Selected Nova Scotia old-growth forests: Age, ecology, structure, scoring

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 632-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J Stewart ◽  
Peter D Neily ◽  
Eugene J Quigley ◽  
Lawrence K Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Old Growth

A study of four old-growth stands in Nova Scotia was conducted to document the ecological characteristics of these currently rare Acadian forest ecosystems. Stands were selected to represent the two dominant climax forest types, hemlock–red spruce–eastern white pine, and sugar maple–yellow birch–beech. Data include measurements of age structure, species composition, diameter distribution, basal area, height, coarse woody debris, snags, vertical structure, and canopy condition. All stands were determined to be uneven-aged. Old-growth reference ages calculated for the stands ranged from 164 to 214 years. All stands displayed broad diameter distributions that had peak basal area representation in the 40- to 50-cm diameter classes. Volumes of dead wood ranged from 111 to 148 m3/ha in the softwood stands and from 63 to 83m3/ha in the hardwood stands. Dead wood consisted of approximately one-third snags and two thirds downed coarse woody debris. Measurements from the stands were used to evaluate Nova Scotia's recently developed Old Forest Scoring System. Six stand attributes were rated for a maximum score of 100: stand age, primal value, number of large-diameter trees, length of large-diameter dead wood, canopy structure, and understorey structure. Based on the age attribute, three of the four stands were classed as Mature Old Growth and one was very close, indicating that all are in the shifting mosaic stage of late forest succession. The scores for all stands were relatively high, ranging from 75 to 85, as would be expected from some of the best old-growth stands in the province. Key words: old growth, climax, primal, late succession, uneven-aged, scoring, coarse woody debris, age structure, diameter, Acadian forest, northern hardwood, red spruce, eastern hemlock, white pine, sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech

Coarse woody debris in mid-aged stands: abandoned agricultural versus long-term forest land

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1502-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asko Lõhmus ◽  
Piret Lõhmus
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
No Reduction ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Successional Forests ◽  
Agricultural Areas

During the 20th century, large agricultural areas in Eastern Europe became forested after their abandonment. To explore the value of these new forests for biota, we assessed volumes of coarse woody debris (CWD) on random transects in mid-aged (40–75 years old) stands. In mixed and deciduous forests that were not forested in the 1930s, downed tree (log) volumes were about two times lower than in cutover sites. The effect on snag volume depended on site type and was generally nonsignificant. Large-diameter CWD showed similar proportions in the long-term and new forest areas, but large, well-decayed trunks tended to be less frequent in the latter. No reduction of dead wood volume was found in new pine stands, 98% of which had previously been classified as mires (bogs). Hence the origin of mid-aged successional forests had affected their CWD supply (particularly logs) to some extent, but the general scarcity of CWD all over the forest land indicated much larger (at least five-fold) losses due to timber harvesting. We conclude that naturally reforested areas should not be automatically excluded from reserve establishment or other CWD-related conservation programmes.

scholarly journals Acumulación De Restos Lignino-Celulósicos (Necromasa) En Un Bosque Templado De Antiguo Crecimiento Dominado Por Nothofagus En El Centro- Sur De Chile

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Carlos Belezaca Pinargote ◽  
Darwin Salvatierra Piloso ◽  
Diana Delgado Campusano ◽  
Roberto Godoy Bórquez ◽  
Eduardo Valenzuela Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
National Park ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Decomposition Level ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Forest Density ◽  
South Central

Coarse woody debris (CWD) are the necromass in wooded environments and comply with various ecosystems functions, such as seedling nursery, habitat other organisms, store carbon (C) and nutrients, etc.. Volume, necromass, and decay states of CWD dead in an old-growth temperate (OGTF) forest in Puyehue National Park, South-Central Chile were evaluated. In 10 plots of 900 m2 CWD was quantified (≥ 10 cm diameter), whose necromass classified using a scale of five categories/stages of decay, necromass (1 = lowest and 5 = highest degradation). The average forest density was 299 trees ha-1, 112 m2 ha-1 of basal area, and 2.395 m3 of stem volume. The upper arboreal stratum was dominated by N. betuloides. The greatest amount of CWD belonged to N. betuloides (95,2%), where logs (52,7%) and branches (35%), plant structures were present in greater numbers. The bulk of necromass found in advanced states of decomposition (level 4 and 5) with 56,5% and 34,1%, respectively. It was determined that the CWD volume was 632 m3 ha-1, representing a necromass of 321.5 Mg ha- 1. These results demonstrate that the old-growth temperate forests of southern Chile are significant reserves of coarse woody debris, which contributes to the biogeochemistry of these complex and remote ecosystems.

Has canopy height and biomass recovered 78 years after an intense fire in south-western Australia's red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) forests?

