Detrital carbon pools in temperate forests: magnitude and potential for landscape-scale assessment

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 802-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bradford ◽  
Peter Weishampel ◽  
Marie-Louise Smith ◽  
Randall Kolka ◽  
Richard A. Birdsey ◽  
...  

Reliably estimating carbon storage and cycling in detrital biomass is an obstacle to carbon accounting. We examined carbon pools and fluxes in three small temperate forest landscapes to assess the magnitude of carbon stored in detrital biomass and determine whether detrital carbon storage is related to stand structural properties (leaf area, aboveground biomass, primary production) that can be estimated by remote sensing. We characterized these relationships with and without forest age as an additional predictive variable. Results depended on forest type. Carbon in dead woody debris was substantial at all sites, accounting for ∼17% of aboveground carbon, whereas carbon in forest floor was substantial in the subalpine Rocky Mountains (36% of aboveground carbon) and less important in northern hardwoods of New England and mixed forests of the upper Midwest (∼7%). Relationships to aboveground characteristics accounted for between 38% and 59% of the variability in carbon stored in forest floor and between 21% and 71% of the variability in carbon stored in dead woody material, indicating substantial differences among sites. Relating dead woody debris or forest floor carbon to other aboveground characteristics and (or) stand age may, in some forest types, provide a partial solution to the challenge of assessing fine-scale variability.

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1052-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney J. Keenan ◽  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
J.P. Hamish Kimmins

Biomass and C, N, P, and K contents of woody debris and the forest floor were surveyed in adjacent stands of old-growth western red cedar (Thujaplicata Donn)–western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) (CH type), and 85-year-old, windstorm-derived, second-growth western hemlock–amabilis fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) (HA type) at three sites on northern Vancouver Island. Carbon concentrations were relatively constant across all detrital categories (mean = 556.8 mg/g); concentrations of N and P generally increased, and K generally decreased, with increasing degree of decomposition. The mean mass of woody debris was 363 Mg/ha in the CH and 226 Mg/ha in the HA type. The mean forest floor mass was 280 Mg/ha in the CH and 211 Mg/ha in the HA stands. Approximately 60% of the forest floor mass in each forest type was decaying wood. Dead woody material above and within the forest floor represented a significant store of biomass and nutrients in both forest types, containing 82% of the aboveground detrital biomass, 51–59% of the N, and 58–61% of the detrital P. Forest floors in the CH and HA types contained similar total quantities of N, suggesting that the lower N availability in CH forests is not caused by greater immobilization in detritus. The large accumulation of forest floor and woody debris in this region is attributed to slow decomposition in the cool, wet climate, high rates of detrital input following windstorms, and the large size and decay resistance of western red cedar boles.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
A-Ram Yang ◽  
Nam Jin Noh ◽  
Sue Kyoung Lee ◽  
Tae Kyung Yoon ◽  
Choonsig Kim ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 460-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie R Paul ◽  
Bill K Chapman ◽  
Christopher P Chanway

Tuberculate ectomycorrhizae (TEM) have been observed in decaying coarse woody debris (CWD) and may play a role in the nitrogen economy of forests. This study evaluates the occurrence of Suillus tomentosus (Kauff.) Singer, Snell and Dick TEM within CWD in Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm. stands and relates their occurrence to CWD and soil characteristics as well as stand age. TEM were more abundant in the basal end of CWD incorporated in the forest floor than in the middle and top portions. Tubercle abundance was positively correlated with moisture and texture of CWD, degree of incorporation of CWD into the forest floor, and the amount of roots within CWD. There were significantly more TEM in CWD in young stands than in old stands and on sites with granitic soils than on sites with basaltic soils. Highly degraded CWD that is well incorporated in the forest floor appears to be an important microhabitat for the formation and occurrence of TEM.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa B. Kissing ◽  
Jennifer S. Powers

The ecological importance of trees lasts much longer than their life spans. Standing dead trees (snags) and fallen trunks and branches are an important component of above-ground carbon stocks and nutrient reserves, provide habitat for wildlife, and interact with disturbance regimes (e.g. by serving as fuel for fires) (Clark et al. 2002, Harmon et al. 1986, Pyle et al. 2008). Despite these diverse functions, woody debris stocks remain poorly quantified in tropical forests in general (Brown 1997), and in tropical dry forests in particular (Harmon et al. 1995). More empirical studies of the patterns of woody debris and processes that control its dynamics are needed to understand its role in global biogeochemical cycles and for ecosystem simulation models, many of which do not represent coarse woody debris (CWD) as a separate pool (Cornwell et al. 2009).


