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Tumber-Dávila SJ, Lucey T, Boose ER, Laflower D, León-Sáenz A, Wilson BT, MacLean MG, Thompson JR. Hurricanes pose a substantial risk to New England forest carbon stocks. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17259. [PMID: 38655624 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Nature-based climate solutions (NCS) are championed as a primary tool to mitigate climate change, especially in forested regions capable of storing and sequestering vast amounts of carbon. New England is one of the most heavily forested regions in the United States (>75% forested by land area), and forest carbon is a significant component of climate mitigation policies. Large infrequent disturbances, such as hurricanes, are a major source of uncertainty and risk for policies relying on forest carbon for climate mitigation, especially as climate change is projected to alter the intensity and extent of hurricanes. To date, most research into disturbance impacts on forest carbon stocks has focused on fire. Here, we show that a single hurricane in the region can down between 121 and 250 MMTCO2e or 4.6%-9.4% of the total aboveground forest carbon, much greater than the carbon sequestered annually by New England's forests (16 MMTCO2e year-1). However, emissions from hurricanes are not instantaneous; it takes approximately 19 years for downed carbon to become a net emission and 100 years for 90% of the downed carbon to be emitted. Reconstructing hurricanes with the HURRECON and EXPOS models across a range of historical and projected wind speeds, we find that an 8% and 16% increase in hurricane wind speeds leads to a 10.7- and 24.8-fold increase in the extent of high-severity damaged areas (widespread tree mortality). Increased wind speed also leads to unprecedented geographical shifts in damage, both inland and northward, into heavily forested regions traditionally less affected by hurricanes. Given that a single hurricane can emit the equivalent of 10+ years of carbon sequestered by forests in New England, the status of these forests as a durable carbon sink is uncertain. Understanding the risks to forest carbon stocks from disturbances is necessary for decision-makers relying on forests as a NCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Taylor Lucey
- Department of Environmental Conservation, UMASS Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Emery R Boose
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Danelle Laflower
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Barry T Wilson
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Meghan Graham MacLean
- Department of Environmental Conservation, UMASS Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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Integration of VIIRS Observations with GEDI-Lidar Measurements to Monitor Forest Structure Dynamics from 2013 to 2020 across the Conterminous United States. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14102320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Consistent and spatially explicit periodic monitoring of forest structure is essential for estimating forest-related carbon emissions, analyzing forest degradation, and supporting sustainable forest management policies. To date, few products are available that allow for continental to global operational monitoring of changes in canopy structure. In this study, we explored the synergy between the NASA’s spaceborne Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) waveform LiDAR and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data to produce spatially explicit and consistent annual maps of canopy height (CH), percent canopy cover (PCC), plant area index (PAI), and foliage height diversity (FHD) across the conterminous United States (CONUS) at a 1-km resolution for 2013–2020. The accuracies of the annual maps were assessed using forest structure attribute derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data acquired between 2013 and 2020 for the 48 National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) field sites distributed across the CONUS. The root mean square error (RMSE) values of the annual canopy height maps as compared with the ALS reference data varied from a minimum of 3.31-m for 2020 to a maximum of 4.19-m for 2017. Similarly, the RMSE values for PCC ranged between 8% (2020) and 11% (all other years). Qualitative evaluations of the annual maps using time series of very high-resolution images further suggested that the VIIRS-derived products could capture both large and “more” subtle changes in forest structure associated with partial harvesting, wind damage, wildfires, and other environmental stresses. The methods developed in this study are expected to enable multi-decadal analysis of forest structure and its dynamics using consistent satellite observations from moderate resolution sensors such as VIIRS onboard JPSS satellites.
