Spatial tree age structure and fire history in two old-growth forests in eastern Fennoscandia

Wallenius, Tuomo; Kuuluvainen, Timo; Heikkilä, Risto; Lindholm, Tapio

doi:10.14214/sf.557

Cited by 36 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…According to Volkov (1997) Picea can attain the age of 430 years in the studied Vienansalo area. Wallenius et al (2002) documented a 433-year-old Picea tree in eastcentral Finland. The oldest Betula was 162 years of age in our plots, which agrees with the maximum ages for Betula pubescens of 135 years (Steijlen and Zackrisson 1986) and 216 years (Hofgaard 1993) documented in northern Sweden.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tree age distributions in old-growth forest sites in Vienansalo wilderness, eastern Fennoscandia

Kuuluvainen¹,

Mäki²,

Karjalainen³

et al. 2002

Silva Fenn.

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The age and size of trees was sampled and measured on eight sample plots (0.2 ha each) within a Pinus sylvestris -dominated boreal forest landscape in Vienansalo wilderness, Russian Karelia. The fi re history of these plots was obtained from a previous dendrochronological study. All the studied sample plots showed a wide and uneven distribution of tree ages, but the shape of the age distributions of trees as well as tree species composition varied substantially. Trees over 250 years of age occurred in every studied plot, despite its small size. This suggests that old Pinus were common and rather evenly distributed in the landscape matrix. The oldest Pinus tree was 525 years of age. The correlations between tree age and size were often weak or even nil. In Pinus the correlation between age and diameter was stronger than that between age and height. In the dominant tree species Pinus and Picea, the largest trees were not the oldest trees. The tree age distributions together with the fi re history data indicated that the past fi res have not been stand replacing, as many of the older Pinus had survived even several fi res. Tree age classes that had regenerated after the last fi re were most abundant and dominated by Picea and/or deciduous trees, while the trees established before the last fi re were almost exclusively Pinus. The results suggest that periodic occurrence of fi re is important for the maintenance of the Pinus-dominated landscape. This is because fi re kills most Picea and deciduous trees and at the same time enhances conditions for Pinus regeneration, facilitated by available seed from the continuous presence of old fi re-tolerant Pinus trees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the majority of these studies were performed in the northern boreal vegetation zone of Sweden (Ahti et al 1968), while the age structures of more southern old-growth forests have been much less examined (but see Wallenius et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree age distributions in old-growth forest sites in Vienansalo wilderness, eastern Fennoscandia

Kuuluvainen¹,

Mäki²,

Karjalainen³

et al. 2002

Silva Fenn.

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“…In both types, patch dynamics was mainly driven by wind disturbances. However, small-scale fires in spruce-dominated forests can apparently also lead to patch formation (Wallenius et al 2002).…”

Section: Disturbance Factors and Forest Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural forest dynamics in boreal Fennoscandia: a review and classification

Kuuluvainen¹,

Aakala²

2011

Silva Fenn.

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The aim here was to review and summarize the findings of scientific studies concerning the types of forest dynamics which occur in natural forests (i.e. forests with negligible human impact) of boreal Fennoscandia. We conducted a systematic search for relevant studies from selected reference databases, using search terms describing the location, structure and processes, and degree of naturalness of the forest. The studies resulting from these searches were supplemented with other known works that were not indexed in the databases. This procedure yielded a total of 43 studies. The studies were grouped into four types of forest dynamics according to the information presented on the characteristics of the native disturbancesuccession cycle: 1) even-aged stand dynamics driven by stand-replacing disturbances, 2) cohort dynamics driven by partial disturbances, 3) patch dynamics driven by tree mortality at intermediate scales (> 200 m 2 ) and 4) gap dynamics driven by tree mortality at fine scales (< 200 m 2 ). All four dynamic types were reported from both spruce and pine dominated forests, but their commonness differed. Gap dynamics was most commonly reported in spruce forests, and cohort dynamics in pine forests. The studies reviewed provide the best obtainable overall picture of scientific findings concerning the characteristics and variability of the unmanaged boreal forest dynamics in Fennoscandia. The results demonstrate that the unmanaged Fennoscandian forests are characterized by more diverse and complex dynamics than has traditionally been acknowledged.

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“…These two sites were chosen because they were considered to be representative of old growth Pinus and Picea-dominated stands in the region. The stands were considered to be close to their natural condition before they were clear cut in the winter of 1996, as only a few signs of earlier human impact could be detected (Wallenius et al 2002). The clear cutting provided an opportunity to accurately measure tree position, radial increment rates, and to determine the ages of the trees from annual rings (Wallenius et al 2002).…”

Section: Study Sites and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radial growth patterns of dominant trees in two old-growth forests in eastern Fennoscandia

Niukkanen

Kuuluvainen

2011

Journal of Forest Research

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We investigated the characteristics and variability of radial growth patterns and the occurrence of growth releases in dominant trees in two old-growth forests in eastern Finland, one dominated by Picea abies and the other by Pinus sylvestris. The dominant trees exhibited high variation in radial growth patterns suggesting that the trees had experienced very different growing conditions and competitive situations during their lifespans. Based on visual evaluation, five types of radial growth patterns were distinguished: descending, even, unimodal (one peak in the growth rate), bimodal (two peaks in the growth rate with an intermediate depression) and fuzzy (no clear pattern). One or more growth releases were detected in 18% of the sampled Picea and in 21% of the Pinus trees. In both the Picea-and the Pinus-dominated sites, the temporal distribution of growth releases was relatively even, except for a moderate peak in 1855-1860. This suggests that smallscale disturbances have been the predominant disturbance mode in both sites during the last 150 years. We conclude that the detected variability in radial growth patterns likely reflects the overall small-scale heterogeneity of structure and developmental processes that are typical of old-growth forests.

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Spatial tree age structure and fire history in two old-growth forests in eastern Fennoscandia

Cited by 36 publications

References 33 publications

Tree age distributions in old-growth forest sites in Vienansalo wilderness, eastern Fennoscandia

Tree age distributions in old-growth forest sites in Vienansalo wilderness, eastern Fennoscandia

Natural forest dynamics in boreal Fennoscandia: a review and classification

Radial growth patterns of dominant trees in two old-growth forests in eastern Fennoscandia

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