Tree type and forest management effects on the structure of stream wood following wildfires

Wildfires are an increasingly common disturbance influencing wood recruitment to streams, and thereby affecting their physical and biological condition. Mediterranean countries such as Portugal, where more than 25% of the land area has burned since 1990, are ideal areas to study impacts of wildfire effects on streams. We evaluated the physical structure of 2206 downed wood pieces (DWP) across 27 first- to third-order streams in central Portugal, all of which had experienced recent wildfires. The streams flowed through monospecific upland forests of Eucalyptus, Maritime pines, or Cork oaks and were fringed by a mixture of riparian tree species. DWP structure differed between tree types and between burned and unburned pieces. Post-fire timber-production forests (Maritime pines and Eucalyptus) contributed a higher quantity of thinner, longer and straighter DWP to streams than Cork oak stands. Pieces from Maritime pines had more rootwads and branches than DWP from the other tree types. Pieces from Cork oak and riparian species generally had a bent form, were shorter and had no rootwads. Burned DWP in streams were often from riparian trees. Relative to unburned DWP, the burned DWP occurred more frequently, were larger and straighter, had branches less often, and were more decayed. With more complex branches, rootwads, and a larger diameter, inputs from burned Maritime pine forests are more likely to change stream hydraulics and habitat complexity, relative to inputs from Eucalyptus forests with their simpler structure. This study shows that, less than a decade after wildfires, structure of downed wood in and near streams is strongly influenced by wildfire, but also still reflects intrinsic species characteristics and respective silviculture practices, even after the effects of fire have been accounted for. Under an anticipated shift in landscape cover with higher shrubland proportions and more mixing of Maritime pine and Eucalyptus forests, our results suggest that instream large wood will become scarcer and more structurally homogeneous.     

长白山二道白河溪流大木质物残体的初步研究

主要对长白山北坡溪流大木质物残体现存量进行了调查和研究,包括两段河道内所有大木质物残体的基径、顶径、长度、腐烂级,并在其中一段对树种尽可能进行了鉴别,以分析河岸带植被与溪流大木质物残体的关系。在调查的红松阔叶林植被带内4500 m长河道内,共发现溪流倒木425株,分属于17个树种;其中III、IV级腐烂占相当大的比重,与林地倒木II、III级腐烂占优有所不同,其原因可能与分解环境的不同有关。两段河道溪流大木质物残体的现存量为1.733 m3/100m、 10.83m3/hm2和1.709 m3/100m、 21.36 m3/hm2。处于III、IV级腐烂的溪流大木质物残体所占比重较大,与在森林中情况有所差异,可能与分解环境的不同有关。溪流大木质物残体和林地活立木的个体数量的径级分布基本上为反J型,而它们材积的径级分布均为典型的J型。溪流大木质物残体的树种组成和不同树种的材积与河岸带植被密切相关,但存在差异,分析这种差异可以深入了解河岸带植被动态。图1表4参18。     

Prescribed fires as ecological surrogates for wildfires: A stream and riparian perspective

Forest managers use prescribed fire to reduce wildfire risk and to provide resource benefits, yet little information is available on whether prescribed fires can function as ecological surrogates for wildfire in fire-prone landscapes. Information on impacts and benefits of this management tool on stream and riparian ecosystems is particularly lacking. We used a beyond-BACI (Before, After, Control, Impact) design to investigate the effects of a prescribed fire on a stream ecosystem and compared these findings to similar data collected after wildfire. For 3 years after prescribed fire treatment, we found no detectable changes in periphyton, macroinvertebrates, amphibians, fish, and riparian and stream habitats compared to data collected over the same time period in four unburned reference streams. Based on changes in fuels, plant and litter cover, and tree scorching, this prescribed fire was typical of those being implemented in ponderosa pine forests throughout the western U.S. However, we found that the extent and severity of riparian vegetation burned was substantially lower after prescribed fire compared to nearby wildfires. The early-season prescribed fire did not mimic the riparian or in-stream ecological effects observed following a nearby wildfire, even in catchments with burn extents similar to the prescribed fire. Little information exists on the effects of long-term fire exclusion from riparian forests, but a “prescribed fire regime” of repeatedly burning upland forests while excluding fire in adjacent riparian forests may eliminate an important natural disturbance from riparian and stream habitats.     

