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Survivors, not invaders, control forest development following simulated hurricane.
Audrey Barker Plotkin1, David Foster, Joel Carlson
1Harvard Forest, Harvard University, 324 North Main Street, Petersham, Massachusetts 01366, USA. aabarker@fas.harvard.edu
Ecology
|May 23, 2013
Summary
Even after severe wind disturbance, established trees and advance regeneration in temperate forests resist ecosystem change. Long-term forest recovery is driven by surviving species, not new invaders.
Area of Science:
- Forest Ecology
- Disturbance Ecology
- Tropical Ecology
Background:
- Temperate forests are shaped by wind disturbance, but long-term dynamics after major windthrows are understudied.
- Understanding forest resilience is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to extreme weather events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term patterns and mechanisms of forest response to intense wind disturbance.
- To assess the role of advance regeneration and surviving overstory in forest recovery.
Main Methods:
- A hurricane simulation experiment was conducted in a Quercus rubra--Acer rubrum forest, toppling 276 trees in a 0.8-ha manipulation area.
- 20 years of measurements were used to track forest dynamics, including tree establishment, sprouting, and vegetation composition.
- Stand basal area, litterfall, and species composition were compared between the manipulated and control areas.
Main Results:
- Despite 80% canopy damage, surviving overstory and advance regeneration controlled forest development over 20 years.
- Residual oaks and black birch advance regeneration dominated stand basal area, resisting invasion by new species.
- Stand productivity (litterfall) recovered within six years, but basal area accumulation lagged behind the control area.
Conclusions:
- Intense wind disturbance did not lead to a shift towards pioneer species dominance.
- Abundant advance regeneration and surviving vegetation allowed the forest to resist ecosystem process changes and species invasion.
- Forests can exhibit significant resilience to major disturbances due to the persistence of established components.
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