Stand age, disturbance history and the temporal stability of forest production

Wales, Shea B.; Kreider, Mark R.; Atkins, Jeff W.; Hulshof, Catherine M.; Fahey, Robert T.; Nave, Lucas E.; Nadelhoffer, Knute J.; Gough, Christopher M.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2020.117865

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Also consistent with other forests in the region (Parker et al 2004), we observed a reduction in canopy height and cover as the tallest, early-successional species declined and gaps formed in the previously closed-canopy forest (Foster et al 1997). Counter to some prior observations and our hypothesis, however, accelerated succession reduced rather than increased complexity measures (Hardiman et al 2013b, Scheuermann et al 2018, Hickey et al 2019, Wales et al 2020.…”

Section: Experimental Efficacy: Successional Changes In Composition and Structuresupporting

confidence: 88%

Disturbance‐accelerated succession increases the production of a temperate forest

Gough

Bohrer

Hardiman

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Many secondary deciduous forests of eastern North America are approaching a transition in which mature early‐successional trees are declining, resulting in an uncertain future for this century‐long carbon (C) sink. We initiated the Forest Accelerated Succession Experiment (FASET) at the University of Michigan Biological Station to examine the patterns and mechanisms underlying forest C cycling following the stem girdling‐induced mortality of >6,700 early‐successional Populus spp. (aspen) and Betula papyrifera (paper birch). Meteorological flux tower‐based C cycling observations from the 33‐ha treatment forest have been paired with those from a nearby unmanipulated forest since 2008. Following over a decade of observations, we revisit our core hypothesis: that net ecosystem production (NEP) would increase following the transition to mid‐late‐successional species dominance due to increased canopy structural complexity. Supporting our hypothesis, NEP was stable, briefly declined, and then increased relative to the control in the decade following disturbance; however, increasing NEP was not associated with rising structural complexity but rather with a rapid 1‐yr recovery of total leaf area index as mid‐late‐successional Acer, Quercus, and Pinus assumed canopy dominance. The transition to mid‐late‐successional species dominance improved carbon‐use efficiency (CUE = NEP/gross primary production) as ecosystem respiration declined. Similar soil respiration rates in control and treatment forests, along with species differences in leaf physiology and the rising relative growth rates of mid‐late‐successional species in the treatment forest, suggest changes in aboveground plant respiration and growth were primarily responsible for increases in NEP. We conclude that deciduous forests transitioning from early to middle succession are capable of sustained or increased NEP, even when experiencing extensive tree mortality. This adds to mounting evidence that aging deciduous forests in the region will function as C sinks for decades to come.

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Section: Experimental Efficacy: Successional Changes In Composition and Structuresupporting

confidence: 88%

Disturbance‐accelerated succession increases the production of a temperate forest

Gough

Bohrer

Hardiman

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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“…Correspondingly, Wales et al. (2020) found similarly aged needleleaf forests were significantly less complex than either broadleaf or mixed stands. However, our analysis did not include forests over 40 m because of limited terrestrial lidar‐derived complexity data for these forests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…were 10 m taller but nearly four times more complex than similarly aged needleleaf (hemlock dominated) stands in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Correspondingly, Wales et al (2020) found similarly aged needleleaf forests were significantly less complex than either broadleaf or mixed stands. However, our analysis did not include forests over 40 m because of limited terrestrial lidar-derived complexity data for these forests.…”