Stand specific occurrence of coarse woody debris in a managed boreal forest landscape in central Sweden

Forests long subjected to management for timber production contain only a fraction of the volumes of coarse woody debris (CWD) found in pristine forests. This is a threat to many organisms that depend on CWD. Forest management practices have been altered to achieve an increase in the amounts of CWD. Few studies have attempted to analyze the occurrence of CWD at the landscape level. We studied the occurrence of CWD in stands of different ages and management background in a boreal forest landscape in central Sweden. Volume of CWD in unmanaged stands (nature reserves and set-asides) was twice that in managed stands. The composition of CWD was influenced by stand age and management regime. Standing CWD was more common in unmanaged stands than in managed stands. Pine CWD was particularly prevalent in young forest stands (8–59 years of age). Bark-covered CWD was most common on deciduous and spruce wood and uncommon on pine. Bark area in young forest stands was almost 10 times lower than that in other managed stands. Using the age distribution of stands, we estimated the volume and bark area of CWD in the landscape. Recent clear-cuts harvested in accordance with new management guidelines contained more early decay CWD per ha than old managed stands. Young forests covered over half the landscape and had significantly lower volumes of spruce and deciduous CWD compared with other stands. The consequences of these results for biodiversity-oriented forest management are discussed.     

Amphibian distributions in riparian and upslope areas and their habitat associations on managed forest landscapes in the Oregon Coast Range

Over the past 50 years, forested landscapes of the Pacific Northwest have become increasingly patchy, dominated by early successional forests. Several amphibian species associated with forested headwater systems have emerged as management concerns, especially after clearcutting. Given that headwater streams comprise a large portion of the length of flowing waterways in western Oregon forests, there is a need to better understand how forest management affects headwater forest taxa and their habitats. Mitigation strategies include alternatives to clearcutting, such as harvests that remove only part of the canopy and maintenance of riparian buffer strips. Our study investigates effects of upland forest thinning coupled with riparian buffer treatments on riparian and upland headwater forest amphibians, habitat attributes, and species-habitat associations. Amphibian captures and habitat variables were examined 5–6 years post-thinning within forest stands subject to streamside-retention buffers and variable-width buffers, as well as unthinned reference stands. We found no treatments effects, however, our results suggest that ground surface conditions (e.g., amount of rocky or fine substrate) play a role in determining the response of riparian and upland amphibians to forest thinning along headwater streams. Distance from stream was associated with amphibian abundance, hence retention of riparian buffers is likely important in maintaining microclimates and microhabitats needed for amphibians and other taxa. Moderate thinning and preservation of conditions in riparian and nearby upland areas by way of variable-width and streamside-retention buffers may be sufficient to maintain suitable habitat and microclimatic conditions vital to amphibian assemblages in managed headwater forests.     

Tropical reptiles in pine forests: Assemblage responses to plantations and plantation management by burning

Worldwide, the land area devoted to timber plantations is expanding rapidly, especially in the tropics, where reptile diversity is high. The impacts of plantation forestry and its management on native species are poorly known, but are important, because plantation management goals often include protecting biodiversity. We examined the impact of pine (Pinus caribaea) plantations, and their management by fire, on the abundance and richness of reptiles, a significant proportion of the native biodiversity in tropical northern Australia, by (i) comparing abundance and diversity of reptiles among pine plantations (on land cleared specifically for plantation establishment), and two adjacent native forest types, eucalypt and Melaleuca woodlands, and (ii) comparing reptile abundance and richness in pine forest burnt one year prior to the study to remove understorey vegetation with pine forest burnt two years prior to the study. We also examined the influence of fire on reptile assemblages in native vegetation, by comparing eucalypt woodland burnt two years prior to the study and unburnt for eight years. To quantify mechanisms driving differences in reptile richness and abundance among forest types and management regimes, we measured forest structure, the temperatures used by reptiles (operative temperature) and solar radiation, at replicate sites in all forest types and management regimes. Compared to native forests, pine forests had taller trees, lower shrub cover in the understorey, more and deeper exotic litter (other than pine), and were cooler and shadier. Reptile assemblages in pine forests were as rich as those in native forests, but pine assemblages were composed mainly of species that typically use closed-canopy rainforest and prefer cooler, shadier habitats. Burning did not appear to influence the assemblage structure of reptiles in native forest, but burning under pine was associated with increased skink abundance and species richness. Burned pine was not warmer or sunnier than unburned pine, a common driver of reptile abundance, so the shift in lizard use after burning may have been driven by structural differences in understorey vegetation, especially amounts of non-native litter, which were reduced by burning. Thus, burning for management under pine increased the abundance and richness of lizard assemblages using pine. Pine plantations do not support the snake diversity common to sclerophyllous native forests, but pine may have the potential to complement rainforest lizard diversity if appropriately managed.     

