Trees dying standing in the northeastern boreal old-growth forests of Quebec: spatial patterns, rates, and temporal variation

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Aakala ◽  
Timo Kuuluvainen ◽  
Louis De Grandpré ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Standing Trees

Spatial patterns, rates, and temporal variation of standing-tree mortality were studied in unmanaged boreal old-growth forests of northeastern Quebec. The study was carried out by sampling living and dead trees within 15 transects (400 m long, 40 m wide). The transects lay in stands that were classified according to their species composition in three types: dominated by black spruce, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP; mixed P. mariana and balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.; and dominated by A. balsamea. Spatial patterns were analysed using Ripley's K function. The year of death was cross-dated using 190 sample discs extracted from dead standing A. balsamea and P. mariana to assess the rates and temporal variation of mortality. The spatial patterns of standing dead trees in P. mariana stands were predominantly clustered. The spatial patterns of large dead trees (>19 cm diameter at breast height (1.3 m height; DBH)) in mixed and A. balsamea-dominated stands were mainly random, with few stands showing clustered patterns. Small dead trees (9–19 cm DBH) in these stands were generally more clustered than larger trees. Tree mortality varied from year to year, though some mortality was observed in all the studied stand types for almost every year. Standing trees that had recently died accounted for 62%, 48%, and 51% of overall mortality in P. mariana-dominated, mixed, and A. balsamea-dominated stands, respectively. The results of this study indicate that mortality of standing trees outside of episodic mortality events (such as insect outbreaks) is an important process in the creation of structural complexity and habitat diversity in these stands.

Spatially random mortality in old-growth red pine forests of northern Minnesota

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 899-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Aakala ◽  
Shawn Fraver ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Pair Correlation ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Initial Distribution ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Old Growth Forests

Characterizing the spatial distribution of tree mortality is critical to understanding forest dynamics, but empirical studies on these patterns under old-growth conditions are rare. This rarity is due in part to low mortality rates in old-growth forests, the study of which necessitates long observation periods, and the confounding influence of tree in-growth during such time spans. Here, we studied mortality of red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) in five old-growth stands in Minnesota, USA, demonstrating the use of preexisting information of cohort age structures to account for in-growth after the most recent cohort establishment. Analyses of spatial point patterns, using both Ripley’s K-function and the pair correlation function, showed that tree mortality was essentially a random process, without evidence of contagious mortality patterns that are often expected for old-growth forests. Our analyses further demonstrated in practice that the distribution of dead trees may differ from that of the tree mortality events, which are constrained to occur within the initial distribution, and how mortality patterns can shape the spatial distribution of mature living trees, often attributed to aggregated regeneration patterns. These findings emphasize the need to disentangle the influence of the initial distribution of trees from that of actual tree mortality events.

scholarly journals Spatial aspects of tree mortality strongly differ between young and old-growth forests

Ecology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (11) ◽  
pp. 2855-2861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Larson ◽  
James A. Lutz ◽  
Daniel C. Donato ◽  
James A. Freund ◽  
Mark E. Swanson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forests

Long-term mortality rates and spatial patterns in an old-growth Pinus resinosa forest

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 809-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Silver ◽  
Shawn Fraver ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Tuomas Aakala ◽  
Brian J. Palik
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Initial Population ◽  
Dead Trees

Understanding natural mortality patterns and processes of forest tree species is increasingly important given projected changes in mortality owing to global change. With this need in mind, the rate and spatial pattern of mortality was assessed over an 89-year period in a natural-origin Pinus resinosa (Aiton)-dominated system to assess these processes through advanced stages of stand development (stand age 120–209 years). Average annual mortality rates fluctuated through time, yet were within the range reported in other studies (0.60%–3.88% depending on species and sampling interval). Tree mortality was attributed to multiple agents, including the senescence of the short-lived Pinus banksiana Lamb., windthrow, root-rot fungi (Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink), and perhaps infrequent droughts. Despite the often contagious nature of many disturbance agents, the overall spatial pattern of mortality events (the arrangement of dead trees within the fixed initial population of live trees) was random at all scales tested. Similarly, the current spatial pattern of dead trees was predominantly random, despite clustering at small scales (2–4 m). These findings underscore the importance of studying mortality rates, agents, and spatial patterns over long time periods to avoid misinterpreting stochastic mortality events, and their influence on longer term stand structure and development.

Rate and causes of decline of mature and overmature balsam fir and spruce stands in New Brunswick, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 2479-2490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Lesley Taylor ◽  
David A MacLean
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Insect Outbreak ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Species Groups

Data from 585 balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and spruce (Picea spp.) permanent sample plots (PSPs) >50 years old in New Brunswick, Canada, measured between 1987 and 1998, were used to quantify the timing, magnitude, and causes of decline in stand growth, measured as negative net volume increment. Plots were subdivided into classes based on species group, ecoregion, and volume-development pattern (decreasing, fluctuating, stable, or increasing volume with time). Decline began at an earlier age in balsam fir – spruce (BFSP) PSPs (~70 years old) than in spruce – balsam fir (SPBF) PSPs (~120 years). One-third of plots (29%) fell into the decreasing volume-development category. Variation in the proportion of decreasing plots occurred among ecoregions (range 0%–60%) and, to a lesser extent, among species groups (26%–33%). Decreasing BFSP plots exhibited double the rate of volume loss of their SPBF counterparts (–7.4 and –3.9 m3·ha–1·year–1, respectively). Decline was caused by an increased rate of mortality, which was highest in the decreasing volume-development classes (7.5 m3·ha–1·year–1) and lowest in the increasing volume-development classes (1.4 m3·ha–1·year–1). Growth of surviving trees remained relatively stable (2.5–4.2 m3·ha–1·year–1) among volume-development classes. Blowdown was the biggest cause of tree mortality, accounting for approximately 50% of dead trees in BFSP and SPBF plots. The rate of mortality was influenced by ecoregion, species, and the combined effect of previous insect-outbreak and wind disturbances.