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Dorheim K, Gough CM, Haber LT, Mathes KC, Shiklomanov AN, Bond‐Lamberty B. Climate Drives Modeled Forest Carbon Cycling Resistance and Resilience in the Upper Great Lakes Region, USA. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. BIOGEOSCIENCES 2022; 127:e2021JG006587. [PMID: 35865142 PMCID: PMC9287023 DOI: 10.1029/2021jg006587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Forests dominate the global terrestrial carbon budget, but their ability to continue doing so in the face of a changing climate is uncertain. A key uncertainty is how forests will respond to (resistance) and recover from (resilience) rising levels of disturbance of varying intensities. This knowledge gap can optimally be addressed by integrating manipulative field experiments with ecophysiological modeling. We used the Ecosystem Demography-2.2 (ED-2.2) model to project carbon fluxes for a northern temperate deciduous forest subjected to a real-world disturbance severity manipulation experiment. ED-2.2 was run for 150 years, starting from near bare ground in 1900 (approximating the clear-cut conditions at the time), and subjected to three disturbance treatments under an ensemble of climate conditions. Both disturbance severity and climate strongly affected carbon fluxes such as gross primary production (GPP), and interacted with one another. We then calculated resistance and resilience, two dimensions of ecosystem stability. Modeled GPP exhibited a two-fold decrease in mean resistance across disturbance severities of 45%, 65%, and 85% mortality; conversely, resilience increased by a factor of two with increasing disturbance severity. This pattern held for net primary production and net ecosystem production, indicating a trade-off in which greater initial declines were followed by faster recovery. Notably, however, heterotrophic respiration responded more slowly to disturbance, and it's highly variable response was affected by different drivers. This work provides insight into how future conditions might affect the functional stability of mature forests in this region under ongoing climate change and changing disturbance regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalyn Dorheim
- Joint Global Change Research InstitutePacific Northwest National LaboratoryCollege ParkMDUSA
| | | | - Lisa T. Haber
- Department of BiologyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Kayla C. Mathes
- Department of BiologyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | | | - Ben Bond‐Lamberty
- Joint Global Change Research InstitutePacific Northwest National LaboratoryCollege ParkMDUSA
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4
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Gough CM, Bohrer G, Hardiman BS, Nave LE, Vogel CS, Atkins JW, Bond-Lamberty B, Fahey RT, Fotis AT, Grigri MS, Haber LT, Ju Y, Kleinke CL, Mathes KC, Nadelhoffer KJ, Stuart-Haëntjens E, Curtis PS. Disturbance-accelerated succession increases the production of a temperate forest. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02417. [PMID: 34278647 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Gough
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Gil Bohrer
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, 2070 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Brady S Hardiman
- Forestry and Natural Resources and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA
| | - Lucas E Nave
- Biological Station and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Pellston, Michigan, 49769, USA
| | - Christoph S Vogel
- Biological Station and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Pellston, Michigan, 49769, USA
| | - Jeff W Atkins
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Ben Bond-Lamberty
- Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 5825 University Research Court, College Park, Maryland, 20740, USA
| | - Robert T Fahey
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, 1376 Storrs Road, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, USA
| | - Alexander T Fotis
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 318 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Maxim S Grigri
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Lisa T Haber
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Yang Ju
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, 2070 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Callie L Kleinke
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, 2070 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Kayla C Mathes
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Knute J Nadelhoffer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Ellen Stuart-Haëntjens
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
| | - Peter S Curtis
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 318 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
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North American boreal forests are a large carbon source due to wildfires from 1986 to 2016. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7723. [PMID: 33833331 PMCID: PMC8032736 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87343-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildfires are a major disturbance to forest carbon (C) balance through both immediate combustion emissions and post-fire ecosystem dynamics. Here we used a process-based biogeochemistry model, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM), to simulate C budget in Alaska and Canada during 1986-2016, as impacted by fire disturbances. We extracted the data of difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) for fires from Landsat TM/ETM imagery and estimated the proportion of vegetation and soil C combustion. We observed that the region was a C source of 2.74 Pg C during the 31-year period. The observed C loss, 57.1 Tg C year-1, was attributed to fire emissions, overwhelming the net ecosystem production (1.9 Tg C year-1) in the region. Our simulated direct emissions for Alaska and Canada are within the range of field measurements and other model estimates. As burn severity increased, combustion emission tended to switch from vegetation origin towards soil origin. When dNBR is below 300, fires increase soil temperature and decrease soil moisture and thus, enhance soil respiration. However, the post-fire soil respiration decreases for moderate or high burn severity. The proportion of post-fire soil emission in total emissions increased with burn severity. Net nitrogen mineralization gradually recovered after fire, enhancing net primary production. Net ecosystem production recovered fast under higher burn severities. The impact of fire disturbance on the C balance of northern ecosystems and the associated uncertainties can be better characterized with long-term, prior-, during- and post-disturbance data across the geospatial spectrum. Our findings suggest that the regional source of carbon to the atmosphere will persist if the observed forest wildfire occurrence and severity continues into the future.
