Persistence of dead trees and fallen timber in the arid zone: 76 years of data from the T.G.B. Osborn Vegetation Reserve, Koonamore, South Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
Permanent Quadrats

Very little information is available about how long dead trees remain standing, or fallen logs persist, in the Australian arid zone. Data on dead timber longevity were extracted from records of both permanent quadrats and photopoints on the T.G.B. Osborn Vegetation Reserve on Koonamore Station, South Australia. Two species were examined, Acacia aneura (mulga) and Myoporum platycarpum (false sandalwood, sugarwood). Some individuals of mulga are capable of standing dead for over 75 years, while dead M. platycarpum may stand for over 60 years. Dead Myoporum trees remained standing for an average of 31.2 � 5.7 years, fallen trunks persisted for 38.4 � 3.7 years. Standing dead A. aneura persisted on average for 40.0 � 3.7 years, fallen trunks for 22.4� 6.3 years. These figures are almost certainly underestimates. The reasons why are discussed and some comparisons made with temperate forests and tropical mangroves.

scholarly journals Standing dead trees as indicators of vertebrate diversity: Bringing continuity to the ecological role of senescent trees in austral temperate forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 107878
Author(s):  
Dario Moreira-Arce ◽  
Pablo M. Vergara ◽  
Andrés Fierro ◽  
Erick Pincheira ◽  
Silvio J. Crespin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees

Long-term changes in vegetation, gradual and episodic, on the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve, Koonamore, South Australia (1926 - 2002)

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Gradual Increase ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Gradual Change ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
Permanent Quadrats ◽  
Semi Arid

The TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve at Koonamore, South Australia, is a 390-ha exclosure in semi-arid chenopod shrubland. The area was heavily overgrazed in 1925 when it was fenced to exclude sheep. Permanent quadrats and photopoints have been maintained to the present. Feral rabbits were sometimes numerous until the mid-1970s but have since been controlled. The records represent 50 years without sheep grazing, followed by 26 years without either sheep or rabbits. Dramatic seedling establishment events have occurred since 1978 for the following species: Acacia aneura Benth., Myoporum platycarpum R.Br., Senna artemesioides subsp. coriacea Randell, S. artemesioides subsp. petiolaris Randell, Acacia burkittii Benth., Dodonaea attenuata A.Cunn., Eremophila longifolia (R.Br.) F.Muell., E. sturtii R.Br. and Maireana pyramidata (Benth.) Paul G.Wilson. However, the chenopod shrubs Atriplex vesicaria Benth. and A. stipitata Benth. increased earlier and did not respond in the same way to episodic rainfall events or rabbit control. Numbers of Alectryon oleifolius (Desf.) S.T.Reynolds and Casuarina pauper F.Muell. ex L.A.S.Johnson have remained almost unchanged, whereas Maireana sedifolia (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson and M. astrotricha (L.Johnson) Paul G.Wilson have shown a very gradual increase over time. The data show evidence for both episodic and gradual change among different species.

Comparative foraging preferences of the greater stick-nest rat Leporillus conditor and the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus: implications for regeneration of arid lands.

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Ryan ◽  
KE Moseby ◽  
DC Paton
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
High Water ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
High Water Content ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Foraging Preferences ◽  
Acacia Aneura

Dietary preferences of the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were compared using cafeteria trials and direct observations. Despite overlap, these species exhibited differences in dietary preference. L. conditor showed a strong preference for chenopod shrub species and other plant species with a high water content including Gunniopsis quadrifida and Calandrinia remota. L. conditor also preferred female bladder saltbush (Atriplex vesicaria) foliage to male. O. cuniculus ate a greater selection of plant species in most trials with their most preferred species including mulga (Acacia aneura), Salsola kali and Calandrinia remota. Both O. cuniculus and L. conditor preferred seedlings of perennial species to adult cuttings. L. conditor has recently been re-introduced to a 14 km� O. cuniculus, cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) proof exclosure in the arid zone of South Australia. The re-introduction of this herbivore and the removal of exotic herbivores may change the vegetation structure and composition within the exclosure by restricting growth of some succulent chenopod species but allowing the regeneration of tall shrub species such as Acacia aneura which are usually limited by O. cuniculus grazing.

