scholarly journals Twenty-Five Years of Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Accumulation Following Extreme Wind Damage in an Old-Growth Forest

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 289
Author(s):  
Chris Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Wind Disturbance ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Undisturbed Forest

Modeling of carbon dynamics at the landscape, regional, and continental scales is currently limited by few empirical studies of biomass and carbon accumulation after some types of disturbances. For temperate forests of North America, only three previous studies described biomass and carbon accumulation after wind disturbances, and those were limited by either coarse temporal resolution of the first several decades, or limited time span. Here, 25 years of aboveground biomass and carbon accumulation following severe wind disturbance of an old-growth hemlock-northern hardwoods forest of northwestern Pennsylvania are documented to characterize the temporal trends with fine temporal resolution and extend into the third decade post-disturbance. Mature undisturbed forest at the site supported roughly 296 Mg ha−1 live aboveground biomass and 148 Mg ha−1 of carbon. The disturbance reduced the aboveground woody biomass to ~7 Mg ha−1, and carbon to ~3.5 Mg ha−1. During regrowth, biomass and carbon accumulated slowly at first (e.g., 2–4 Mg ha−1 year−1 for biomass and 1–2 mg ha−1 year−1 for carbon), but at increasing rates up through approximately 17 years post-disturbance, after which accumulation slowed somewhat to roughly 3.4 Mg ha−1 year−1 of biomass and 1.7 Mg ha−1 year−1 of carbon. It appears that the rates reported here are similar to rates observed after wind disturbance of other temperate forests, but slower than accumulation in some tropical systems. Notably, in tropical forests, post-windthrow accumulation is often very rapid in the first decade followed by decreases, while in the results reported here, there was slow accumulation in the first several years that increased in the second decade and then subsequently slowed.

Fuel succession in a western hemlock/Douglas-fir forest

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 697-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Agee ◽  
Mark H. Huff
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Herb Layer ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Tree Component ◽  
Natural Stands ◽  
Over Time

Fuel succession was quantified for a 515-year chronosequence in a Tsugaheterophylla/Pseudotsugamenziesii forest. Postfire stand ages selected were 1, 3, 19, 110, 181, and 515. After initial reductions due to mortality from fire in the first 3 years, live aboveground biomass in the tree component increased over time to over 1100 t/ha. Shrub and herb layer biomass was highest in year 19 and year 515. Dead aboveground biomass had different trends for different fuel size classes; normalized fuel loadings of five dead and down fuel categories peaked at four different stand ages: 1-h and 10-h timelag (TL) fuels, age 1; 100-h TL fuels, age 19; 1000-h TL fuels, age 110; >1000-h TL fuels, age 515. Surface fire behavior was highest early in the sere and lowest at ages 110–181. Old-growth forest patches appear to be best buffered against forest fire by mature forest patches rather than old growth or recently burned natural stands.

Seven decades of change in a European old-growth forest following a stand-replacing wind disturbance: A long-term case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 399 ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Jaloviar ◽  
Milan Saniga ◽  
Stanislav Kucbel ◽  
Ján Pittner ◽  
Jaroslav Vencurik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Disturbance ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest

Aboveground biomass dynamics of subalpine old-growth forest in the upper reach of the Minjiang River

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 3176-3184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Guobin ◽  
Liu Shirong ◽  
Zhang Yuandong ◽  
Miao Ning ◽  
Wang Hui
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Minjiang River ◽  
Biomass Dynamics

scholarly journals Aboveground biomass increments over 26 years (1993–2019) in an old-growth cool-temperate forest in northern Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahoko Noguchi ◽  
Kazuhiko Hoshizaki ◽  
Michinari Matsushita ◽  
Daiki Sugiura ◽  
Tsutomu Yagihashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
Northern Japan

Assessing long-term changes in biomass of old-growth forests is critical in evaluating forest ecosystem functions under a changing climate. Long-term biomass changes are the result of accumulated short-term changes, which can be affected by endogenous processes such as gap filling in small-scale canopy openings. Here, we used 26 years (1993–2019) of repeated tree census data in an old-growth, cool-temperate, deciduous mixed forest that contains three topographic units (riparian, denuded slope, and terrace) in northern Japan to document decadal changes in aboveground biomass (AGB) and their processes in relation to endogenous processes and climatic factors. AGB increased steadily over the 26 years in all topographic units, but different tree species contributed to the increase among the topographic units. AGB gain within each topographic unit exceeded AGB loss via tree mortality in most of the measurement periods despite substantial temporal variation in AGB loss. At the local scale, variations in AGB gain were partially explained by compensating growth of trees around canopy gaps. Climate affected the local-scale AGB gain: the gain was larger in the measurement periods with higher mean temperature during the current summer but smaller in those with higher mean temperature during the previous autumn, synchronously in all topographic units. The decadal climate trends of warming are likely to have contributed to the steady increase in AGB in this old-growth forest.

scholarly journals First-Decade Biomass and Carbon Accumulation, and Woody Community Change after Severe Wind Damage in a Hemlock-White Pine Forest Remnant

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Chris Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Wind Disturbance ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Canopy Trees ◽  
Forest Remnant ◽  
Live Tree ◽  
Carbon Accumulation Rates

