A dynamic riparian forest structure model for predicting large wood inputs to meandering rivers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Stella ◽  
Li Kui ◽  
Gregory H. Golet ◽  
Frank Poulsen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Structure Model ◽  
Large Wood ◽  
Meandering Rivers

Riparian tree fall directionality and modeling large wood recruitment to streams

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1243-1254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J Sobota ◽  
Stanley V Gregory ◽  
John Van Sickle
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Large Wood ◽  
Riparian Trees ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Riparian Tree ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
Fall Direction ◽  
Recruitment Model

Directionality of tree fall in riparian forests can strongly influence predictions of large wood recruitment to streams, yet accuracy of this model parameter has rarely been assessed with field data. We measured fall directions of 1202 riparian trees distributed among 21 stream sites across the Pacific Northwest, USA. Fall directions were oriented towards the stream at 16 sites, upstream at four sites, and not distinguishable from random at one site. Average tree fall direction across sites was correlated with valley constraint (Spearman r = –0.53; p = 0.02), but variability of fall directions was not correlated with this variable. When grouped by species (six conifers and one deciduous), individual trees exhibited stronger tendency to have fallen towards the channel on steep hillslopes (>40%) than on moderately sloped landforms (<40%). Integration of field data into an established recruitment model indicated that 1.5 to 2.4 times more large wood (by number of tree boles) would be recruited to stream reaches with steep hillslopes than to reaches with moderate side slopes or flat banks, if riparian forest conditions are assumed to be constant. We conclude that stream valley topography should be considered in models that use tree fall directions in predictions of large wood recruitment to streams.

scholarly journals CHANGES IN SOIL MOISTURE AND RIPARIAN FOREST STRUCTURE AFTER A DAM CONSTRUCTION

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-260
Author(s):  
Vagner Santiago do Vale ◽  
Jamir Afonso Júnior ◽  
Sérgio Lopes ◽  
Carolina Arantes ◽  
Diego Raymundo Nascimento ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Dam Construction

scholarly journals Decomposition and stabilization of organic matter in an old-growth tropical riparian forest: effects of soil properties and vegetation structure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Fernandes ◽  
Andrea Teixeira Souza ◽  
Marcel Tanaka ◽  
Renata Sebastiani
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Scale Factors ◽  
Stabilization Factor

Abstract Background: Nutrient cycling in tropical forests has a large importance for primary productivity, and decomposition of litterfall is a major process influencing nutrient balance in forest soils. Although large-scale factors strongly influence decomposition patterns, small-scale factors can have major influences, especially in old-growth forests that have high structural complexity and strong plant-soil correlations. Here we evaluated the effects of forest structure and soil properties on decomposition rates and stabilization of soil organic matter using the Tea Bag Index in an old-growth riparian forest in southeastern Brazil. These data sets were described separately using Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The main axes for each analysis, together with soil physical properties (clay content and soil moisture), were used to construct structural equations models that evaluated the different parameters of the TBI, decomposition rates and stabilization factor. The best model was selected using Akaike’s criterion.Results: Forest structure and soil physical and chemical properties presented large variation among plots within the studied forest. Clay content was strongly correlated with soil moisture and the first PCA axis of soil chemical properties, and model selection indicated that clay content was a better predictor than this axis. Decomposition rates presented a large variation among tea bags (0.009 and 0.098 g g-1 day-1) and were positively related with forest structure, as characterized by higher basal area, tree density and larger trees. The stabilization factor varied between 0.211 – 0.426 and was related to forest stratification and soil clay content.Conclusions: The old-growth forest studied presented high heterogeneity in both forest structure and soil properties at small spatial scales, that influenced decomposition processes and probably contributed to small-scale variation in nutrient cycling. Decomposition rates were only influenced by forest structure, whereas the stabilization factor was influenced by both forest structure and soil properties. Heterogeneity in ecological processes can contribute to the resilience of old-growth forests, highlighting the importance of restoration strategies that consider the spatial variation of ecosystem processes.