Riparian forest and instream large wood characteristics,West Branch Sheepscot River,Maine, USA

This study examined riparian forest and instream large wood characteristics in a 2.7 km reach of the West Branch of the Sheepscot River in Maine in order to increase our basic knowledge of these components in a system that is known to have undergone multiple land conversion. The West Branch is approximately 40 km long, drains a 132 km² watershed and is vitally important to the remnant population of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and other native species. The riparian forest is comprised of relatively small trees with a mean DBH of 21 cm (SD ± 10.92) with 56% of the trees having a DBH <20 cm. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red maple (Acer rubrum) are the most common species (54%), and 75% of all trees are short-lived, small diameter species. These data suggest the riparian forest in the West Branch Sheepscot River is dominated by young forest stands, a legacy of land use. During a survey conducted in 2005, 210 pieces of large woody debris (LWD) were identified in the study reach; an average of 78 pieces km⁻¹. The total volume of pieces was 8.5 m³ or 3.2 m³ km⁻¹ (LWD in this study is defined as pieces ≥10 cm in diameter and >2 m in length). The mean diameter of LWD was 17 cm with 75% of all pieces having a diameter <20 cm. Most pieces were oriented parallel or nearly parallel to the channel and did not appear to influence channel morphology. In contrast, larger pieces were more often in perpendicular or nearly perpendicular orientations, and were more likely to have a pool-forming function. Overall, the reach has low levels of stable large wood, which do not have a major influence on stream habitats.     

Low- to moderate-severity historical fires promoted high tree growth in a boreal Scots pine forest of Norway

Abstract

Fire is the most important ecological factor governing boreal forest stand dynamics. In low- to moderate-severity fires, the post-fire growth of the surviving trees varies according to fire frequency, intensity and site factors. Little is known about the growth responses of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) following fires in boreal forests. We quantified changes in tree growth in the years following 61 historical forest fires (between 1210 and 1866) in tree-ring series collected from fire-scarred Scots pine trees, snags and stumps in Trillemarka nature reserve in south-central Norway. Basal area increment 10 years pre-, 5 years post-, and 11–20 years post-fire were calculated for 439 fire scars in 225 wood samples. We found a slight temporary growth reduction 5 years post-fire followed by a marked growth increase 11–20 years post-fire. Beyond 20 years post-fire, the long-term tree growth declined steadily up to approximately 120 years. Our results indicate that recurring fires maintained high tree growth in remnant Scots pines, most probably due to a reduction in tree density and thus decreased competition.     

Riparian forests along small streams on managed forest land in Sweden

This study investigated characteristics of riparian forests on managed forest land in Sweden. Forest and site characteristics were inventoried at three sites, located along a south to north gradient, in 139 transects placed perpendicular to 38 stream reaches (<10?m wide), in forests representing the age classes 0–25, 26–75 and >75 years. Starting from the stream edge, the 30?m long transects were divided into three zones: 0–5, 5–15 and 15–30?m. The stem volumes of Pinus sylvestris L., Picea abies (L.) H. Karst, Betula spp. and broadleaved trees, the basal area share of Alnus spp., the stem density, and Sphagnum spp. coverage all showed an effect of zone (p?P. sylvestris and the highest volumes of P. abies, Betula spp. and broadleaved trees as well as the highest total stem density and basal area share of Alnus spp. Some characteristics of the northernmost site tended to differ from the two sites located in south-central Sweden. Knowledge of the characteristics of riparian forests as found in this study could aid long-term forestry planning and improve precision in the preservation and development of riparian forests with certain qualities.     