DEVELOPING AGE-SIZE RELATIONSHIPS FOR LONG LIVED TREE SPECIES

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 309-326
Author(s):  
JOHN BOLAND ◽  
RUSSELL SINCLAIR
Keyword(s):  
Tree Rings ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Similar Nature ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
Permanent Quadrats ◽  
Semi Arid

Calculating the age of trees is often desirable in vegetation studies, but is sometimes difficult. In arid areas in particular, tree rings may not be annual, and growth may be related more to rainfall than annual cycles. A relationship between age and trunk circumference was developed for two species, Acacia aneura and Myoporum platycarpum, based on measurements of trees of known age (<80 years) growing on permanent quadrats on the Koonamore Reserve, in semi-arid South Australia. Extrapolation beyond the known ages was made by finding the maximum girth of mature trees in a larger population and using this to estimate an asymptote to which the curve is constrained to approach. We envisage that the techniques developed here could be applied to other species of a similar nature, those for which there is no relationship between number of tree rings and age.

scholarly journals Classification of Tree Species as Well as Standing Dead Trees Using Triple Wavelength ALS in a Temperate Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 2614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Amiri ◽  
Peter Krzystek ◽  
Marco Heurich ◽  
Andrew Skidmore
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Feature Selection Method ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Maximum Point ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees ◽  
532 Nm

Knowledge about forest structures, particularly of deadwood, is fundamental for understanding, protecting, and conserving forest biodiversity. While individual tree-based approaches using single wavelength airborne laserscanning (ALS) can successfully distinguish broadleaf and coniferous trees, they still perform multiple tree species classifications with limited accuracy. Moreover, the mapping of standing dead trees is becoming increasingly important for damage calculation after pest infestation or biodiversity assessment. Recent advances in sensor technology have led to the development of new ALS systems that provide up to three different wavelengths. In this study, we present a novel method which classifies three tree species (Norway spruce, European beech, Silver fir), and dead spruce trees with crowns using full waveform ALS data acquired from three different sensors (wavelengths 532 nm, 1064 nm, 1550 nm). The ALS data were acquired in the Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany) under leaf-on conditions with a maximum point density of 200 points/m 2 . To avoid overfitting of the classifier and to find the most prominent features, we embed a forward feature selection method. We tested our classification procedure using 20 sample plots with 586 measured reference trees. Using single wavelength datasets, the highest accuracy achieved was 74% (wavelength = 1064 nm), followed by 69% (wavelength = 1550 nm) and 65% (wavelength = 532 nm). An improvement of 8–17% over single wavelength datasets was achieved when the multi wavelength data were used. Overall, the contribution of the waveform-based features to the classification accuracy was higher than that of the geometric features by approximately 10%. Our results show that the features derived from a multi wavelength ALS point cloud significantly improve the detailed mapping of tree species and standing dead trees.

Preadaptation and spatial effects on retention-tree survival in cut areas in Estonia

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 2616-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Rosenvald ◽  
Asko Lõhmus ◽  
Andres Kiviste
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Tree Survival ◽  
Tree Retention ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Retention Trees

Survival of live retention trees is a key issue for stand-scale applications of natural-disturbance-based silviculture. We explored the survival of 3255 trees in 102 cut areas (mean size 2.3 ha) in Estonia for 6 years, focusing on spatial variation and preadaptation of the trees. Altogether, 35% of the trees died during the study period, contributing 4.4 m3 of downed dead trunks and 1 m3 of standing dead trees per hectare. The annual mortality rates declined over time. The main survival determinants were tree species (higher for hardwood deciduous trees), diameter (species dependent), position relative to forest edge (higher for trees near current or former forest edges), retention density (positive), and exposure (negative). The results suggest that (1) green-tree retention can effectively increase the abundance of large shade-tolerant trees, but it is equally important for producing deadwood; (2) larger individuals, former interior-forest trees near current forest edges, and preadapted trees in open conditions should be preferably retained; (3) there is no obvious necessity to modify tree-retention techniques for tree survival according to geographical region or forest site type.

scholarly journals Standing Dead Trees are a Conduit for the Atmospheric Flux of CH4 and CO2 from Wetlands

Wetlands ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane Carmichael ◽  
Ashley M. Helton ◽  
Joseph C. White ◽  
William K. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Flux ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees

scholarly journals Resources of dead wood in the municipal forests in Warsaw

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Skwarek ◽  
Szymon Bijak
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Dead wood plays an important role for the biodiversity of forest ecosystems and influences their proper development. This study assessed the amount of coarse woody debris in municipal forests in Warsaw (central Poland). Based on the forest site type, dominant tree species and age class, we stratified all complexes of the Warsaw urban forests in order to allocate 55 sample plots. For these plots, we determined the volume of dead wood including standing dead trees, coarse woody debris and broken branches as well as uprooted trees. We calculated the amount of dead wood in the distinguished site-species-age layers and for individual complexes. The volume of dead matter in municipal forests in Warsaw amounted to 38,761 m3, i.e. 13.7 m3/ha. The obtained results correspond to the current regulations concerning the amount of dead organic matter to be left in forests. Only in the Las Bielański complex (northern Warsaw) volume of dead wood is comparable to the level observed in Polish national parks or nature reserves, which is still far lower than the values found for natural forests. In general, municipal forests in Warsaw stand out positively in terms of dead wood quantity and a high degree of variation in the forms and dimensions of dead wood.

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