Assessing and modeling standing deadwood attributes under alternative silvicultural regimes in the Acadian Forest region of Maine, USA

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
pp. 1873-1883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Russell ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic ◽  
Aaron R. Weiskittel ◽  
Joshua J. Puhlick ◽  
John C. Brissette
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees ◽  
Modeling Strategy ◽  
Area And Volume

Estimating the amount of standing deadwood in forests is crucial for assessing wildlife habitat and determining carbon stocks. In this analysis, snags (standing dead trees) in various stages of decay were inventoried across eight silvicultural treatments in eastern spruce–fir forests in central Maine nearly 60 years after treatments were initiated. Several modeling strategies were developed to estimate number of snags per hectare in various stages of decay. An unmanaged reference area displayed the highest basal area and volume of snags (5.4 ± 3.1 m2·ha–1 and 29.4 ± 23.6 m3·ha–1, respectively, (mean ± standard deviation)), while the lowest basal area and volume (0.9 ± 1.0 m2·ha–1 and 3.1 ± 5.2 m3·ha–1) were observed in selection system with a 5-year cutting cycle. Models indicated that snag abundance was related to stand density, depth to water table, and the average harvest interval of the treatment. At a fixed stand density, approximately 140% more snags were predicted to occur in treatments with an average harvest interval of 55 compared with 5 years. An index of error reflecting the number of snags found in certain decay classes was reduced by 40% when predictions from count regression models fit with a mixed modeling strategy were used over ordinal regression. Results from these analyses can help to reduce the disparities between observed and modeled snag stocking levels and further our understanding of the relationships between live and standing dead trees inherent to eastern spruce–fir forests.

scholarly journals Snags and Down Wood in Missouri Old-Growth and Mature Second-Growth Forests

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Shifley ◽  
Brian L. Brookshire ◽  
David R. Larsen ◽  
Laura A. Herbeck
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Negative Exponential

Abstract As forest managers in the Midwest focus more attention toward understanding and maintaining ecosystem processes, greater emphasis is being placed on the role of snags and down wood in providing wildlife habitat, cycling nutrients, and maintaining continuity in forest structure following harvest. We measured five remnant old-growth hardwood tracts and six mature, second-growth, hardwood tracts in Missouri and compared findings concerning (1) the volume of down wood and (2) the number and size distribution of snags (i.e., standing dead trees). Volume of down wood ≥ 10 cm in diameter averaged 36 m³/ha on the old-growth tracts, double the 18 m³/ha mean volume for the second-growth sites. This difference in volume was concentrated in pieces of down wood with diameters larger than 20 cm; below diameters of 20 cm the number of pieces of down wood by diameter class was similar for the old-growth and second-growth sites. On the old-growth sites, the mean basal area of snags ≥ 10 cm dbh was 1.9 m²/ha. This was approximately 1.5 times greater than the mean basal area of snags on the second-growth sites. The number of snags ≥ 10 cm dbh on the old growth sites was approximately 9% pf the number of live trees on those sites. The corresponding value for second-growth sites was 8%. On both the old-growth and second-growth sites, the number of snags and the number of live trees by dbh class followed a negative exponential (reverse-J) form. Frequency distributions for the number of snags by dbh class closely followed those for live trees on the same sites. These results provide managers with general guidelines for the quantity of down wood likely to be found in mature second-growth forests and old-growth forests. We also provide some provisional rules of thumb for estimating the density and size distribution of snags from values observed for live trees in the same stand. North. J. Appl. For. 14(4):165-172.

scholarly journals Classification of Tree Species as Well as Standing Dead Trees Using Triple Wavelength ALS in a Temperate Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 2614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Amiri ◽  
Peter Krzystek ◽  
Marco Heurich ◽  
Andrew Skidmore
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Feature Selection Method ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Maximum Point ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees ◽  
532 Nm

Knowledge about forest structures, particularly of deadwood, is fundamental for understanding, protecting, and conserving forest biodiversity. While individual tree-based approaches using single wavelength airborne laserscanning (ALS) can successfully distinguish broadleaf and coniferous trees, they still perform multiple tree species classifications with limited accuracy. Moreover, the mapping of standing dead trees is becoming increasingly important for damage calculation after pest infestation or biodiversity assessment. Recent advances in sensor technology have led to the development of new ALS systems that provide up to three different wavelengths. In this study, we present a novel method which classifies three tree species (Norway spruce, European beech, Silver fir), and dead spruce trees with crowns using full waveform ALS data acquired from three different sensors (wavelengths 532 nm, 1064 nm, 1550 nm). The ALS data were acquired in the Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany) under leaf-on conditions with a maximum point density of 200 points/m 2 . To avoid overfitting of the classifier and to find the most prominent features, we embed a forward feature selection method. We tested our classification procedure using 20 sample plots with 586 measured reference trees. Using single wavelength datasets, the highest accuracy achieved was 74% (wavelength = 1064 nm), followed by 69% (wavelength = 1550 nm) and 65% (wavelength = 532 nm). An improvement of 8–17% over single wavelength datasets was achieved when the multi wavelength data were used. Overall, the contribution of the waveform-based features to the classification accuracy was higher than that of the geometric features by approximately 10%. Our results show that the features derived from a multi wavelength ALS point cloud significantly improve the detailed mapping of tree species and standing dead trees.