Studies of biomass and carbon dynamics and community composition change after forest wind disturbance have predominantly examined trends after low and intermediate severity events, while studies after very severe wind disturbance have been few. This study documents trends in aboveground biomass and carbon across 10 years of forest recovery after severe wind disturbance. In July 1989, a tornado struck mature Tsugacanadensis-Pinusstrobus forest in northwest Connecticut, USA, causing damage across roughly 8 ha. Canopy tree damage and regeneration were surveyed in 1991 and 1999. Two primary hypotheses were tested, both of which derive from regeneration being primarily via the release of suppressed saplings rather than new seedling establishment: (1) Biomass and carbon accumulation will be faster than accumulation reported from a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance; and (2) The stand will experience very little change in species composition or diversity. Estimated immediate post-disturbance (1989) aboveground live-tree carbon was 20.7 ± 43.9 Mg ha−1 (9.9% of pre-disturbance) Ten years after the disturbance, carbon in aboveground live tree biomass increased to 37.1 ± 47.9 Mg ha−1; thus for the first decade, annual accumulation averaged 1.6 Mg ha−1 of carbon; this was significantly faster than the rate reported in a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance. The species diversity of woody stems ten years after the disturbance was significantly higher (nonoverlapping confidence intervals of rarefaction curves) than pre-disturbance canopy trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was confirmed while hypothesis 2 was rejected. This study augments the limited number of longer-term empirical studies that report biomass and carbon accumulation rates after wind disturbance, and can therefore serve as a benchmark for mechanistic and modeling research.

scholarly journals Forest structural parameters and aboveground biomass in old-growth and secondary forests along an elevational gradient in Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Alrutz ◽  
Jorge Antonio Gómez Díaz ◽  
Ulf Schneidewind ◽  
Thorsten Krömer ◽  
Holger Kreft
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Old Growth Forests

Background: Tropical montane forests are important reservoirs of carbon and biodiversity but are threatened by deforestation and climate change. It is important to understand how forest structure and aboveground biomass change along gradients of elevation and succession. Questions: What are the interactive effect of elevation and two stages of succession on forest structure parameters? Studied species: Tree communities. Study site and dates: Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, Mexico. August to December 2015. Methods: We studied four sites along an elevational gradient (500, 1,500, 2,500, and 3,500 m). At each elevation and each forest type, we established five 20 × 20 m plots (n = 40 plots). Within each plot, we measured stem density, mean diameter at breast height (dbh), and tree height and derived basal area and aboveground biomass (AGB). Results: AGB peaked at 2,500 m and was significantly related to elevation and succession, with higher values in old-growth forests than in secondary forests at higher altitudes. Lower values of mean dbh and basal area were found at higher elevations. At the lowest elevation, both successional stages had the same values of stem density and AGB. At both lower elevations, secondary forests had higher values of dbh and basal area. There were high biomass stocks in the old-growth forest at 2,500 and 3,500 m. Conclusions: Old-growth forests at higher elevations are threatened by deforestation, consequently these remaining fragments must be preserved because of their storage capacity for biomass and their ability to mitigate climate change.

Old-growth, disturbance, and ecosystem management

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 918-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Johnson ◽  
K. Miyanishi ◽  
J. M. H. Weir
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Exponential Model ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Growth Disturbance ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Distribution Studies ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Negative Exponential

The forested landscape consists of a mosaic of patches of different times since the last disturbance (i.e., different stand ages). Therefore, we can form a distribution of forest ages for the entire landscape (landscape age distribution). Studies of disturbance by fire in boreal and subalpine conifer forests have shown that the cumulative age distribution (landscape survivorship distribution) is best fit by a negative exponential model for which the parameter, the disturbance cycle, gives the time required to disturb an area equal in size to the study area. This distribution describes the rate at which parts of the landscape will survive disturbance, and consequently it tells us the percentage of the landscape that will survive to be old-growth forest. Empirical studies show that old forests make up a small proportion of the boreal and subalpine landscape. We introduce the concept of characteristic oldest age, which is a function of disturbance cycle and size of the study area. This landscape approach to old growth allows one to estimate the minimum area required to ensure the continued existence of some user-defined old-growth forest for any given disturbance cycle. Key words: old growth, disturbance cycle, ecosystem management, landscape age distribution, boreal forest, landscape ecology.

scholarly journals Old-growth forest loss and secondary forest recovery across Amazonian countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Smith ◽  
John Healey ◽  
Erika Berenguer ◽  
Paul Young ◽  
Ben Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest

There is growing recognition of the potential of large-scale restoration in the Amazon as a “nature-based solution” to climate change. However, our knowledge of forest loss and recovery beyond Brazil is limited, and carbon emissions and accumulation have not been estimated for the whole biome. Combining a 33-year land cover dataset with estimates of above-ground biomass and carbon sequestration rates, we evaluate forest loss and recovery across nine Amazonian countries and at a local scale. We also estimate the role of secondary forests in offsetting old-growth deforestation emissions and explore the temporal trends in forest loss and recovery. We find secondary forests across the biome to have offset just 9.7% of carbon emissions from old-growth deforestation, despite occupying 27.6% of deforested land. However, these numbers varied between countries ranging from 9.0% in Brazil to 23.8% in Guyana for carbon offsetting, and 24.8% in Brazil to 56.9% in Ecuador for forest area recovery. We reveal a strong, negative spatial relationship between old-growth forest loss and recovery by secondary forests, showing that regions with the greatest potential for large-scale restoration are also those that currently have the lowest recovery (e.g. Brazil dominates deforestation and emissions but has the lowest recovery). Our findings identify three important challenges for policy makers: (1) incentivising large-scale restoration in highly deforested regions, (2) protecting secondary forests without disadvantaging landowners who depend on farm-fallow systems, and (3) preventing further deforestation. Combatting all of these successfully is essential to ensuring that the Amazon biome achieves its potential in mitigating anthropogenic climate change.

Tradable Disturbance Permits for Old-growth Forest Conservation: Experimental Evaluation of Implementation Options

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 73-107
Author(s):  
Orsolya Perger ◽  
Curtis Rollins ◽  
Marian Weber ◽  
Wiktor Adamowicz ◽  
Peter Boxall
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evaluation ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest
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