The influence of windthrow microsites on tree regeneration and establishment in an old growth mountain forest

Simon, Alois; Gratzer, Georg; Sieghardt, Monika

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.06.028

Cited by 47 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Although studies have shown (Narukawa and Yamamoto 2002;Baier et al 2007) that the thick organic layer on the forest floor is a good seedbed for conifer establishment, mixed forests dominated by broadleaf species, where thick leaves tend to accumulate, may negatively effect germination and survival on the forest floor for such species as Picea abies or Abies sp. (Parent et al 2006;Simon et al 2011). Litter on the forest floor at our study site was often composed of a thick layer of beech leaves, which may bury or smother small spruce germinants.…”

Section: Growth and Survival Of Seedlings On Cwdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During decomposition, CWD stores water, provides nutrients, significantly increases the abundance and diversity of saproxylic and epixylic species (Ódor et al 2006;Stokland et al 2012), and creates favorable seedbeds for seedling establishment by providing microsites of varying dimensions and properties (Baier et al 2007;Simon et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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European beech, silver fir, and Norway spruce differ in establishment, height growth, and mortality rates on coarse woody debris and forest floor—a study from a mixed beech forest in the Western Carpathians

Orman

Szewczyk

2015

Annals of Forest Science

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Abstract& Key message In mixed forests, coarse woody debris promotes the successful establishment and growth of conifers and beech. In contrast to beech and fir, older spruce seedlings were only present on coarse woody debris and not on the forest floor. & Context Coarse woody debris (CWD) is considered a suitable seedbed for small-seeded and light-demanding species. Its role in enhancing tree regeneration is well reported in boreal or subalpine spruce forests. Less is known about its role in the establishment, growth, and survival of other species, particularly in mixed forests. & Aims We analyzed the role of CWD in seedling establishment, growth, and survival for European beech, silver fir, and Norway spruce. & Methods We tracked the growth and survival of all germinants and seedlings over 5 years. & Results Conifers were relatively more successful than beech at colonizing on CWD. The density of seedlings was variable in all CWD decay classes but was the highest on welldecomposed CWD. CWD supported the growth of all species. Beech cohorts and older seedlings had similar mortality rates on both microsites. Spruce germinants did not survive on the forest floor for more than a year, and older seedlings were only observed on CWD. Fir cohorts had similar mortality rates on both microsites, but older seedlings survived better on the forest floor. & Conclusion Although the three species differed in their preferred microsite for establishment, CWD can be considered a suitable regeneration microsite for all three species by enhancing their growth and, in the case of spruce, both short-and long-term survival.

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Section: Growth and Survival Of Seedlings On Cwdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European beech, silver fir, and Norway spruce differ in establishment, height growth, and mortality rates on coarse woody debris and forest floor—a study from a mixed beech forest in the Western Carpathians

Orman

Szewczyk

2015

Annals of Forest Science

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“…In the mountains the areas most susceptible to this phenomenon are forest areas with dominant homogeneous ageand species-wise tree stands [Gądek 1987]. The ones considered most sensitive are coniferous species [Schaetzl et al 1989, Philips et al 2008, especially the spruce, whose shallow roots lead to its increased susceptibility to windfalls [Gądek 1987, Zachara 2006, Simon et al 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fallen trees bring about significant changes in the functioning of a given section of the forest [Stephens 1956, Norman et al 1995, Philips et al 2008, Šamonil et al 2010a, 2010b, Simon et al 2011, Pawlik 2013. When a tree falls down, it creates a gap in the forest canopy, providing more access to sunlight, wind and rainfall, which accelerates soil falling off the exposed roots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes of the Monitoring Windfallen Area on the Babia Góra Mountain

Zadrożny

Krużel

Lamorski³

et al. 2017

J. Ecol. Eng.

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The conducted research aimed at establishing the pace and range of the formation of spruce windfall in Compartment 93 of the Babia Góra National Park, where in 2005 by the decision of the Park's Director, with the approval of the Scientific Council of the Park, a monitoring area was created. During field work the range of the existing windfall area was mapped through determining its outermost points and their stabilization by means of the GPS. During the research an analysis of the aerial photographs made available by the Babia Góra National Park was carried out, in order to determine the changes in the range of the area deprived of trees. The analyzed photographs covered the area of 5 ha in Compartment 93 of the Park. The evaluation of changes in the tree layer was based on the graticule reproducing the 10 x 10 m area of the real land. The "lack of trees" was stated when the areas were exposed in at least 75%. The comparative analysis of the images from aerial photographs of Compartment 93 in 2003Compartment 93 in , 2011Compartment 93 in , 2012Compartment 93 in and 2014 showed distinct changes in the range and size of the gaps made by fallen trees. The share of the gaps in the forest stand in the whole analyzed area increased from 2% in 2003 to over 52% in 2014. Therefore, the progression of the size of the changes is considerable and the disintegration of the tree layer is growing, especially comparing the 2003-2011 and the twice shorter 2011-2014 periods. In the analyzed periods, the increase in the gap area was similar (ca. 26%), yet the pace of the phenomenon was twice faster. The obtained results were an argument in favor of increasing the monitoring area from 0.28 ha to 1.55 ha.

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“…Uprooted trees reallocate soil, biomass, carbon and nutrients (Stephens 1956, Norman et al 1995, Clinton & Baker 2000, Ulanova 2000, Phillips et al 2008, Lenart et al 2010. For instance, in Norway Spruce (Picea abies L.), which is among the tree species most sensitive to mechanical erosion, tree throw may increase mineral weathering processes (Zachara 2006, Simon et al 2011). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical pit-mounds distribution of uprooted Norway spruce (Picea abies L.): field evidence in the upper mountain belt

Zadrożny¹,

Halecki²,

Gąsiorek³

et al. 2017

iForest

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(4)Tree uprooting causes significant changes in forest habitat functioning and soil formation. In this paper soil uplifted by tree throws was compared among 15 study plots from heterogeneous Norway spruce stands of the upper mountain belt in southern Poland. Pit-mound microtopography parameters such as length, width, depth of tree-throw pits, height of the root plate, and height of mineral and organic mounds, were measured at each uprooting site. Sites were grouped in 3 age groups based on the time elapsed since uprooting. Results showed significant differences between the studied parameters among age groups. Differences were most pronounced in mean pit depth (0.52, 0.65 and 0.95 m for 5-year, 3-year, and 1-year-old pits, respectively). No significant interaction between age group and root plate height was detected by ANOVA. Regression analysis showed that pit depth decreases as root plate height increases. Redundancy analysis using pit-mound parameters as dependent variables revealed that root plate height along with slope steepness are good predictors of the volume of dislocated soil at tree-throw sites. Overall, our results suggest that the erosion expected at uprooting sites in mountain Norway spruce stands could be conveniently estimated by measuring their root plates. This may help estimate the impact of windthrow on soil microtopography and quantify its effects on soil disturbance in Norway spruce stands of the upper mountain belt.

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The influence of windthrow microsites on tree regeneration and establishment in an old growth mountain forest

Cited by 47 publications

References 43 publications

European beech, silver fir, and Norway spruce differ in establishment, height growth, and mortality rates on coarse woody debris and forest floor—a study from a mixed beech forest in the Western Carpathians

European beech, silver fir, and Norway spruce differ in establishment, height growth, and mortality rates on coarse woody debris and forest floor—a study from a mixed beech forest in the Western Carpathians

Changes of the Monitoring Windfallen Area on the Babia Góra Mountain

Vertical pit-mounds distribution of uprooted Norway spruce (Picea abies L.): field evidence in the upper mountain belt

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