Post-harvest windthrow and recruitment of large woody debris in riparian buffers on Vancouver Island

Large woody debris (LWD) provides structural complexity to small streams. Riparian buffers are intended to provide long-term vegetation cover and supplies of LWD, but post-harvest windthrow often occurs. To evaluate the impacts of windthrow in riparian buffers and identify the components for a small stream LWD recruitment model, we sampled 26 streams in immature and older stands in wind-exposed areas of southwestern and northern Vancouver Island. These treed buffer strips had been exposed following clearcut harvest of adjacent timber on both sides 1–20 years previously. For stream sections 100 m long in each buffer, all logs greater than 7.5 cm diameter that spanned at least part of stream channel were measured. A total of 658 logs were recorded. Windthrown trees were comparable in characteristics to the trees that made up the buffer. The majority of logs derived from windthrown trees were oriented perpendicular to the stream channel and were suspended above the stream channel. Even 20 years after harvesting, two-thirds of the logs were still suspended above the stream. Logs in older buffers were more decayed, and the decay rate depended on tree species and initial diameter. Log height above stream was negatively correlated with log decay class and time since logging. Log length declined with time since harvest exposure and decay class. Sediment was exposed on upturned roots and within mineral soil pits. The volume of soil retained on upturned rootwads declined over time, but some soil remained even after 20 years. Very little of this exposed sediment was close enough to the creek to result in sediment delivery.     

Postsettlement Changes in Natural Fire Regimes and Forest Structure

Heavy livestock grazing, logging, and fire exclusion associated with Euro-American settlement has brought about substantial changes in forest conditions in western forests. Thus, old-growth definitions based on current forest conditions may not be compatible with the natural conditions prevalent throughout the evolutionary history of western forest types. Detailed analysis of data from two study areas in the southwestern ponderosa pine type suggests that average tree densities have increased from as few as 23 trees per acre in presettlement times to as many as 851 trees per acre today. Associated with these increases in tree density are increases in canopy closure, vertical fuel continuity, and surface fuel loadings resulting in fire hazards over large areas never reached before settlement. In addition, fire exclusion and increased tree density has likely decreased tree vigor (increasing mortality from disease, insect, drought, etc.), herbaceous and shrub production, aesthetic values, water availability and runoff, and nutrient availability, and also changed soil characteristics and altered wildlife habitat. To remedy these problems and restore these forest ecosystems to more nearly natural conditions, and maintain a viable cohort of old age-class trees, it will be necessary to thin out most of the postsettlement trees, manually remove heavy fuels from the base of large, old trees, and reintroduce periodic burning.     

Fire history of coniferous riparian forests in the Sierra Nevada

Fire is an important ecological process in many western U.S. coniferous forests, yet high fuel loads, rural home construction and other factors have encouraged the suppression of most wildfires. Using mechanical thinning and prescribed burning, land managers often try to reduce fuels in strategic areas with the highest fuel loads. Riparian forests, however, are often designated as areas where only limited management action can take place within a fixed-width zone. These highly productive forests have developed heavy fuel loads capable of supporting stand-replacing crown fires that can alter wildlife habitat and ecosystem function, and contribute to stream channel erosion. Objectives of this study were to determine whether adjacent coniferous riparian and upland forests burned historically with different frequencies and seasonalities, and whether these relationships varied by forest, site, and stream characteristics. We measured dendrochronological fire records in adjacent riparian and upland areas across a variety of forest, site and stream conditions at 36 sites in three sampling areas in the northern Sierra Nevada.     