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6
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Soil Microbiota of Dystric Cambisol in the High Tatra Mountains (Slovakia) after Windthrow. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11236851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There has been much more damage to forests in the Slovak Republic in the second half of the 20th century than to other European countries. Forested mountain massifs have become a filter of industrial and transportation emissions from abroad, as well as from domestic origins. There are not only acidic deposits of sulphur and heavy metals present in forest soils, but other additional environmental problems, such as climate change, storms, fires, floods, droughts, are worsening the situation. Therefore, forest terrestrial ecosystems are becoming more vulnerable due to changes in natural and environmental conditions. In the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, which are protected as a national park, four internationally monitored localities were established after the windthrow disaster in 2004 and fire in 2005: REF, with intact forest; EXT, with extracted wood mass; NEX, with non-extracted wood mass; and FIR, the burnt locality. Soils from these localities were microbiologically analysed with special attention to fungi. Bacterial microbiota detected by high-throughput sequencing showed the prevalence of the genera Acidothermus, Mycobacterium, and Nocardia, and a very low presence of the genera Acidibacter, Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia, Optitus and the uncultured genus Desulfurellaceae H16 in the soil sample from the burnt locality when compared with the unburned sites. Additionally, soil mycocoenoses showed a low similarity between the locality with an intact forest ecosystem and the localities with extracted (REF–EXT) and non-extracted (REF–NEX) wood mass. There was no similarity with the burnt locality (FIR), where heat-resistant fungi dominated. It was shown that the windthrow disaster and subsequent extraction or non-extraction of wood mass did not affect the soil microbial communities or their development. On the other hand, the influence of fire was significant.
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Flanagan SA, Bhotika S, Hawley C, Starr G, Wiesner S, Hiers JK, O'Brien JJ, Goodrick S, Callaham MA, Scheller RM, Klepzig KD, Taylor RS, Loudermilk EL. Quantifying carbon and species dynamics under different fire regimes in a southeastern U.S. pineland. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steven A. Flanagan
- Wildland Fire Science Program Tall Timbers Research Station 13093 Henry Beadel Drive Tallahassee Florida 32312 USA
| | - Smriti Bhotika
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- AAAS 1200 New York Avenue, NW Washington D.C. 20005 USA
| | - Christie Hawley
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Gregory Starr
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama 35487 USA
| | - Susanne Wiesner
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama 35487 USA
| | - J. Kevin Hiers
- Wildland Fire Science Program Tall Timbers Research Station 13093 Henry Beadel Drive Tallahassee Florida 32312 USA
| | - Joseph J. O'Brien
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Scott Goodrick
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Mac A. Callaham
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Robert M. Scheller
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - Kier D. Klepzig
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center 3988 Jones Center Dr. Newton Georgia 39870 USA
| | - R. Scott Taylor
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center 3988 Jones Center Dr. Newton Georgia 39870 USA
| | - E. Louise Loudermilk
- Center for Forest Disturbance Science Southern Research Center U.S. Forest Service 320 Green Street Athens Georgia 30602 USA
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8
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Ondrasek G, Bakić Begić H, Zovko M, Filipović L, Meriño-Gergichevich C, Savić R, Rengel Z. Biogeochemistry of soil organic matter in agroecosystems & environmental implications. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 658:1559-1573. [PMID: 30678014 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The biogeochemistry of soil organic matter (SOM), as a highly complex and dynamic soil property, is of vital importance for the health and ecological functioning of ecosystems, including managed and natural ones. Dominantly composed of carbon (C), SOM functions in global C cycling, including C sequestration and emission (e.g. soil respiration). Mediterranean agroecosystems especially, due to favourable climate conditions for mineralisation of SOM, are expected to go through enhanced SOM decomposition (i.e. C emission) under the ongoing global warming and related climatic change and variability (frequent heat waves, fires and extreme water disturbances). The relatively stable (humified) SOM components, especially in the organically-enriched topsoil layers, due to their specific physical chemistry (strongly charged interface) may have a significant role in biogeochemistry of charged (in)organic nutrients and/or contaminants such as toxic metal ions and persistent organic pollutants. The recent studies show that some natural vulnerabilities of Mediterranean regions (such as high risk of the erosion-driven processes) can increase movement of some hazardous pedospheric constituents (e.g. pesticides) to water bodies and/or into the air, thus influencing the whole ecosystem health. A majority of recent surveys confirm depletion of SOM and spatially variable distribution of metal contamination in the Mediterranean topsoils. Using the advanced geochemical prediction approaches in combination with the relevant soil databases, we characterised organo-mineral and organo-metal complexation and its effect on speciation and sorption of trace metals in karstified Mediterranean agroecosystems. Metal biogeochemistry was found to vary markedly under relatively constant pedosphere conditions, depending on organo-mineral soil components and pH, which may significantly impact metal mobility/availability in the soil-plant continuum. The knowledge of the SOM spatial distribution and dynamics and its interactions with other pedovariables is essential for sustainable management of SOM and control of contaminant mobility to avoid degradation processes in (agro)ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Monika Zovko
