scholarly journals First-Decade Biomass and Carbon Accumulation, and Woody Community Change after Severe Wind Damage in a Hemlock-White Pine Forest Remnant

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Chris Peterson

Studies of biomass and carbon dynamics and community composition change after forest wind disturbance have predominantly examined trends after low and intermediate severity events, while studies after very severe wind disturbance have been few. This study documents trends in aboveground biomass and carbon across 10 years of forest recovery after severe wind disturbance. In July 1989, a tornado struck mature Tsugacanadensis-Pinusstrobus forest in northwest Connecticut, USA, causing damage across roughly 8 ha. Canopy tree damage and regeneration were surveyed in 1991 and 1999. Two primary hypotheses were tested, both of which derive from regeneration being primarily via the release of suppressed saplings rather than new seedling establishment: (1) Biomass and carbon accumulation will be faster than accumulation reported from a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance; and (2) The stand will experience very little change in species composition or diversity. Estimated immediate post-disturbance (1989) aboveground live-tree carbon was 20.7 ± 43.9 Mg ha−1 (9.9% of pre-disturbance) Ten years after the disturbance, carbon in aboveground live tree biomass increased to 37.1 ± 47.9 Mg ha−1; thus for the first decade, annual accumulation averaged 1.6 Mg ha−1 of carbon; this was significantly faster than the rate reported in a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance. The species diversity of woody stems ten years after the disturbance was significantly higher (nonoverlapping confidence intervals of rarefaction curves) than pre-disturbance canopy trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was confirmed while hypothesis 2 was rejected. This study augments the limited number of longer-term empirical studies that report biomass and carbon accumulation rates after wind disturbance, and can therefore serve as a benchmark for mechanistic and modeling research.

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 289
Author(s):  
Chris Peterson

Modeling of carbon dynamics at the landscape, regional, and continental scales is currently limited by few empirical studies of biomass and carbon accumulation after some types of disturbances. For temperate forests of North America, only three previous studies described biomass and carbon accumulation after wind disturbances, and those were limited by either coarse temporal resolution of the first several decades, or limited time span. Here, 25 years of aboveground biomass and carbon accumulation following severe wind disturbance of an old-growth hemlock-northern hardwoods forest of northwestern Pennsylvania are documented to characterize the temporal trends with fine temporal resolution and extend into the third decade post-disturbance. Mature undisturbed forest at the site supported roughly 296 Mg ha−1 live aboveground biomass and 148 Mg ha−1 of carbon. The disturbance reduced the aboveground woody biomass to ~7 Mg ha−1, and carbon to ~3.5 Mg ha−1. During regrowth, biomass and carbon accumulated slowly at first (e.g., 2–4 Mg ha−1 year−1 for biomass and 1–2 mg ha−1 year−1 for carbon), but at increasing rates up through approximately 17 years post-disturbance, after which accumulation slowed somewhat to roughly 3.4 Mg ha−1 year−1 of biomass and 1.7 Mg ha−1 year−1 of carbon. It appears that the rates reported here are similar to rates observed after wind disturbance of other temperate forests, but slower than accumulation in some tropical systems. Notably, in tropical forests, post-windthrow accumulation is often very rapid in the first decade followed by decreases, while in the results reported here, there was slow accumulation in the first several years that increased in the second decade and then subsequently slowed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 579 ◽  
pp. 439-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lúcio F. Lourençato ◽  
Pedro P. Caldeira ◽  
Marcelo C. Bernardes ◽  
Andressa C. Buch ◽  
Daniel C. Teixeira ◽  
...  

The Holocene ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 651-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Milecka ◽  
Grzegorz Kowalewski ◽  
Barbara Fiałkiewicz-Kozieł ◽  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Mariusz Lamentowicz ◽  
...  