scholarly journals Predicting the potential for old-growth forests by spatial simulation of landscape ageing patterns

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajith H Perera ◽  
David J.B. Baldwin ◽  
Dennis G Yemshanov ◽  
Frank Schnekenburger ◽  
Kevin Weaver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Spatial Simulation ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Large Scale Disturbance ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Planning for old-growth forests requires answers to two large-scale questions: How much old-growth forest should exist? And where can they be sustained in a landscape? Stand-level knowledge of old-growth physiognomy and dynamics are not sufficient to answer these questions. We assert that large-scale disturbance regimes may provide a strong foundation to understand the spatio-temporal ageing patterns in forest landscapes that determine the potential for old growth. Approaches to describe large-scale disturbance regimes range from scenarios reconstructed from historical evidence to simulation of landscapes using predictive models. In this paper, we describe a simulation modelling approach to determine landscape-ageing patterns, and thereby the landscape potential of old-growth forests. A spatially explicit stochastic simulation model of landscape fire–forest cover dynamics was applied to a 1.8 million-ha case study boreal forest landscape to quantify the spatio-temporal variation of landscape ageing. Twenty-five replicates of 200-year simulation runs of the fire disturbance regime, at a 1-ha resolution, generated a suite of variables of landscape ageing and their error estimates. These included temporal variation of older age cohorts over 200 years, survivorship distribution at the 200th year, and spatial tendencies of ageing. This information, in combination with spatial tendency of species occurrence, constitutes the contextual framework to plan how much old-growth forest a given landscape can sustain, and where such forest could be located. Key words: landscape management, old growth, spatial simulation modelling, landscape ecology, boreal forest, Ontario, fire regime simulation, natural forest disturbances, stochastic models, age-class distribution

TEMPORAL VARIATION OF WOOD-FUNGI DIVERSITY IN BOREAL OLD-GROWTH FORESTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR MONITORING

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 970-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Håkan Berglund ◽  
Mattias Edman ◽  
Lars Ericson
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forests

scholarly journals FUNGOUS DETERIORATION OF BALSAM FIR KILLED BY SPRUCE BUDWORM IN NORTHWESTERN NEW BRUNSWICK

1964 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Stillwell ◽  
D. J. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
One Year ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Heavy Mortality

The rate of fungous deterioration was determined for 292 balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) killed by the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.) in an area of heavy tree mortality in northern New Brunswick. Trees dead less than one year and up to seven years were examined. Fifty fir trees dead 0 to 2 years in a light mortality area were also examined. Trees in the heavy mortality area deteriorated much more slowly than those examined by other workers in Ontario. Stereum chailletii (Pers.) Fr. and S. sanguinolentum (Alb. & Schw. ex Fr.) Fr. caused most of the incipient and advanced decay in New Brunswick, whereas S. chailletii caused all the incipient decay in trees dead less than one year in Ontario but was replaced after one year by Polyporus abietinus Dicks, ex Fr. which then caused most of the advanced decay. Advanced decay progressed faster in trees in the light mortality area in New Brunswick than in trees in the heavy mortality area. Nineteen species of basidiomycetes were associated with sapwood decay. Comments concerning the position and frequency of fungous occurrence in the different parts of the tree in relation to the number of years since death are made for eight of the more commonly isolated fungi. The introduction of S. chailletii into living trees by woodwasps and the differences observed in the development of P. abietinus in dead trees in the two regions are discussed.

Recent tree mortality and recruitment in mature and old-growth forests in western Washington

2015 ◽  
Vol 336 ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Acker ◽  
John R. Boetsch ◽  
Mignonne Bivin ◽  
Lou Whiteaker ◽  
Carla Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Western Washington

scholarly journals Large carbon sink potential of Amazonian Secondary Forests to mitigate climate change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viola Heinrich ◽  
Ricardo Dalagnol ◽  
Henrique Cassol ◽  
Thais Rosan ◽  
Catherine Torres de Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Abstract Secondary forests (SF) have a large climate mitigation potential, given their ability to sequester carbon up to 20 times faster than old-growth forests. Environmental variability and anthropogenic disturbances lead to uncertainties in estimating spatial patterns of SF carbon sequestration rates. Here we quantify the influence of environmental and disturbance drivers on the rate and spatial patterns of regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon, by integrating a 33-year land cover timeseries with a 2017 Aboveground Biomass dataset. Carbon sequestration rates of young Amazonian SF (<20 years old) are at least twice as high in the west (3.0±1.0 MgC ha-1 yr-1) than in the east (1.3±0.3 MgC ha-1 yr-1). Disturbances reduce SF regrowth rates by 8–50% (0.6 – 1.3 MgC ha-1 yr-1). We estimate the 2017 SF carbon stock to be 294 TgC, which could be 8% higher by avoiding fires and repeated deforestation. Maintaining the 2017 SF area has the potential to accumulate ~15 TgC yr-1 until 2030, contributing ~5% to Brazil’s 2030 net emissions reduction target. Supporting SF and old-growth forests conservation alongside the expansion of SF in deforested areas is therefore a viable nature-based climate mitigation solution.

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