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lana Filipović
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Cristian Meriño-Gergichevich
- Universidad de La Frontera, Center of Plant, Soil Interaction and Natural Resources Biotechnology, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Temuco, Chile
| | - Radovan Savić
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad, R., Serbia
| | - Zed Rengel
- University of Western Australia, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Perth, Australia
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9
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Basualdo M, Huykman N, Volante JN, Paruelo JM, Piñeiro G. Lost forever? Ecosystem functional changes occurring after agricultural abandonment and forest recovery in the semiarid Chaco forests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:1537-1546. [PMID: 30308839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Semiarid forests are worldwide threatened by land use changes, particularly agriculture. However, in some cases, due to particular economic or social processes, agriculture ends and forests may or may not recover to their original state. Using different databases and satellite images integrated into a geographical information system, we located in the central region of the semiarid Chaco forests of Argentina adjacent land use patches of secondary forest (SF), remnant forest (RF) and crops (CP). Using a chronosequence approach, we evaluated changes in the fraction of the photosynthetic active radiation absorbed by the vegetation (FAPAR) between SF and RF and CP, using the enhanced vegetation index (EVI). We evaluated both intra and inter-annual changes in EVI mean (EVImean), EVI maximum (EVImax), EVI minimum (EVImin), and EVI relative range (EVIrr) as descriptors of FAPAR dynamics and analyzed their changes through time (2000 to 2010) and their relation to rainfall. Secondary forests showed higher seasonality and higher EVImean values than RF, but differences disappeared as time since agricultural abandonment increased, suggesting that SF recover their functioning (when compared to RF) after 10 to 15 years. Our results suggest that Chaco's SF have intermediate seasonal patterns in-between RF and CP, as expected by successional theory, and that FAPAR interception by RF appears to be dependent on previous year's precipitation. We found that, although all land uses showed similar precipitation use efficiency (PUE), SF and cropland's productivity were less stable across the years and showed faster increases or decreases compared to RF, depending on precipitation (higher precipitation marginal response- PMR). Our results suggest that at least some aspects of ecosystem functioning can be restored after agricultural abandonment. Future research that combines floristic and structural changes is necessary to fully understand secondary forests regrowth process after agricultural abandonment in the Chaco region.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Basualdo
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Argentina-Av. San Martín 4453, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Silvicultura y Manejo de Bosques (INSIMA), Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero (UNSE), Av. Belgrano (S) 1912, Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
| | - N Huykman
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Argentina-Av. San Martín 4453, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - J N Volante
- Laboratorio de Teledetección y SIG INTA Salta, Ruta Nacional 68, km 172, Salta, Argentina
| | - J M Paruelo
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Argentina-Av. San Martín 4453, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), La Estanzuela, Ruta 50 k 11, Colonia, Uruguay
| | - G Piñeiro
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Argentina-Av. San Martín 4453, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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10
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Forest Spectral Recovery and Regeneration Dynamics in Stand-Replacing Wildfires of Central Apennines Derived from Landsat Time Series. REMOTE SENSING 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/rs11030308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Understanding post-fire regeneration dynamics is an important task for assessing the resilience of forests and to adequately guide post-disturbance management. The main goal of this research was to compare the ability of different Landsat-derived spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) to track post-fire recovery occurring in burned forests of the central Apennines (Italy) at different development stages. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2) and a novel index called Forest Recovery Index 2 (FRI2) were used to compute post-fire recovery metrics throughout 11 years (2008–2018). FRI2 achieved the highest significant correlation (Pearson’s r = 0.72) with tree canopy cover estimated by field sampling (year 2017). The Theil–Sen slope estimator of linear regression was employed to assess the rate of change and the direction of SVIs recovery metrics over time (2010–2018) and the Mann–Kendall test was used to evaluate the significance of the spectral trends. NDVI displayed the highest amount of recovered pixels (38%) after 11 years since fire occurrence, whereas the mean value of NDMI, NBR, NBR2, and FRI2 was about 27%. NDVI was more suitable for tracking early stages of the secondary succession, suggesting greater sensitivity toward non-arboreal vegetation development. Predicted spectral recovery timespans based on pixels with a statistically significant monotonic trend did not highlight noticeable differences among normalized SVIs, suggesting similar suitability for monitoring early to mid-stages of post-fire forest succession. FRI2 achieved reliable results in mid- to long-term forest recovery as it produced up to 50% longer periods of spectral recovery compared to normalized SVIs. Further research is needed to understand this modeling approach at advanced stages of post-fire forest recovery.