Wetlands are very vulnerable ecosystems and sensitive to changes in the ground water table. For the last few thousand years, hydrological balance has also been influenced by human activity. To improve their cropping features, drainage activity and fertilizing were applied. The drainage process led to an abrupt change of environment, the replacement of plant communities and the entire ecosystem. The problem of carbon sequestration is very important nowadays. A higher accumulation rate is related to higher carbon accumulation, but the intensity of carbon sequestration depends on the type of mire, habitat, and climatic zone. The main aim of this article was an examination of the changes in poor-fen ecosystem during the last 200 years in relation to natural and anthropogenic factors, using paleoecological methods (pollen and macrofossils). The second aim was a detailed investigation of the sedimentary record to aid our understanding of carbon sequestration in the poor fen of temperate zone. This case study shows that fens in temperate zones, in comparison with boreal ones, show higher carbon accumulation rates which have been especially intensive over the last few decades. To reconstruct vegetation changes, detailed palynological and macrofossil analyses were done. A 200-year history of the mire revealed that it was influenced by human activity to much degree. However, despite the nearby settlement and building of the drainage ditch, the precious species and plant communities still occur.


Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Stern ◽  
Paul Schaberg ◽  
Shelly A Rayback ◽  
Paula F. Murakami ◽  
Christopher Hansen ◽  
...  

A warming climate and extended growing season may confer competitive advantages to temperate conifers that can photosynthesize across seasons. Whether this potential translates into increased growth is unclear, as is whether pollution could constrain growth. We examined two temperate conifers - eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) - and analyzed associations between growth (476 trees in 23 plots) and numerous factors, including climate and pollutant deposition variables. Both species exhibited increasing growth over time and eastern white pine showed greater maximum growth. Higher spring temperatures were associated with greater growth for both species, as were higher autumnal temperatures for eastern hemlock. Negative correlations were observed with previous year (eastern hemlock) and current year (eastern white pine) summer temperatures. Spring and summer moisture availability were positively correlated with growth for eastern white pine throughout its chronology, whereas for hemlock, correlations with moisture shifted from being significant with current year’s growth to previous year’s growth over time. The growth of these temperate conifers might benefit from higher spring (both species) and fall (eastern hemlock) temperatures, though this could be offset by reductions in growth associated with hotter, drier summers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (11) ◽  
pp. 3652-3671 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Fay Belshe ◽  
Jose Sanjuan ◽  
Carmen Leiva‐Dueñas ◽  
Nerea Piñeiro‐Juncal ◽  
Oscar Serrano ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
TINE BUFFEL ◽  
CHRIS PHILLIPSON ◽  
THOMAS SCHARF

ABSTRACTThis article explores conceptual and empirical aspects of the social exclusion/inclusion debate in later life, with a particular focus on issues of place and space in urban settings. Exploratory findings are reported from two empirical studies in Belgium and England, which sought to examine experiences of social exclusion and inclusion among people aged 60 and over living in deprived inner-city neighbourhoods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an ethnically diverse sample of 102 older people in Belgium and 124 in England. Thematic analysis of interview data identifies four issues in relation to the neighbourhood dimension of social exclusion/inclusion in later life: experiences of community change; feelings of security and safety; the management of urban space; and strategies of control. The results suggest that neighbourhoods have a significant influence on shaping the experience of exclusion and inclusion in later life, with a number of similarities identified across the different study areas. The article concludes by discussing conceptual and policy issues raised by the research.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Mathiasen

Abstract Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp., Viscaceae) are parasitic flowering plants that infect members of the Pinaceae family in the western United States. This article reports additional host susceptibility data for three dwarf mistletoes found in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. Three mixed conifer stands, each infested with either mountain hemlock dwarf mistletoe, western white pine dwarf mistletoe, or Wiens' dwarf mistletoe (nine stands total) were sampled to evaluate the susceptibility of conifers to these parasites. At each of the study sites, 10–20 temporary circular plots with a 6-m radius (0.012 ha) were established around large, severely infected trees. Within plots, species, dbh, and dwarf mistletoe rating (six-class system) were determined for each live tree. On the basis of the incidence of infection, conifers were assigned to host susceptibility classes. Western white pine and mountain hemlock were principal hosts of western white pine and mountain hemlock dwarf mistletoes, respectively. Brewer spruce and red fir were principal hosts of Wiens' dwarf mistletoe. Other conifers sampled were less susceptible to these mistletoes. This information can be used by forest managers to mitigate the damage associated with infestations of these dwarf mistletoes in mixed conifer forests of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains.


2021 ◽  
Vol 759 ◽  
pp. 143535
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Bell ◽  
César Terrer ◽  
Carles Barriocanal ◽  
Robert B. Jackson ◽  
Antoni Rosell-Melé

Ecosystems ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin E. Hicks Pries ◽  
Edward A. G. Schuur ◽  
K. Grace Crummer

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