An Old-Growth Definition for Western and Mixed Mesophytic Forests

Greenberg, Cathryn H.; McLeod, D. E.; Loftis, David L.

doi:10.2737/srs-gtr-16

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Severe weather events (e.g., hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and winter storms), drought, fire, pests, and disease affect the forest species composition, age, and canopy structure depending on the spatial scale, severity, and return interval of the disturbance [Braun, 1950;Whitney, 1994;Davis, 1996;Runkle, 1996;Greenberg et al, 1997;Foster et al, 2004]. Large-scale disturbances caused by lightning-ignited fire and blowdowns from hurricanes are common in the northeastern and southeastern forests [Runkle, 1996;Foster et al, 2004], while disturbance and gap dynamics are more prevalent in the central mesophytic forests [Runkle, 1996;Greenberg et al, 1997]. Frequent disturbance by lightningignited fires maintained open southern pine forests, eastern shrublands, tallgrass prairie, and other ecosystems.…”

Section: The 1650 Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Site productivity differences contributed to a wide range in the average size of old-growth trees [Braun, 1950], such as found in many accounts of tall, large-diameter trees in the original forest [e.g., see Whitney, 1994;Davis, 1996], versus the recently reported small old-growth trees that are located in remote, low productivity sites such as the ''Middleburgh'' red cedars or chestnut oaks [Krajick, 2003]. Severe weather events (e.g., hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and winter storms), drought, fire, pests, and disease affect the forest species composition, age, and canopy structure depending on the spatial scale, severity, and return interval of the disturbance [Braun, 1950;Whitney, 1994;Davis, 1996;Runkle, 1996;Greenberg et al, 1997;Foster et al, 2004]. Large-scale disturbances caused by lightning-ignited fire and blowdowns from hurricanes are common in the northeastern and southeastern forests [Runkle, 1996;Foster et al, 2004], while disturbance and gap dynamics are more prevalent in the central mesophytic forests [Runkle, 1996;Greenberg et al, 1997].…”

Section: The 1650 Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land‐atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

Steyaert

Knox

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Over the past 350 years, the eastern half of the United States experienced extensive land cover changes. These began with land clearing in the 1600s, continued with widespread deforestation, wetland drainage, and intensive land use by 1920, and then evolved to the present-day landscape of forest regrowth, intensive agriculture, urban expansion, and landscape fragmentation. Such changes alter biophysical properties that are key determinants of land-atmosphere interactions (water, energy, and carbon exchanges). To understand the potential implications of these land use transformations, we developed and analyzed 20-km land cover and biophysical parameter data sets for the eastern United States at 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 time slices. Our approach combined potential vegetation, county-level census data, soils data, resource statistics, a Landsatderived land cover classification, and published historical information on land cover and land use. We reconstructed land use intensity maps for each time slice and characterized the land cover condition. We combined these land use data with a mutually consistent set of biophysical parameter classes, to characterize the historical diversity and distribution of land surface properties. Time series maps of land surface albedo, leaf area index, a deciduousness index, canopy height, surface roughness, and potential saturated soils in 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 illustrate the profound effects of land use change on biophysical properties of the land surface. Although much of the eastern forest has returned, the average biophysical parameters for recent landscapes remain markedly different from those of earlier periods. Understanding the consequences of these historical changes will require land-atmosphere interactions modeling experiments.Citation: Steyaert, L. T., and R. G. Knox (2008), Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of landatmosphere interactions within the eastern United States,

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Section: The 1650 Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The 1650 Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land‐atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

Steyaert

Knox

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…In these forests, the age of the oldest trees is indeed relatively great (Hunter 1989, Duchesne 1994, Leverett 1996, Hunter and White 1997. The presence of large trees in terms of height and diameter is also common in old-growth forests (Duchesne 1994, Runkle 1996, Greenberg et al 1997, Leduc and Bergeron 1998. Although their presence is not essential, these large, tall trees increase the value of old-growth forests in the eyes of the public and can also provide additional indices of old growth (Fig.…”

Section: Discussion Identifying Old-growth Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fine-grained mosaic of disturbance that results, combined with the continuous recruitment of new stems of shade-tolerant species from the forest floor, tends to accentuate both the horizontal and vertical stratification of the forest cover, gradually giving it an uneven-aged (Fig. 3) or, at least, irregular structure (Greenberg et al 1997). This type of structure is typical of old-growth sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and eastern white-cedar forests (Table 4).…”

Section: Discussion Identifying Old-growth Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indicators proposed in the literature on old-growth forests of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada were examined (Hunter 1989, Nowacki and Trianoski 1993, Duchesne 1994, Leverett 1996, Runkle 1996, Hunter and White 1997, Greenberg et al 1997, Tyrrell et al 1998. The resulting definition emphasizes the use of structural attributes and refers to the dynamic processes at work in old-growth forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Old-growth forests in the temperate deciduous zone of Quebec: Identification and evaluation for conservation and research purposes

Villeneuve¹,

Brisson²

2003

The Forestry Chronicle

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The Quebec Department of Natural Resources (Ministère des ressources naturelles du Québec) is working to identify and protect old-growth forests in the deciduous forest zone of the province. A total of 88 sites was visited and a multivariate analysis of the main attributes of old growth allowed the development of quantitative definitions and criteria for identifying old-growth sugar maple (Acer saccharum), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), eastern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis), and red spruce (Picea rubens) stands. Life expectancy of various species according to environment was determined through a statistical analysis of 21 500 study trees taken from the province's forest inventory. Four different identification criteria for old-growth forests were developed that include a number of indicators for old growth. Along with advanced age of forest cover, the criteria that best reflected the nature of old-growth forests were the presence of large dead trees, low cutting intensity, and the importance of shade-tolerant species. Old-growth forests identified during this validation work occupy roughly 60 km 2 in Quebec's deciduous forest zone. Among other things, old-growth sugar maple stands of over 400 years old were discovered, containing stems with a diameter at breast height of 140 cm and a height of over 38 m. The very great potential of many of these exceptional forests for scientific research and biodiversity conservation is illustrated by the work carried out in the Boisé des Muir. Despite its small size, this sugar maple stand, which is over 300 years old, has advanced knowledge in fields as varied as forest dynamics, biodiversity, and climate studies, and has also served as a control site for various scientific studies.

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Warm-Temperate Deciduous Forests around the Northern Hemisphere

Box¹,

Fujiwara²

2015

Geobotany Studies

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The series includes outstanding monographs and collections of papers on a given topic in the following fields: Phytogeography, Phytosociology, Plant Community Ecology, Biocoenology, Vegetation Science, Eco-informatics, Landscape Ecology, Vegetation Mapping, Plant Conservation Biology and Plant Diversity. Contributions are expected to reflect the latest theoretical and methodological developments or to present new applications at broad spatial or temporal scales that could reinforce our understanding of ecological processes acting at the phytocoenosis and landscape level. Case studies based on large data sets are also considered, provided that they support refinement of habitat classification, conservation of plant diversity, or prediction of vegetation change. "Geobotany Studies: Basics, Methods and Case Studies" is the successor to the journal Braun-Blanquetia, which was published by the University of Camerino between 1984 and 2011 with the cooperation of the Station

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An Old-Growth Definition for Western and Mixed Mesophytic Forests

Cited by 31 publications

References 25 publications

Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land‐atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land‐atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

Old-growth forests in the temperate deciduous zone of Quebec: Identification and evaluation for conservation and research purposes

Warm-Temperate Deciduous Forests around the Northern Hemisphere

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