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11
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Foster AC, Shuman JK, Shugart HH, Negron J. Modeling the interactive effects of spruce beetle infestation and climate on subalpine vegetation. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adrianna C. Foster
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; 8800 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt Maryland 22071 USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences; University of Virginia; 376 Clark Hall, 291 McCormick Road Charlottesville Virginia 22904 USA
| | - Jacquelyn K. Shuman
- National Center for Atmospheric Research; 1850 Table Mesa Drive Boulder Colorado 80305 USA
| | - Herman H. Shugart
- Department of Environmental Sciences; University of Virginia; 376 Clark Hall, 291 McCormick Road Charlottesville Virginia 22904 USA
| | - Jose Negron
- USDA Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station; 240 West Prospect Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
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12
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What Are Intermediate-Severity Forest Disturbances and Why Are They Important? FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9090579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The classification of discrete forest disturbance events is usually based on the spatial extent, magnitude, and frequency of the disturbance. Based on these characteristics, disturbances are placed into one of three broad categories, gap-scale, intermediate-severity, or catastrophic disturbance, along the disturbance classification gradient. We contend that our understanding of disturbance processes near the endpoints of the disturbance classification gradient far exceeds that of intermediate-severity events. We hypothesize that intermediate-severity disturbances are more common, and that they are more important drivers of forest ecosystem change than is commonly recognized. Here, we provide a review of intermediate-severity disturbances that includes proposed criteria for categorizing disturbances on the classification gradient. We propose that the canopy opening diameter to height ratio (D:H) be used to delineate gap-scale from intermediate-severity events and that the threshold between intermediate and catastrophic events be based on the influence of residual trees on the composition of the regeneration layer. We also provide examples of intermediate-severity disturbance agents, return intervals for these events, and recommendations for incorporating natural intermediate-severity disturbance patterns in silvicultural systems.
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13
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Development of a New TRIPLEX-Insect Model for Simulating the Effect of Spruce Budworm on Forest Carbon Dynamics. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9090513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The spruce budworm (SBW) defoliates and kills conifer trees, consequently affecting carbon (C) exchanges between the land and atmosphere. Here, we developed a new TRIPLEX-Insect sub-model to quantify the impacts of insect outbreaks on forest C fluxes. We modeled annual defoliation (AD), cumulative defoliation (CD), and tree mortality. The model was validated against observed and published data at the stand level in the North Shore region of Québec and Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The results suggest that TRIPLEX-Insect performs very well in capturing tree mortality following SBW outbreaks and slightly underestimates current annual volume increment (CAI). In both mature and immature forests, the simulation model suggests a larger reduction in gross primary productivity (GPP) than in autotrophic respiration (Ra) at the same defoliation level when tree mortality was low. After an SBW outbreak, the growth release of surviving trees contributes to the recovery of annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) based on forest age if mortality is not excessive. Overall, the TRIPLEX-Insect model is capable of simulating C dynamics of balsam fir following SBW disturbances and can be used as an efficient tool in forest insect management.
