Estimates of decay rates of components of coarse woody debris in thinned Sitka spruce forests

We synthesize current information on input, accumulation, and decay of coarse woody debris (CWD) compared with other aboveground litter to assess the role of CWD in the nutrient cycles of northern coniferous forests. CWD contributes between 3% and 73% of aboveground litter input, but <20% of N, P, K, and Ca. Although CWD accounts for up to 54% of accumulated organic matter (including forest floor and soil), it contributes <5% of the N, <10% of the P, and <25% of the K, Ca, and Mg. Decay rates of CWD in northern forests range from 0.0025 to 0.071 year-1. Nitrogen or P concentrations in CWD increase during decay, depending on the initial N/P ratio, which eventually converges at about 20. CWD is initially a sink for N and (or) P, whichever is least available, but becomes a source later in decay. CWD contributes <5% of the N released annually. There is little evidence that CWD retains significant amounts of excess N following disturbance. We conclude that CWD is of minor importance in the nutrient cycles of northern coniferous forests, and that guidelines for CWD retention should be based on other perceived benefits of CWD.

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Cost-efficiency of measures to increase the amount of coarse woody debris in managed Norway spruce forests

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2004.10.061 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 206 (1-3) ◽

pp. 119-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Thomas Ranius ◽

Hans Ekvall ◽

Mattias Jonsson ◽

Göran Bostedt

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Cost Efficiency ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Spruce Forests

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Coarse woody debris in the southeastern Canadian boreal forest: composition and load variations in relation to stand replacement

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x99-256 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 674-687 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

C Hély ◽

Y Bergeron ◽

M D Flannigan

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Structural Characteristics ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Decay Rates ◽

Forest Composition ◽

Stand Age ◽

Time Since Fire ◽

Clay Deposits ◽

Canopy Composition

Quantities and structural characteristics of coarse woody debris (CWD) (logs and snags) were examined in relation to stand age and composition in the Canadian mixedwood boreal forest. Forty-eight stands originating after fire (from 32 to 236 years) were sampled on mesic clay deposits. The point-centered quadrant method was used to record canopy composition and structure (living trees and snags). The line-intersect method was used to sample logs of all diameters. Total log load, mean snag density, and volume per stand were similar to other boreal stands. Linear and nonlinear regressions showed that time since fire and canopy composition were significant descriptors for log load changes, whereas time since fire was the only significant factor for snag changes. Coarse woody debris accumulation models through time since fire were different from the U-shaped model because the first initial decrease from residual pre-disturbance debris was missing, the involved species had rapid decay rates with no long-term accumulation, and the succession occurred from species replacement through time.

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Stock of Coarse Woody Debris in Spruce Forests of the Middle Taiga in the European North-East

Lesnoy Zhurnal (Forestry Journal) ◽

10.17238/issn0536-1036.2015.2.9 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 344 (2) ◽

pp. 9-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K Bobkova ◽

◽

M Kuznetsov ◽

A Osipov ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Middle Taiga ◽

Spruce Forests ◽

North East ◽

European North

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Decomposition of coarse woody debris in an old-growth Indiana forest

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x88-212 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 1353-1362 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Paul C. MacMillan

Keyword(s):

Decay Rate ◽

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Decay Rates ◽

Older Age ◽

Actual Evapotranspiration ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Age Classes ◽

Old Growth ◽

Model Based

Decay rates of Quercus sp., Carya sp., Fagusgrandifolia, and Acer sp. coarse woody debris in an old-growth southern Indiana forest were 0.018, 0.035, 0.019, and 0.045 per year, respectively, based on changes in density over a span of 25+ years. Their respective biomass values were 15, 2.3, 0.2, and 0.4 t•ha−1. The greatest differences in decay rates of cellulose were between maple (high) and oak (low), and of lignin were between beech (high) and oak (low). Carbon to nitrogen ratios approached 100 and nitrogen to phosphorus ratios approached 20 in the older age-classes. On average, oak, hickory, beech, and maple logs contained 1.66, 1.10, 0.14, and 0.19 kg nitrogen and 0.056, 0.070, 0.005, and 0.016 kg phosphorus, respectively. Meentemeyer's model based on actual evapotranspiration predicted a decay rate of 0.80 per year, which is 27 times larger than the decay rates calculated on changes in density. Fragmentation loss rates for these four genera were estimated to be 0.288, 0.802, 1.171, and 0.338 per year, respectively. Decay rates based on diameter of coarse woody debris ranged from 0.0027 to 0.0337 per year. All these factors are important in understanding the process of decay of coarse woody debris in this forest. The roles of fragmentation in the decay of coarse woody debris and of fungitoxic extractives need more study.

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Impacts of retention felling on coarse woody debris (CWD) in mature boreal spruce forests in Finland

Biodiversity and Conservation ◽

10.1023/b:bioc.0000021327.43783.a9 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1541-1554 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Harri Hautala ◽

Jyrki Jalonen ◽

Sanna Laaka-Lindberg ◽

Ilkka Vanha-Majamaa

Keyword(s):

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Spruce Forests

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