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Updated: Mar 23, 2026
06:27
Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
Published on: June 30, 2020
7.5K
Disturbance legacies increase the resilience of forest ecosystem structure, composition, and functioning
Rupert Seidl1, Werner Rammer1, Thomas A Spies2
1Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria.
Summary
Remnant old-growth trees aid forest recovery after wildfires by enhancing carbon stocks and structural complexity. However, increased fire frequency significantly impacts forest resilience more than legacy tree retention.
Area of Science:
- Forest Ecology
- Disturbance Ecology
- Climate Change Impacts
Background:
- Forest ecosystems are shaped by natural disturbances, but climate change is increasing disturbance frequency.
- Understanding forest resilience mechanisms is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to future disturbances.
- Biological legacies, such as remnant old-growth trees, may play a role in ecosystem recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of remnant old-growth trees on forest ecosystem resilience after a high-severity wildfire.
- To analyze how different levels of remnant tree patches influence recovery trajectories over 500 years.
- To evaluate the modulating effect of fire frequency on legacy impacts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the iLand forest landscape model, a spatially explicit, individual-based model.
- Simulated recovery trajectories on a 6364-ha landscape in the western Cascades, Oregon, USA.
- Assessed impacts of three levels of remnant patches (0%, 12%, 24%) and varying fire frequencies.
Main Results:
- Remnant live trees enhanced recovery of total ecosystem carbon (TEC) stocks and increased canopy structural complexity.
- Legacy effects on species composition were persistent for 500 years, while TEC recovery was faster.
- Increased fire frequency significantly reduced TEC and the presence of late-seral species (LSS), with a stronger effect than legacy levels.
Conclusions:
- Live tree legacies are important for disturbance resilience, supporting retention forestry strategies.
- Increased disturbance frequency, driven by climate change, poses a substantial threat to forest structure, composition, and function.
- Forest management must consider both legacy retention and the impacts of altered disturbance regimes.
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