Riparian forest and instream large wood characteristics, West Branch Sheepscot River, Maine, USA

2009 ◽  
Vol 257 (7) ◽  
pp. 1558-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Laser ◽  
James Jordan ◽  
Keith Nislow
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Large Wood

Long-term monitoring of the recruitment and dynamics of large wood in Kamienica Stream, Polish Carpathians

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Mikuś ◽  
Bartłomiej Wyżga
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Order ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Wood ◽  
Order Stream ◽  
Riparian Trees ◽  
Metal Plates ◽  
Polish Carpathians

&lt;p&gt;Quantifying delivery and mobility of large woody debris in small mountain streams requires long-term and repeatable observations, so far very scarcely described. Such observations have been conducted in the upper course of Kamienica Stream, Polish Western Carpathians, where a sample of 429 trees growing along three separated sections of &amp;#160;the stream was tagged with metal plates and monitored during 10 years. The monitoring of standing and fallen trees has been conducted a few times per year, especially after heavy rainfall and windstorms. In this period, 96 trees (22.4% of the tagged sample) were recruited to the channel during high-intensity meteorological and hydrological events, mostly as a result of bank erosion during floods and windthrow, with recent bark beetle infestation of the riparian forest considerably accelerating the turnover of riparian trees. Large wood inventory performed in 2012 in the second- to fourth-order stream reaches and of the 10 years-long monitoring of tagged trees indicated variable mobility of large wood along the upper course of the stream. Wood mobility was negligible in the second-order reach, very small in the third-order reach, and higher, but still limited in the fourth-order reach. 46 trees were subjected to transport during five significant floods, and mean lengths of displacement of the tagged trees were small, not exceeding 32 m in sections A and B, whereas in section C they were a few times longer. However, an advanced state of decay of most pieces leads to their disintegration during floods, rather than to distant transport, and thus large wood retained in the upper stream course within a national park does not constitute an important flood hazard to downstream, inhabited valley reaches.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Bird Functional Traits Respond to Forest Structure in Riparian Areas Undergoing Active Restoration

Diversity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augusto Batisteli ◽  
Marcel Tanaka ◽  
Andréa Souza
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Functional Categories ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Forest Dependence ◽  
Nest Height ◽  
Canopy Depth

Monitoring wildlife responses is essential to assess restoration projects. Birds are widely used as bioindicators of ecosystem restoration, but most studies use only taxonomic descriptors to compare categories of reference and restoring sites. Here, we used forest structure as a continuous predictor variable to evaluate avifaunal taxonomic and functional indicators in riparian forest reference and restoration sites on southeastern Brazil. Reference sites were riparian forest remnants, and restoration sites were pasture before seedling reintroduction. Forest structure variables (mean tree height, canopy depth, mean diameter at breast height, basal area, tree layering, tree density, and grass cover) were reduced into two axes using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Forest Axis 1 (tree biomass vs. grass cover) and Forest Axis 2 (canopy depth vs. tree density). Bird species were classified in relation to five functional categories (i.e., diet, foraging stratum, nest height, cavity dependence for nesting, and forest dependence). Forest Axis 1 influenced the functional diversity of bird assemblages and the relative abundance within levels of each functional category (except for nest height). The relative abundance of all functional categories combined was also affected by Forest Axis 2. Therefore, forest structure affected the predominant functional traits of bird species in riparian sites under restoration. Sites with higher tree biomass were the richest, with canopy birds that were insectivores and frugivores of high forest dependence, whereas more open sites were associated with birds of low forest dependence and ground-foraging insectivores. Forest structures of similar-aged sites were strongly variable, due to natural and anthropic disturbances, so restoration age was a poor indicator of forest development. These unpredictable disturbances can change the development of sites under restoration, so that forest structure can be a better descriptor of the trajectory of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals Riparian forest structure and stream geomorphic condition: implications for flood resilience

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Keeton ◽  
Erin M. Copeland ◽  
S. Mažeika P. Sullivan ◽  
Mary C. Watzin
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Riparian Corridors ◽  
Stream Condition ◽  
Stream Geomorphology

Managing riparian corridors for flood resilience requires understanding of linkages between vegetation condition and stream geomorphology. Stream assessment approaches increasingly use channel morphology as an indicator of stream condition, with only cursory examination of riparian vegetation. Our research (i) examines relationships between stream geomorphic condition, as assessed by Rapid Geomorphic Assessment (RGA) scores, and riparian forest structure, and (ii) investigates scale dependencies in the linkages between land cover and stream geomorphology. We sampled vegetation structure and composition and assessed geomorphic condition at 32 stream reaches within the Lake Champlain Basin, USA. RGA scores were modeled as a function of structural attributes using classification and regression trees. Landsat coverages were used to delineate land uses within five nested spatial scales. Generalized linear models (GLM) evaluated relationships between land cover and RGA scores. Standard deviation of basal area partitioned the greatest variability in RGA scores, but dead tree density and basal area (positively) and shrub density (negatively) were also significant predictors. RGA was related to forest and agricultural cover at the two finest scales. Riparian forest structure is highly dynamic in relation to stand development and disturbance history; simple forest cover information does not capture these differences or their influences on stream geomorphic condition.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document