scholarly journals Standing Dead Trees are a Conduit for the Atmospheric Flux of CH4 and CO2 from Wetlands

Wetlands ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane Carmichael ◽  
Ashley M. Helton ◽  
Joseph C. White ◽  
William K. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Flux ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees

scholarly journals New Silvicultural Treatments for Conifer Peri-Urban Forests Having Broadleaves in the Understory - The First Application in the Peri-Urban of Xanthi in Northeastern Greece

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Milios ◽  
Kyriaki Kitikidou ◽  
Kalliopi Radoglou
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Research Hypothesis ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Selective Approach ◽  
Conifer Trees ◽  
Cutting Intensity

Background and Purpose: In Greece, forest practice did not develop special silvicultural treatments for planted conifer peri-urban forests where broadleaf trees appear as natural regeneration in the understory. The aims of this study are: a) to analyze the new proposed selective silvicultural treatments for the planted peri-urban forest of Xanthi and for analogous planted conifer forests, where broadleaf trees are naturally established in the understory b) to check the research hypothesis that the new selective silvicultural treatments exhibited higher intensity in terms of the basal area of cut trees, compared to that of traditional treatments in the studied peri-urban forest. Materials and Methods: In the traditional treatments, in the pine overstory cuttings, apart from the dead trees, mainly the malformed, damaged, suppressed and intermediate trees were cut. In the lower stories, the goal of the thinning was the more or less uniform distribution of broadleaf trees. In the proposed selective treatments, the main aim of pine cuttings is to release the broadleaf formations growing in the lower stories, while the treatments of the broadleaf trees will be a form of “positive selection” thinning. Plots were established in areas where the two types of treatments were going to be applied. In each plot, tree measurements and a classification of living trees into crown classes took place. After the application of the treatments the characteristics of cut trees were recorded. Results: In the established plots, before the cuttings (and thinning), total basal area was not statistically significantly different between the two types of treatments. In selective treatments, the basal area of all cut trees was statistically significantly higher than that of the results of traditional treatments. In the broadleaf cut trees there were statistical differences in the ratios of dominant, intermediate and suppressed trees between the two silvicultural approaches. Conclusions: The research hypothesis was verified. The intensity of treatments in terms of the basal area of cut trees was higher in the selective approach, compared to the traditional treatments in the Xanthi peri-urban forest. However, the overstory cutting intensity of the selective treatments depends on the spatial distributions and densities of broadleaved and conifer trees. In the broadleaf trees, the different objectives of the two types of treatments resulted in thinning with different qualitative characteristics. The proposed silvicultural treatments will accelerate the conversion of peri-urban conifer forests having an understory of broadleaf trees into broadleaved forests, or into mixed forests of conifers and broadleaf trees.

scholarly journals MENAKAR SIFAT INVASIF SPESIES AKASIA MANGIUM (Acacia mangium Willd.) DI HUTAN PENELITIAN DAN PENDIDIKAN BUKIT SOEHARTO

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sutedjo Sutedjo ◽  
Warsudi Warsudi
Keyword(s):  
Acacia Mangium ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees

 Akasia mangium (Acacia mangium Willd) bukan tumbuhan asli Kalimantan namun sejak puluhan tahun tumbuh berkembang pesat di berbagai wilayah Kalimantan termasuk Kalimantan Timur. Dikenal sebagai tumbuhan yang mampu tumbuh di lahan kritis sehingga pada awal tahun 1990-an dijadikan tanaman  reboisasi sekaligus pengendali alang-alang di wilayah kritis hutan penelitian dan pendidikan Universitas Mulawarman di Bukit Soeharto. Mengherankan, bahwa beberapa tahun taerkhir sebagian praktisi kehutanan dan reklamasi pascatambang merasa gamang menggunakan A. mangium, khawatir jika jenis tersebut akan benar benar menjadi spesies invasif.  Gejala untuk menolak bahkan menghindari  A. mangium sebagai komoditas kehutanan terutama sebagai jenis pengendali lahan kritis mulai meluas. Untuk mengetahui seberapa benar anggapan Acacia mangium sebagai jenis invasif maka dilakukan evaluasi dengan melakukan analisis vegetasi terhadap 3 ha tegakan hutan A. mangium yang ditanam di Bukit Soeharto sebagai uji petik yang saat sekarang telah berumur sekitar 25 tahun. Hasil evaluasi membuktikan bahwa jumlah tanaman per ha (kerapatan) pohon A. mangium menurun (kurang dari jumlah saat ditanam atau sekitar 800 individu/ha). Jumlah yang menurun itupun cenderung mengelompok. Sebagian pohon bahkan ditemukan dalam kondisi mati generasi (standing dead trees). Sementara itu jumlah spesies pohon setempat (local trees species) juga mulai muncul di antara tegakan A.mangium. Dengan demikian terbukti  bahwa A. mngium bukanlah tipe invasif  yang sesungguhnya dan tidak ada alasan utuk menolak penggunaannya sebagai tanaman pengendali lahan kritis selama potensi ancaman terjadinya kebakaran lahan hutan dapat dicegah.

