Rapid understory plant recovery following forest floor protection on temporary drilling pads

We have characterized overstory light transmission, understory light levels, and plant communities in mixed wood boreal forests of northwestern Quebec with the objective of understanding how overstory light transmission interacts with composition and time since disturbance to influence the diversity and composition of understory vegetation, and, in turn, the further attenuation of light to the forest floor by the understory. Overstory light transmission differed among three forest types (aspen, mixed deciduous–conifer, and old cedar-dominated), with old forests having higher proportions of high light levels than aspen and mixed forests, which were characterized by intermediate light levels. The composition of the understory plant communities in old forests showed the weakest correlation to overstory light transmission, although those forests had the largest range of light transmission. The strongest correlation between characteristics of overstory light transmission and understory communities was found in aspen forests. Species diversity indices were consistently higher in aspen forests but showed weak relationships with overstory light transmission. Light attenuation by the understory vegetation and total height of the understory vegetation were strongly and positively related to overstory light transmission but not forest type. Therefore, light transmission through the overstory influenced the structure and function of understory plants more than their diversity and composition. This is likely due to the strong effect of the upper understory layers, which tend to homogenize light levels at the forest floor regardless of forest type. The understory plant community acts as a filter, thereby reducing light levels at the forest floor to uniformly low levels.

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A Study of Understory Plant Recovery After a Forest Fire in the Columbia River Gorge

10.15760/etd.6656 ◽

2000 ◽

Author(s):

Mark Pittsenbarger

Keyword(s):

Forest Fire ◽

Columbia River ◽

Plant Recovery ◽

Understory Plant

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First-year impacts of shelterwood logging on understory vegetation in an old-growth pine stand in central Ontario, Canada

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892900000266 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 229-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

PETER A. QUINBY

Keyword(s):

Forest Floor ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Forest Understory ◽

Red Maple ◽

White Birch ◽

Old Growth ◽

Disturbed Condition ◽

Bracken Fern ◽

Shelterwood Cut ◽

Understory Plant

There is evidence in the literature that a variety of logging practices may result in significant short and long-term changes to vegetation in the forest understory, however, these changes are still largely unknown for many forest types. The objective of this study was to determine the short-term effects of shelterwood logging on tree and non-arboreal plant species composition and diversity in both the understory and sapling strata within the Owain Lake Stand of old-growth red and eastern white pine located in Temagami, Ontario. The most significant changes were increases of white birch (800%), red maple (363%) and bracken fern (110%) in the understory. The most significant decreases within the understory occurred in mosses and liverworts (110%), Canada mayflower (49%) and starflower (28%). Bracken fern, red maple, and bush honeysuckle were the three most abundant species in the post-harvest understory plant community and will probably increase in their abundance under the present disturbed condition. A second shelterwood cut in 20 to 40 years may further facilitate an increase in these three species primarily by increasing light levels at the forest floor. All three species are very vigorous and are likely to dominate the forest understory until the upper canopy closes resulting in decreased light intensity at the forest floor.

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Plant community composition and tree seedling establishment in response to seeding and weeding treatments on different reclamation cover soils

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2018-0363 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 836-843 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Leah A. deBortoli ◽

Bradley D. Pinno ◽

M. Derek MacKenzie ◽

Edith H.Y. Li

Keyword(s):

Plant Community ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Forest Floor ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Deciduous Tree ◽

Native Plant ◽

Tree Seedling ◽

Understory Plant ◽

Understory Plant Communities

The majority of plant diversity in North American boreal forests is comprised of understory plant communities undergoing continuous interspecific competition. Anthropogenic activities, particularly surface mining, have introduced higher severity disturbances that not only remove vegetation, but also modify soil. During reclamation, soils used to cap overburden materials have inhibited native plant growth and increased weed invasion. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of seeding and weeding treatments for promoting the establishment of native understory plant communities, as well as a common deciduous tree species, on three different reclamation cover soils (forest floor – mineral mix, peat–mineral mix, and transitional). The broadcasting of a native forb seed mix was not successful on any of the cover soils, whereas weeding affected each cover soil differently. With weeding, the forest floor – mineral mix and transitional cover soils experienced a decrease in the relative abundance of introduced forbs and an increase in the relative abundance of graminoids. The increase in graminoid cover on the forest floor – mineral mix was mostly attributed to the expansion of Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) P. Beauv. Overall, weeding effectively eliminated introduced plant species, allowing competitive native grasses to establish. However, weeding may have unintentionally hindered the development of a native understory plant community via the over-establishment of grass on reclamation sites.

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Understory plant establishment on old-growth stumps and the forest floor in western Washington

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00622-8 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 154 (1-2) ◽

pp. 193-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Peter G. Kennedy ◽

Timothy Quinn

Keyword(s):

Forest Floor ◽

Plant Establishment ◽

Old Growth ◽

Western Washington ◽

Understory Plant

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DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORIBATID MITE FAUNA(ACARI: ORIBATIDA) IN THE FOREST FLOOR OF SATKOSIA BASIPALLY WILD LIFE SANCTUARY, ODISHA, INDIA

FLORA AND FAUNA ◽

10.33451/florafauna.v23i1pp137-151 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Author(s):

SHELLEY ACHARYA ◽

ADITI DUTTA

Keyword(s):

Forest Floor ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Oribatid Mite ◽

Soil Condition ◽

Silica Content ◽

Soil Mites ◽

The Core ◽

Humid Condition ◽

Core Areas ◽

Wild Life

The studies were mostly concentrated in Nine forest ranges of the WLS including the core areas. The soil of this region mostly is dry, red and with iron and silica content. Though the soil mites are prevalent in moist humid condition, we got a diversed population of 20 different species under 14 genera which is less than average probably due to the soil condition. Protoribates magnus is the dominant species in this study. The species with larger ranges were Scheloribates curvialatus.

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