

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“…Evaluating changes in the density of dead wood is simpler and less costly, so this approach has been used extensively alone and in conjunction with other parameters as a means of characterizing wood decay (Graham and Cromack 1982, Johnson and Greene 1991, Busse 1994, Paletto and Tosi 2010, Sakai et al 2012, Fraver et al 2013. Fewer studies, however, have demonstrated the relationship between wood density and carbon content per unit volume (i.e.…”

Section: Metrics Of Wood Decompositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As pointed out by Fraver et al (2013), estimates of wood density for chronosequence studies are prone to be biased if loss of volume is not accounted for in highly decayed samples. Similarly, elemental concentrations of decayed samples do not reflect the overall change relative to undecayed wood, because the original mass has been reduced (Holub 75 et al 2001).…”

Section: Moisture Content Volume Determination and Implications Formentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, elemental concentrations of decayed samples do not reflect the overall change relative to undecayed wood, because the original mass has been reduced (Holub 75 et al 2001). Solutions to these issues include implementing a ' collapse ratio ' to extrapolate green-wood volume from the horizontal diameter of decayed logs (Fraver et al 2013), or volume-adjusted concentrations, which express elemental concentrations of decayed wood relative to the mass ofundecayed wood (Holub et al 2001). Few of the sample logs in this study were decayed to the point of losing volume through either fragmentation or collapsing.…”

Section: Moisture Content Volume Determination and Implications Formentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, carbon density) in decayed wood samples (Sollins et al 1987). Expressing decay in terms of decayed mass per unit green volume or green mass is an important distinction because it provides a way to compensate for biases introduced by volume and/or mass losses in samples of advanced decay (Holub et al 2001, Fraver et al 2013. In particular, carbon concentrations reported in many decomposition studies only reflect the proportion of carbon relative to the concurrent composition of other elemental constituents; these decayed proportions do not necessarily represent the chemical profile of green wood, and may therefore be biased.…”

Section: Metrics Of Wood Decompositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decomposition and carbon loss in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) wood following attack by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)

Kaytor¹

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Mountain pine beetle (MPB)-killed wood remaining on the landscape is predicted to release significant amounts of carbon to the atmosphere as it decays. A lack of field-based wood decomposition data for validating simulation models reduces certainty in such predictions.Using a chronosequence approach, I quantified decomposition of MPB-killed wood to improve decay rate parameters. Changes in carbon density over time and climatic variability showed distinct patterns for bole position categories. Snag carbon density was similar to that of live lodgepole pine, and did not change considerably with time or climatic influences.Decay in suspended boles increased with summer precipitation, but declined with increasing summer temperature, suggesting decay in elevated boles is moisture-limited on warmer sites. Down boles decayed four times faster with increasing proximity to the soil than suspended boles, but did not clearly reflect climatic influences. Position of dead boles appears more important for wood decay than previously thought.

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Estimating uncertainty in the volume and carbon storage of downed coarse woody debris

Campbell

Green

Yanai

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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Downed coarse woody debris, also known as coarse woody detritus or downed dead wood, is challenging to estimate for many reasons, including irregular shapes, multiple stages of decay, and the difficulty of identifying species. In addition, some properties are commonly not measured, such as wood density and carbon concentration. As a result, there have been few previous evaluations of uncertainty in estimates of downed coarse woody debris, which are necessary for analysis and interpretation of the data. To address this shortcoming, we quantified uncertainties in estimates of downed coarse woody debris volume and carbon storage using data collected from permanent forest inventory plots in the northeastern United States by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the USDA Forest Service. Quality assurance data collected from blind remeasurement audits were used to quantify error in diameter measurements, hollowness of logs, species identification, and decay class determination. Uncertainty estimates for density, collapse ratio, and carbon concentration were taken from the literature. Estimates of individual sources of uncertainty were combined using Monte Carlo methods. Volume estimates were more reliable than carbon storage, with an average 95% confidence interval of 15.9 m3/ha across the 79 plots evaluated, which was less than the mean of 31.2 m3/ha. Estimates of carbon storage (and mass) were more uncertain, due to poorly constrained estimates of the density of wood. For carbon storage, the average 95% confidence interval was 11.1 Mg C/ha, which was larger than the mean of 4.6 Mg C/ha. Accounting for the collapse of dead wood as it decomposes would improve estimates of both volume and carbon storage. On the other hand, our analyses suggest that consideration of the hollowness of downed coarse woody debris pieces could be eliminated in this region, with little effect. This study demonstrates how uncertainty analysis can be used to quantify confidence in estimates and to help identify where best to allocate resources to improve monitoring designs.

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Woody Debris Volume Depletion Through Decay: Implications for Biomass and Carbon Accounting

Cited by 77 publications

References 52 publications

Interactions between Fine Wood Decomposition and Flammability

Interactions between Fine Wood Decomposition and Flammability

Decomposition and carbon loss in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) wood following attack by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)

Estimating uncertainty in the volume and carbon storage of downed coarse woody debris

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