Stand carbon stocks and soil carbon and nitrogen storage for riparian and upland forests of boreal lakes in northeastern Ontario

The establishment of shoreline reserves (buffer strips) has guided riparian forest management in Ontario for many years. A riparian area is defined as the transitional zone between the aquatic and terrestrial environments and therefore is also known as the aquatic/terrestrial ecotone. While many functions of riparian forests have been recognized and well studied, less is known about their potential to sequester C and whether this potential differs from other areas in the boreal forest landscape. Increased harvesting pressure due to decreased wood supply in Ontario and debate about the effectiveness of the current reserve guidelines has resulted in a renewed interest in harvesting riparian forests. In this study riparian and upslope forest C and soil C and N storage were quantified for 21 lakes shorelines at the Esker Lakes Research Area, a boreal forest ecosystem in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Objectives were to compare the C and N storage potential of riparian forests with those of adjacent upland forests, and to examine the potential impacts of harvesting on C stocks in riparian zones of the boreal forest.Riparian forests did not differ from upslope stands in terms of total aboveground overstory C storage although there were significant differences in stocking density and species composition. However, a greater proportion of total site C in riparian areas was stored in the overstory tree layer (>5 cm dbh) compared to upslope areas. Forest floor layers were deeper and stored more C and N in riparian forest stands in comparison to upslope stands. In contrast, mineral soil in upslope stands had greater C and N storage than mineral soil horizons within the riparian forest. As a result, the riparian organic horizons comprise a larger percentage of the overall soil storage of C and N than upslope layers. Currently practiced full-tree harvesting would result in a removal of approximately 76% of total aboveground C (17% of the ecosystem C) in upslope stands compared to 98% of total aboveground C (35% of the ecosystem C) in riparian forests. Selective or modified harvesting in riparian zones could decrease C removal to levels equal to that obtained by full-tree harvesting in upslope areas.     

Forest-floor temperatures and soil moisture across riparian zones on first- to third-order headwater streams in southern New England,USA

Riparian zones along forest streams in the western United States have been repeatedly shown to be floristically and climatically different from adjacent upland forest, and to be important contributors to forest biodiversity. Similar evidence for the presence or function of riparian zones is lacking for forests of the northeastern U.S. We conducted seasonal surveys of forest-floor temperature and soil moisture across 30-m riparian transects on first- to third-order streams in southern New England. We were unable to detect any effect of distance from the stream channel on either temperature or soil moisture. These preliminary results indicate the absence of a unique riparian forest-floor microclimate within 30 m of low-order streams in southern New England. While this study failed to identify a distinctive riparian microclimatic zone, protection of a riparian buffer during forestry operations or other disturbance is essential for the protection of forest streams and their resources and the maintenance of forest biodiversity.     

Long-term trends in height growth of Picea obovata and Pinus sylvestris during the past 100 years in Komi Republic (north-western Russia)

Abstract

Adapting forest management practices to the changing environment of Komi Republic requires an understanding of the response of unmanaged natural forests to climatic changes. Komi Republic is a region of north-western Russia where large areas of natural boreal forest still exist. Apical growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) (108 trees, 529 discs) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) (88 trees, 423 discs) was analysed using stem analysis techniques. Mean apical growth curves were calculated for four zones of boreal forests in two subsequent 50 year periods starting from 1900. A statistically significant increase in height increment of 40% for Siberian spruce and 30% for Scots pine was identified from samples representing the Komi Republic. Within this region statistically significant height increment increases were found in the middle taiga zone for Siberian spruce of 240% and Scots pine of 140%, while northern taiga Siberian spruce increased by 164%. Taking into account that trees were samples in remote untouched pristine forests, the main causes of increased height increment are suggested to be climatic, which shows a large increase in temperature (0.43°C during the past 30 years) and a modest decrease in precipitation (2.2% over the past 30 years).     