Section: Scaling Within Pftsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Power law scaling relationships link canopy structural complexity and height across forest types

et al. 2021

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Forest canopy structural complexity (CSC), an emergent ecosystem property, plays a critical role in controlling ecosystem productivity, resource acquisition and resource use‐efficiency; yet is poorly characterized across broad geographic scales and is difficult to upscale from the plot to the landscape. Here, we show that the relationship between canopy height and CSC can be explained using power laws by analysing lidar‐derived CSC data from 17 temperate forest sites spanning over 17 degrees of latitude. Across three plant functional types (deciduous broadleaf, evergreen needleleaf and mixed forests), CSC increases as an approximate power law of forest height. In evergreen needleleaf forests, increases in canopy height do not result in increases in complexity to the same magnitude as in other forest types. We attribute differences in the slope of height:complexity relationships among forest types to: (a) the limited diversity of crown architectures among evergreen conifer trees relative to broadleaf species; (b) differences in how vertical forest layering develops with height; and (c) competitive exclusion by needleleaf species. We show support for these potential mechanisms with an analysis of 4,324 individual trees from across 18 National Ecological Observatory Network sites showing that crown geometry‐to‐tree height relationships differ consistently between broadleaf and needleleaf species. Power law relationships between forest height and CSC have broad implications for modelling, scaling and mapping forest structural attributes. Our results suggest that forest research and management should consider the nonlinearity in scaling between forest height and CSC and that the nature of these relationships may differ by forest type. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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“…Other temperate forest disturbances have had variable influences on rugosity. Ice storms, hemlock wooly adelgid, and now white‐tailed deer browse increase rugosity, age‐related senescence decreases rugosity, while fires, historic logging, beech bark disease, and acidification have little effect (Atkins et al., 2020; Wales et al., 2020). The variable response of rugosity to disturbance type indicates that multiple canopy structural metrics should be considered to gain a more holistic perspective on which aspect(s) of the canopy change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As our stands continue to develop, rugosity could become a useful metric to predict NPP in light of herbivory disturbance, as it is strongly correlated with greater net primary productivity within maturing stands (Gough et al., 2019, 2021). Furthermore, since stand age and time since disturbance are of particular importance when measuring rugosity, but are often difficult to standardize across studies, long‐term experimental studies such as ours are particularly important to better understand these disturbance–canopy interactions (Wales et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The long‐term impacts of deer herbivory in determining temperate forest stand and canopy structural complexity

Reed

Royo

Fotis

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Ungulates place immense consumptive pressure on forest vegetation globally, leaving legacies of reduced biodiversity and simplified vegetative structure. However, what remains unresolved is whether browse‐induced changes occurring early in succession ultimately manifest themselves in the developed forest canopy. Understanding the development and persistence of these legacies is critical as canopy structure is an important determinant of forest ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat. We measured how white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus browse during stand initiation affected canopy structure, tree species richness, diversity, stem density, and basal area on Pennsylvania's Allegheny Plateau using a portable canopy LiDAR system. We capitalized on an historic deer enclosure experiment where forests were subjected to four deer densities (4, 8, 15, and 25 deer/km2) for 10 years following stand initiation. Deer browsing impacts on the forest canopy are apparent nearly four decades since stand initiation. The highest deer density treatment experienced a significant reduction in tree species diversity, density, and basal area with stands becoming dominated by black cherry Prunus serotina. Reductions in overstorey diversity and tree density resulted in a more open canopy with low leaf area and high horizontal leaf variability. Canopies were tallest at the lowest and highest deer densities. Synthesis and applications. Using a portable canopy LiDAR system and a former deer enclosure experiment, we show that high deer browsing pressure during stand initiation can have a decades‐long impact on stand and canopy structure. High deer densities led to stands with lower species diversity and tree density, which resulted in canopies that were taller and less dense. As remote sensing of the canopy becomes more prevalent, considering the legacy of ungulate herbivory on canopy structure may inform both land management and our understanding of ecological function, such as forest carbon sequestration, maintenance of diverse understory communities, and creation of wildlife habitat

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Stand age, disturbance history and the temporal stability of forest production

Cited by 26 publications

References 64 publications

Disturbance‐accelerated succession increases the production of a temperate forest

Disturbance‐accelerated succession increases the production of a temperate forest

Power law scaling relationships link canopy structural complexity and height across forest types

The long‐term impacts of deer herbivory in determining temperate forest stand and canopy structural complexity

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