scholarly journals The structure of forest stands in the Tatra National Park: The results of 2016–2017 inventory

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Bodziarczyk ◽  
Jerzy Szwagrzyk ◽  
Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica ◽  
Antoni Zięba ◽  
Janusz Szewczyk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Picea Abies ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
National Park ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Protection Zone ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Elevation Zone ◽  
Standing Dead Trees ◽  
Tatra National Park

Abstract The composition and structure of forest stands in the Tatra National Park were examined using data gathered in 2016 and 2017 from 617 circular sample plots (0.05 ha each). The diameter at breast height of all living trees, standing dead trees, snags, and wind throws was measured along with diameters and lengths of fallen logs within the plot boundaries. Tree height was measured for all living trees within the core (0.01 ha) of the sample plots. Using the obtained data, height-diameter curves were calculated for all major tree species and in the case of spruce, the height-diameter relationships were also calculated separately for each of the three elevation zones (up to 1200 m, between 1200 and 1400 m, above 1400 m). For each elevation zone and park protection zone, we also determined the volumes of live and dead trees. The volume of living trees in the Tatra National Park amounted to 259 m3/ha, which was higher than the volume of dead trees (176 m3/ha). Snags constituted the largest part of the dead wood whilst over 97% of the standing dead trees were spruce Picea abies. Among living trees, the share of spruce ranged from 81% in the low elevation zone to 98% in the middle zone. Other significant species in the lower zone were Abies alba (11%) and Fagus sylvatica (4.5%), while in the middle and upper elevation zones only Sorbus aucuparia occurred in significant numbers. Furthermore, in the lower elevation zone, Fagus sylvatica was the only species displaying significantly higher volumes in the ‘strict protection’ zone compared to the other park areas. In the ‘landscape protection’ zone, Picea abies was the most dominant species and the share of other species in the lowest elevation zones calculated based on tree density was smaller than calculated based on tree volume, indicating problems with stand conversion from spruce monoculture to mixed forest.

Decay patterns and carbon density of standing dead trees in California mixed conifer forests

2015 ◽  
Vol 353 ◽  
pp. 136-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella J.M. Cousins ◽  
John J. Battles ◽  
John E. Sanders ◽  
Robert A. York
Keyword(s):  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Carbon Density ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Standing Dead Trees

scholarly journals Tree structure and richness in an Atlantic Forest fragment: distance from anthropogenic and natural edges

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1123-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maíra Taquiguthi Ribeiro ◽  
Flavio Nunes Ramos ◽  
Flavio Antonio Maës Dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
The State ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Tree Communities ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Total Study Area ◽  
Tree Branch

Approximately 7.2% of the Atlantic rainforest remains in Brazil, with only 16% of this forest remaining in the State of Rio de Janeiro, all of it distributed in fragments. This forest fragmentation can produce biotic and abiotic differences between edges and the fragment interior. In this study, we compared the structure and richness of tree communities in three habitats - an anthropogenic edge (AE), a natural edge (NE) and the fragment interior (FI) - of a fragment of Atlantic forest in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (22°50'S and 42°28'W). One thousand and seventy-six trees with a diameter at breast height > 4.8 cm, belonging to 132 morphospecies and 39 families, were sampled in a total study area of 0.75 ha. NE had the greatest basal area and the trees in this habitat had the greatest diameter:height allometric coefficient, whereas AE had a lower richness and greater variation in the height of the first tree branch. Tree density, diameter, height and the proportion of standing dead trees did not differ among the habitats. There was marked heterogeneity among replicates within each habitat. These results indicate that the forest interior and the fragment edges (natural or anthropogenic) do not differ markedly considering the studied parameters. Other factors, such as the age from the edge, type of matrix and proximity of gaps, may play a more important role in plant community structure than the proximity from edges.

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