Structure and Dynamics of Old-Growth Nothofagus Forests in the Valdivian Andes, Chile

1980 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Veblen ◽  
F. M. Schlegel ◽  
B. Escobar R.
Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Mariano Martín Amoroso ◽  
Ana Paula Blazina

The identification of disturbance events using disturbance chronologies has become a valuable tool in reconstructing disturbance history in temperate forests worldwide; yet detailed reconstructions of disturbance history and their effect on the structure and dynamics of the old-growth Nothofagus forests in the southern Patagonia are scarce. We reconstructed forest dynamics and disturbance history of an old-growth N. pumilio forest in the Toro River Valley, Santa Cruz, Argentina using dendroecological techniques. Since a variation in the disturbance regimes was expected with changing elevation, we sampled at different elevations. We found distinct differences in forest structure, dynamics, and disturbance history with changes in the elevation. The disturbance chronologies provided robust evidence that forests in the study area have been subjected to multiple disturbance events over the last 200 years. Yet, recognizing the agent of disturbance could be difficult in these montane forests and further studies are required. Moreover, disturbances might have varied from frequent, moderate- to high-severity events to less frequent and more severe events. This study represents the first of its kind for the temperate forests of Patagonia.


1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1989-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn H. Stewart ◽  
Larry E. Burrows

The volume, biomass, and carbon and nitrogen content of coarse woody debris were measured on three 1-ha reference plots in old-growth Nothofagusfusca (Hook. f.) Oerst.–Nothofagusmenziesii (Hook. f.) Oerst. forest on the South Island of New Zealand. Two decay sequences for logs and one for standing dead trees (snags) were recognised from two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) of up to 30 variables related to physical characteristics and structural integrity. Wood volume (up to 800 m3•ha−1) and biomass were high (up to 300 Mg•ha−1), and the inside-out decay sequence from heartwood to sapwood was unusual compared with that of other temperate hardwood forests. Coarse woody debris represented significant carbon and nitrogen pools, with ca. 150 Mg•ha−1 and 370 kg•ha−1, respectively, in one stand. The coarse woody debris component of these broad-leaved evergreen hardwood forests was much higher than that reported for other temperate hardwood forests and approaches that of many northern hemisphere conifer forests. The large coarse woody debris pools are discussed in relation to live stand biomass, natural disturbances and tree mortality, and decomposition processes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Petruccelli ◽  
John Sakulich ◽  
Grant L. Harley ◽  
Henri D. Grissino-Mayer

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