Author(s):  
William S. Currie ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Kathryn B. Piatek ◽  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
Christine L. Goodale

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suin Ko ◽  
Yowhan Son ◽  
Nam Jin Noh ◽  
Tae Kyung Yoon ◽  
Choonsig Kim ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
А.Ф. Осипов ◽  
И.Н. Кутявин

Приведены результаты исследований структуры и запасов крупных древес- ных остатков (КДО) в среднетаежных сосняках европейского Северо-Востока России, различающихся условиями произрастания и возрастом. К КДО относили сухостойные деревья, валеж и пни диаметром более 6 см. Определены запасы древесины и масса органического вещества в отдельных компонентах (сухостой, валеж, пни) КДО, которые зависят от стадии развития насаждения. Так, в перестойном сосняке черничном наблюдаются более высокие концентрации запасов древесины и органического вещества в гниющей древесине, тогда как в средне- возрастных насаждениях сосняков черничных и чернично-сфагновых более низ- кие. Во всех исследованных насаждениях отмечаются сухостойные деревья. Валеж, пни и сломанные на разной высоте деревья присутствуют в восьми насаждениях. Эти элементы КДО отсутствуют в средневозрастных сосновых древостоях черничного и чернично-сфагнового типа. Выявлено, что в валежнике преобладают деревья, древесина которых находится на начальных стадиях деструкции. По литературным данным представлены результаты исследований запа- сов органического вещества и их распределения по фракциям древостоя. Рассчи- тано соотношение между запасами растущих деревьев и КДО, которое варьирует в широких пределах в зависимости от возраста древостоев. Для оценки взаимо- связи между изучаемыми параметрами были использованы литературные дан- ные, содержащие сведения о массе КДО и древостоя для отдельных пробных площадей. Выявлена положительная (r = 0,57), статистически значимая взаимосвязь между изучаемыми параметрами. Полученные данные можно использовать для уточнения и выведения конверсионных коэффициентов, которые послужат для оценки массы КДО в лесных экосистемах крупных регионов. Structure and stocks of coarse woody debris (CWD) are investigated in the eleven pine forests on European North-East of Russia. Objects under study are differing on forest type and stage of developments. CWD included standing dead trees, fallen dead trees and stumps with a diameter of more than 6 cm. Wood volume and organic matter in separate components of CWD are determined. The mass of CWD depends from stand age. The highest concentrations observed in a overmature pine forest of Myrtillus type but the lowest – in middle-aged stands of Myrtillus and Sphagnosa type. Standing dead trees are noted in all investigated objects. Fallen dead trees and stumps are present in eight stands. These elements are absent in the middle-aged pine stands of Myrtillus and Sphagnosa type. The initial stages of wood destruction dominate in the fallen dead trees. Biomass of stands and it distribution on fractions were present on data that published earlier. The correlation between organic matter mass in CWD and biomass was calculated. It varied in vide range depend on stand age. Literature data were used for estimation relationship between parameters under study. These contained information about forest type, age, CWD mass and stand biomass for separate sample plots. We found positive, statistically significant correlation between CWD stocks and stand biomass. The obtained data can be used to refine and deduce conversion coefficients that will serve to estimate the mass of CWD in forest ecosystems of large regions.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 503
Author(s):  
Andrew Giunta ◽  
John Shaw

Downed woody material (DWM) is a key component in forest ecosystems with age, structure, and disturbance described as primary factors that influence DWM dynamics. In particular, much emphasis is placed on large coarse woody debris (CWD). Fine woody debris (FWD) (less than 7.62 cm diameter), duff, and litter also contribute to carbon stocks, provide habitat, add to nutrient cycling, and are often the most available fuels for fire, yet are regularly overlooked in studies describing the forest floor. Throughout the middle montane zone within the Intermountain West region USA, interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca Mirb. Franco) is a predominant forest type, yet little is known about the forest floor complex in these forests. We used a chronosequence approach to compare DWM patterns over the course of stand development among stands with different disturbance histories. Using classification and regression trees, we also evaluated an assemblage of environmental, structural, and disturbance variables to determine factors of most importance for estimating loading for DWM, duff, and litter. We found CWD resembled a U-shaped pattern of buildup while FWD components remained stable over the course of stand development regardless of disturbance history. Our results indicate that large DWM components are most closely associated with the amount of standing dead material in a stand, primarily the density and basal area of snags. Fine woody material was more aligned with live stand components, while duff and litter were more influenced by disturbance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. Abele ◽  
S. Ellen Macdonald ◽  
John R. Spence

Terrestrial gastropods are important decomposers, herbivores, and prey items in forest systems and constitute a poorly understood element of forest biodiversity in Canada. We sampled terrestrial gastropod assemblages in northwestern Alberta, Canada, using board traps and forest floor sampling to examine their association with forest composition, structure, and environment (forest floor depth and moisture, coarse woody debris, understory vegetation cover) in four boreal mixedwood cover types: broadleaf (deciduous) dominated (DDOM), broadleaf (deciduous) dominated with coniferous understory (DDOMU), mixed conifer and broadleaf (MX), and conifer dominated (CDOM). The highest total gastropod abundance and richness occurred in the DDOM cover type. Furthermore, DDOM assemblages accumulated species more quickly (with sampling effort) and supported more gastropod species at higher levels of dominance than found in other cover types. The mix of coniferous and broadleaved trees influenced gastropod distributions within stands; however, associations observed between gastropod species and tree species differed among cover types, suggesting complex ecological contingency. For example, conifer basal area was an important driver of gastropod assemblage in DDOM and DDOMU forests, whereas broadleaf basal area was the most important driver in the CDOM forest type. We conclude that tree species mixture at a variety of scales sustains diversity of gastropod assemblages and that this understanding is significant for conservation of this taxon on mixedwood boreal forest landscapes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suin Ko ◽  
Tae Kyung Yoon ◽  
Seongjun Kim ◽  
Choonsig Kim ◽  
Sang-Tae Lee ◽  
...  

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