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Wardell-Johnson ◽  
Liam Crellin ◽  
Casey Napier ◽  
Garrett Meigs ◽  
Alyssa Stevenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
High Carbon ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Stand Height ◽  
Carbon Stores

Tall eucalypt old-growth forests are notable for their large, old (i.e. venerable) trees and have both significant conservation value and high carbon stores. We investigated whether canopy height and biomass had recovered in an old-growth red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) forest 78 years after a high-intensity fire. We recorded species, diameter, hollow butting and height of all 596 trees >10-cm diameter at breast height, as well as fine and coarse woody debris, in a 3.55-ha plot near Nornalup, south-western Australia. Pre-fire canopy height was estimated by allometrics derived from tree height and diameter, and diameter and length of recently fallen branches. Of the basal area (75.0 m2 ha–1), 92.7% was eucalypt (chiefly E. jacksonii), with regeneration accounting for only 8.5% of the total. Although canopy species composition apparently did not change following fire, stand height and biomass had not recovered to pre-1937 levels by 2015. Canopy height remained 5.06 m (11%) less and biomass 25% less, 78 years after the fire. The combination of intense fire and a warmer, drier climate appears to have prevented recovery of forest height and structure at this site. These findings indicate that ecologically important, venerable trees are increasingly vulnerable to canopy fire and climate change.

Cavity trees and coarse woody debris in old-growth and managed northern hardwood forests in Wisconsin and Michigan

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M Goodburn ◽  
Craig G Lorimer
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwoods ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Tree Retention ◽  
Cavity Tree

The effects of uneven-aged management on the availability of coarse woody debris habitat were examined in northern hardwood forests (with and without a hemlock component) in north-central Wisconsin and adjacent western Upper Michigan. Snags, cavity trees, fallen wood, and recent tip-up mounds in 15 managed uneven-aged (selection) stands were compared with levels in 10 old-growth stands and six unmanaged even-aged second-growth stands. Amounts of coarse woody debris in selection stands were generally intermediate between old-growth and even-aged stands. Density of snags >30 cm DBH in northern hardwood selection stands averaged 12/ha, approximately double that found in even-aged northern hardwoods, but only 54% of the level in old-growth northern hardwoods. Highest densities of snags >30 cm DBH occurred in old-growth hemlock-hardwood stands, averaging over 40 snags/ha. For combined forest types, the volume of fallen wood (>10 cm in diameter) was significantly lower in selection stands (60 m3/ha) and even-aged stands (25 m3/ha) than in old-growth stands (99 m3/ha). Volume differences were even more pronounced for large-diameter debris (>40 cm). Cavity tree density in selection stands averaged 11 trees/ha, 65% of the mean number in old-growth stands. Densities of snags (>30 cm DBH) and large-diameter cavity trees (>45 cm) present in selection stands exceeded current guidelines for wildlife tree retention on public forests.

Dynamics of dead wood in old-growth hemlock–hardwood forests of northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1672-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy E. Tyrrell ◽  
Thomas R. Crow
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Exponential Model ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Michigan

We studied the dynamics of coarse woody debris (logs and snags) in old-growth forests by estimating rates of tree mortality, snag change, and log decay in hemlock–hardwood stands located in northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. To estimate mortality and snag changes, we recensused live trees and dead snags in permanent plots in 15 stands. We also recorded recent mortality along transects, and noted category of mortality (standing death, breakage, or uprooting) for gap-maker trees and logs in 25 stands. Decay rates were estimated from a simple exponential model of wood density from log sections against the age of the wood since tree death, and from ages of trees growing on decaying "nurse" logs. From data obtained in permanent plots, annual tree mortality averaged 0.9% original basal area, 0.9% original live tree density, and 4.8 trees/ha. Of the three categories of tree mortality, standing death accounted for 62% of all mortality, while breakage represented 25%, and uprooting, 13%. Based on origin of logs, species composition affected category of mortality. Eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr.) was significantly more prone to uprooting while yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britton) and paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.) were less prone to uprooting than expected if independence of species and categories of mortality were assumed (χ2 = 216.5, df = 14, p < 0.001). Changes in snags (fragmentation to shorter snags or collapse at the base) occurred for <7% of the original snags annually. Fragmentation occurred for 2.1 snags/(ha × year), and collapse for 1.3 snags/(ha × year). We estimated that it takes nearly 200 years for hemlock logs to lose structural integrity and become partially incorporated into the soil. At >350 years, the two oldest hemlock–hardwood stands had accumulated volumes of logs >65 m3/ha distributed among all decay classes, and appeared to be at a dead wood equilibrium in which rates of log production from mortality balance rates of wood loss by decay.

Growth trends in 10 species of trees in New England, 1950–1980

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1337-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Hornbeck ◽  
R. B. Smith ◽  
C. A. Federer
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
The Other ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
White Pine ◽  
The 1960S

Tree-ring measurements on increment cores collected from more than 5000 trees during a periodic survey of forest resources in New England indicate trends in regional basal-area increment by species for the period 1950–1980. Two species, red spruce and balsam fir, have had generally decreasing growth rates since the 1960s. Normal aging of the low-elevation, even-aged spruce–fir forest is a probable cause. Eight other species, including sugar maple, had constant or increasing growth throughout the period. White pine had considerably higher growth rates than the other species.

