Forest vegetation of the Colorado Front Range

Peet, Robert K.

doi:10.1007/bf00240202

Cited by 360 publications

(426 citation statements)

References 170 publications

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“…While it is possible that continued recruitment may raise seedling density levels, it is unlikely to be substantial. Post-fire seedling establishment in subalpine forests is accomplished rapidly from local seed sources (Peet 1981, Jenkins et al 1997, Antos and Parish 2002. Aging of the seedlings surveyed via node counts indicates that recruitment rates have dropped dramatically on all three coniferous species, which all peaked three to four years post-fire.…”

Section: Implications Of Exceeding Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance interactions can impact resilience mechanisms of forests

2011

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Abstract. Interactions between multiple disturbances are of special concern in ecology due to their potential for non-linear behavior and long-lasting legacies on landscape structure and function. If multiple disturbances overcome the ecological resilience of a system, alternate stable states are possible. Increases in the frequency and severity of disturbance events as a result of climate change heighten this concern. This study directly addresses the question of ecosystem resilience in the face of multiple disturbances. We investigated a gradient of disturbance interaction severities between two events in a subalpine forest, a 1997 windstorm (variable severity) and a 2002 wildfire (high-severity). A third disturbance, salvage logging of blowdown (1999)(2000)(2001) prior to the fire, served as a de facto experimental treatment. Ninetynine study plots were established across the disturbance gradient, including fire-only areas for a baseline fire response. Modeling indicated that the combination of two severe disturbances created novel conditions which exceeded the resilience mechanisms of the system. Modeled mean fire residence time and temperature (First Order Fire Effects Model, FOFEM), as well as mean distance to potential seed sources, increased as a result of the interaction. Regeneration 8 years post-fire was essentially absent in medium-to high-severity blowdown þ fire plots, whereas low-severity blowdown þ fire and fire-only areas showed strong regeneration. Blowdown þ salvage þ fire had significantly higher regeneration than areas of comparable blowdown, suggesting that fuel loading drove the interaction. CART analysis supported this hypothesis. Multiple disturbances have the potential to create surprising situations and reduce the resilience of an ecosystem. Differential recovery as a result of a ''novel disturbance'' created by compounding events will likely have long lasting legacies across the landscape.

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Section: Implications Of Exceeding Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance interactions can impact resilience mechanisms of forests

2011

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“…Forest distribution in the Colorado Front Range is influenced by combinations of topographic and moisture gradients [21]. The general pattern is foothill shrublands dominated by mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) at the lowest elevations which transitions to open montane forests dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Field Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The western portion of the study area is mostly in the Mount Evans Wilderness Area on the Arapaho and Pike National Forests with the east portion largely private property with isolated public land units. Field observation, prior research on forest distribution [21] and current, GIS-based existing vegetation type maps [23] all aided in identifying the five vegetation types and associated 200 m elevation sampling bands (Figure 1). Figure 1.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Field Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Charcoal and Total Carbon in Soils from Foothills Shrublands to Subalpine Forests in the Colorado Front Range

Licata

Sanford

2012

Forests

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Temperate conifer forests in the Colorado Front Range are fire-adapted ecosystems where wildland fires leave a legacy in the form of char and charcoal. Long-term soil charcoal C (CC) pools result from the combined effects of wildland fires, aboveground biomass characteristics and soil transfer mechanisms. We measured CC pools in surface soils (0-10 cm) at mid-slope positions on east facing aspects in five continuous foothills shrubland and conifer forest types. We found a significant statistical effect of vegetation type on CC pools along this ecological gradient, but not a linear pattern increasing with elevation gain. There is a weak bimodal pattern of CC gain with elevation between foothills shrublands (1.2 mg CC ha) and the lower montane, ponderosa pine (1.5 mg CC ha ). We propose that CC forms and accumulates via unique ecological conditions such as fire regime. The range of soil CC amounts and ratios of CC to total SOC are comparable to but lower than other regional estimates.

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“…No disturbances were used for these runs, as the internal dynamics (that is, the endogenous factors) of the system were the primary focus of this study. The composition of the forest community at year 500 for each elevation was compared to that observed on typical mountainsides in the Rocky Mountains (Marr 1961;Peet 1981).…”

Section: Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model-based Evidence for Cyclic Phenomena in a High-Elevation, Two-Species Forest

2015

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Cyclic phenomena have been the focus of many studies in stressed conifer forests. In these systems, suppressed seedlings are released following the synchronous death of canopy trees. These cycles occur over hundreds of years, and thus studying them in the field is difficult, if not impossible in some cases. This difficulty highlights the advantages of vegetation modeling studies. We used the individual-based gap model, University of Virginia Forest Model Enhanced (UVAFME), to simulate forest dynamics over time at a high-elevation, subalpine forest (dominated by Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir) in southern Wyoming. Following model calibration, UVAFME was validated by running it up an elevation gradient to determine if it could simulate changes in species composition with elevation. UVAFME was then run exclusively at the high-elevation location for periods of 3000 years to simulate long-term forest dynamics at the site. It was found that without the intrusion of exogenous disturbances, the subalpine zone of the Rocky Mountains demonstrates cyclic phenomena, both at the plot scale and the landscape scale. By itself, Engelmann spruce demonstrates a natural periodicity of 300 years, whereas subalpine fir has a natural periodicity of 200 years. In the two-species forest, both species have a periodicity of 300 years. This output corresponds well with field data from similar high-elevation conifer sites. These results, along with other examples of cyclic phenomena in ecological systems, indicate that periodicities in ecosystems may be more common than previously thought, though they may be difficult to distinguish due to disturbances and the time-and space-scales at which they occur.

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Forest vegetation of the Colorado Front Range

Cited by 360 publications

References 170 publications

Disturbance interactions can impact resilience mechanisms of forests

Disturbance interactions can impact resilience mechanisms of forests

Charcoal and Total Carbon in Soils from Foothills Shrublands to Subalpine Forests in the Colorado Front Range

Model-based Evidence for Cyclic Phenomena in a High-Elevation, Two-Species Forest

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