Integrating pine honeydew honey production into forest management optimization

Pine honeydew honey is an economically important non-wood forest product from eastern Mediterranean Pinus brutia forests, which are also important for timber production. Pine honey is produced by bees that feed on the honeydew secretions of Marchalina hellenica, a scale insect that infests pine stands and feeds on pine sap. The aim of this study was to optimize the joint production of pine honeydew honey and timber by maximizing the soil expectation value of pine stands. The simulation of P. brutia stand dynamics and timber production in healthy and infested stands is based on individual-tree growth and yield models that account for the effect of M. hellenica on tree- and stand-level growth and mortality. The optimization procedure uses a direct search method based on nonlinear programming. The results suggest that pine stands growing on good sites should be managed using rather short rotations and mainly aiming at timber production. In contrast, forest management in medium- and poor-quality sites should aim at longer rotations by taking advantage of the joint production of pine honey and timber assortments. Honey-oriented forest management can be much more profitable than timber production in stands growing on medium and poor sites. Pine honey represents an opportunity to increase the value and economic profitability of P. brutia forests.     

Dynamics of wood recruitment in streams of the northeastern US

Wood is an important component of forested stream ecosystems, and stream restoration efforts often incorporate large wood. In most cases, however, stream restoration projects are implemented without information regarding the amount of wood that historically occurred or the natural rates of wood recruitment. This study uses a space-for-time analysis to quantify large wood loading to 28 streams in the northeastern US with a range of in-stream and riparian forest characteristics. We document the current volume and frequency of occurrence of large wood in streams with riparian forests varying in their stage of stand development as well as stream size and gradient. Linear models relating stream wood characteristics to stream geomorphic and forest characteristics were compared using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) model selection. The AIC analysis indicated that the volume and frequency of large wood and wood accumulations (wood jams) in streams was most closely associated with the age of the dominant canopy trees in the riparian forest (best models: log₁₀(large wood volume (m³ 100 m⁻¹)) = (0.0036 × stand age) − 0.2281, p < 0.001, r² = 0.80; and large wood frequency (number per 100 m) = (0.1326 × stand age) + 7.3952, p < 001, r² = 0.63). Bankfull width was an important factor accounting for wood volume per unit area (m³ ha⁻¹) but not the volume of wood per length of stream (100 m⁻¹). The empirical models developed in this study were unsuccessful in predicting wood loading in other regions, most likely due to difference in forest characteristics and the legacy of forest disturbance. However, these models may be applicable in other streams in the northeastern US or in streams with comparable riparian forests, underlying geology, and disturbance regimes—factors that could alter long-term wood loading dynamics. Our results highlight the importance of understanding region-specific processes when planning stream restoration and stream management projects.     

A comparison of impacts from silviculture practices and North American beaver invasion on stream benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and function in Nothofagus forests of Tierra del Fuego

The sub-Antarctic biome of South America is the world's southernmost forested ecosystem and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on the planet. Nonetheless, the region confronts various anthropogenic environmental impacts, such as the invasive North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and timber harvesting, particularly in stands of Nothofagus pumilio. Both of these disturbances can affect terrestrial and aquatic systems. To understand the influence and relative importance of these disturbances on sub-Antarctic watersheds, we characterized in-stream and riparian habitat conditions (pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, stream size, distance to riparian forest, bank slope, substrate heterogeneity, benthic organic matter) and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure (density, richness, diversity, evenness) and function (biomass, functional feeding group percent) in 19 streams on Tierra del Fuego Island. To explain the effects of beaver invasion and timber harvesting, we compared these physical and biotic variables among four habitat types: (a) beaver meadows, (b) shelterwood cut harvested areas without forested riparian zones, (c) variable retention harvested areas with riparian buffers, and (d) unmanaged old-growth primary forests. Most habitat variables were similar at all sites, except for dissolved oxygen (significantly higher in streams from old-growth primary forests). Benthic communities in beaver meadows had significantly lower diversity, compared to streams of unmanaged old-growth primary forests, and managed sites presented intermediate values between the two. Functionally, the benthic community in beaver meadows displayed a reduction of all functional feeding groups except collector-gatherers; again variable retention harvested areas with riparian buffers were similar to unmanaged old-growth primary forest streams, while shelterwood cut harvested areas occupied an intermediate position. These results indicated that current forestry practices that include both variable retention and legally mandated riparian forested buffers may be effective in mitigating impacts on stream benthic communities. Finally, these data demonstrated that C. canadensis invasion was a relatively larger impact on these streams than well-managed forestry practices.