Coarse woody debris in an old-growth deciduous forest on the Cumberland Plateau, southeastern Kentucky

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 1567-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert N. Muller ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Cumberland Plateau ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Regional Pattern ◽  
Old Growth Forest

Volume and mass of coarse woody debris (> 20 cm diameter) in an old-growth forest on the Cumberland Plateau in southeastern Kentucky averaged 66.3 m3/ha and 21.8 Mg/ha, respectively. Coarse woody debris was patchily distributed among 80 sample plots (0.04 ha each), with 10 plots containing 39% of the total mass. Coarse woody debris mass was inversely, although not strongly, related to plot basal area. While 23 species contributed to the accumulation of coarse woody debris, five accounted for 72% of the total mass. These included Quercusprinus L. (25% of the total), Fagusgrandifolia L. (16%), Quercusalba L. (12%), Castaneadentata (Marsh.) Borkh. (11%), and Quercusvelutina Lam. (9%). The few studies of coarse woody debris in old-growth deciduous forests of North America suggest a regional pattern of accumulation correlated with temperature. In warmer regions, old-growth deciduous forests accumulate a mass in the range of 22–32 Mg/ha, while in cooler ecosystems, coarse woody debris ranges from 34 to 49 Mg/ha.

The contribution of beech bark disease-induced mortality to coarse woody debris loads in northern hardwood stands of Adirondack Park, New York, U.S.A.

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1453-1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G McGee
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Beech Bark Disease ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Live Tree

The objective of this study was to adjust previously published estimates of coarse woody debris (CWD) volume and basal areas in northern hardwood forests to account for elevated CWD inputs due to beech bark disease (a disease complex of the scale insect, Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger, and a fungus, Nectria spp., on American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). Ratios of snags/live tree densities and downed CWD volume/live tree basal area were compared between beech and the codominant, shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). The differences between the beech and the sugar maple ratios were used to define the elevated mortality from beech bark disease. Estimated volumes of downed CWD (stumps [Formula: see text] 1.0 m tall and logs), adjusted for effects of beech bark disease, were 108 ± 18 and 48 ± 11 m3·ha-1in old-growth and even-aged, 90- to 100-year-old maturing stands, respectively, representing reductions of 22 and 21%, respectively, compared with observed volumes. Similarly, snag densities were adjusted from 59.7 ± 21.7 to 41.1 ± 26.3 per hectare in the old-growth stands and from 96.3 ± 48.0 to 87.3 ± 46.5 per hectare in the maturing stands. Snag basal areas were reduced 21 and 17% from their observed values to 6.8 ± 3.5 and 3.5 ± 0.6 m2·ha-1in the old-growth and maturing stands, respectively. The adjusted CWD estimates presented here are more historically accurate and ecologically meaningful than previous observations made in diseased northern hardwood forests and, therefore, provide more appropriate target levels for managing CWD in these forest types.

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.

Historical trends in tree-ring growth and chemistry across an air-quality gradient in Wisconsin

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Frelich ◽  
J. G. Bockheim ◽  
J. E. Leide
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Past Century ◽  
White Pine ◽  
The Past ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The 1960S

Basal-area increment and chemical composition of xylem wood were measured in three old-growth (ca. 75–100 years) white pine (Pinusstrobus L.) and three sugar maple (Acersaccharum) Marsh.) stands across a pH and SO4 gradient in precipitation in Wisconsin. In 1986 the volume-weighted mean pH and SO4 content of precipitation ranged from 4.5 to 5.0 and from 21 to 11 kg • ha−1, respectively, from southeastern to northwestern Wisconsin. With one exception (a white pine site at Point Beach in eastern Wisconsin), basal-area increment increased from the 1890s until the 1950s (sugar maple) or 1970s (white pine), then levelled off. Growth efficiency, estimated as the ratio of basal area to exposed crown area or crown volume for the 1980–1985 period, was similar for sugar maple across the gradient; however, growth efficiency of white pine was lower at Point Beach than at the two northern Wisconsin sites. Lead concentrations in xylem wood of both species have increased with time, except at Crotte Creek in northwestern Wisconsin, and Pb concentrations in xylem wood of both species were significantly greater in southeastern than in northwestern Wisconsin. Sulfur concentrations in xylem wood of white pine have increased since the 1960s at Point Beach and at one site in north central Wisconsin; S concentrations are significantly greater for both species in southeastern than in northern Wisconsin. Concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K in xylem wood of sugar maple have decreased over the past century. Whereas xylem wood concentrations of Mn and Zn generally show no age-related trends, Fe and P concentrations have increased markedly at all sites, particularly during the past decade. Although additional research is needed to determine the potential of dendrochemistry in evaluating the consequences of environmental pollution, the age- and site-related trends in chemical composition of xylem wood of white pine and sugar maple appear to be related to vehicular emissions (Pb), air pollution (S), migration along ray paths during conversion of sapwood into heartwood (P, Fe, Ca, K, Mg), and possibly reallocation of nutrients from the labile soil pool to perennial tree tissues during stand development (Ca, K, Mg).

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