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15
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Moderate Disturbance Has Similar Effects on Production Regardless of Site Quality and Composition. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9020070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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16
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Liu W, Lu F, Luo Y, Bo W, Kong L, Zhang L, Liu B, Ouyang Z, Wang X. Human influence on the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of forest biomass carbon in China. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6220-6230. [PMID: 28861227 PMCID: PMC5574751 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Global carbon cycles are impacted by human activity primarily via fossil fuel combustion and forest carbon budget alterations. In this study, the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of forest biomass carbon (FBC) stock and density in China were analyzed to assess the large‐scale effects of humans on FBC. The results indicated that from 1977 to 2013, the FBC stock increased by 62.9%, from 4,335 to 7,064 Tg C, owing to human‐driven forestation and ecological restoration programs. Because of intensive human impacts, 44.2%–54.6% of the FBC stock was concentrated in four provinces (Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan) and the FBC density increased from the densely populated southeastern provinces to the sparsely populated northeastern and western provinces. On a spatial scale, the FBC density was significantly negatively related to population density, and the degree of the dependence of the FBC density on population density has been declining since 1998. This improvement in human–forest relations is related to economic development and programs in China that have promoted forestation and reduced deforestation. These results suggest that human impacts, including forestation, deforestation, population density, and economic development, have played significant roles in determining the temporal and spatial variations of FBC in the anthropogenic era. Moreover, our findings have implications for forest management and improvement of the forest carbon sink in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Fei Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,Joint Center for Global Change Studies (JCGCS) Beijing China
| | - Yunjian Luo
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection Yangzhou University Yangzhou Jiangsu China
| | - Wenjing Bo
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Lingqiao Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Bojie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Zhiyun Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Xiaoke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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Truong TTA, Hardy GESJ, Andrew ME. Contemporary Remotely Sensed Data Products Refine Invasive Plants Risk Mapping in Data Poor Regions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:770. [PMID: 28555147 PMCID: PMC5430062 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Invasive weeds are a serious problem worldwide, threatening biodiversity and damaging economies. Modeling potential distributions of invasive weeds can prioritize locations for monitoring and control efforts, increasing management efficiency. Forecasts of invasion risk at regional to continental scales are enabled by readily available downscaled climate surfaces together with an increasing number of digitized and georeferenced species occurrence records and species distribution modeling techniques. However, predictions at a finer scale and in landscapes with less topographic variation may require predictors that capture biotic processes and local abiotic conditions. Contemporary remote sensing (RS) data can enhance predictions by providing a range of spatial environmental data products at fine scale beyond climatic variables only. In this study, we used the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and empirical maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models to model the potential distributions of 14 invasive plant species across Southeast Asia (SEA), selected from regional and Vietnam's lists of priority weeds. Spatial environmental variables used to map invasion risk included bioclimatic layers and recent representations of global land cover, vegetation productivity (GPP), and soil properties developed from Earth observation data. Results showed that combining climate and RS data reduced predicted areas of suitable habitat compared with models using climate or RS data only, with no loss in model accuracy. However, contributions of RS variables were relatively limited, in part due to uncertainties in the land cover data. We strongly encourage greater adoption of quantitative remotely sensed estimates of ecosystem structure and function for habitat suitability modeling. Through comprehensive maps of overall predicted area and diversity of invasive species, we found that among lifeforms (herb, shrub, and vine), shrub species have higher potential invasion risk in SEA. Native invasive species, which are often overlooked in weed risk assessment, may be as serious a problem as non-native invasive species. Awareness of invasive weeds and their environmental impacts is still nascent in SEA and information is scarce. Freely available global spatial datasets, not least those provided by Earth observation programs, and the results of studies such as this one provide critical information that enables strategic management of environmental threats such as invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuyet T. A. Truong
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, PerthWA, Australia
- Faculty of Environment, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and ForestryThai Nguyen, Vietnam
| | - Giles E. St. J. Hardy
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, PerthWA, Australia
| | - Margaret E. Andrew
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, PerthWA, Australia
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Zehetgruber B, Kobler J, Dirnböck T, Jandl R, Seidl R, Schindlbacher A. Intensive ground vegetation growth mitigates the carbon loss after forest disturbance. PLANT AND SOIL 2017; 420:239-252. [PMID: 29225378 PMCID: PMC5711974 DOI: 10.1007/s11104-017-3384-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Slow or failed tree regeneration after forest disturbance is increasingly observed in the central European Alps, potentially amplifying the carbon (C) loss from disturbance. We aimed at quantifying C dynamics of a poorly regenerating disturbance site with a special focus on the role of non-woody ground vegetation. METHODS Soil CO2 efflux, fine root biomass, ground vegetation biomass, tree increment and litter input were assessed in (i) an undisturbed section of a ~ 110 years old Norway spruce stand, (ii) in a disturbed section which was clear-cut six years ago (no tree regeneration), and (iii) in a disturbed section which was clear-cut three years ago (no tree regeneration). RESULTS Total soil CO2 efflux was similar across all stand sections (8.5 ± 0.2 to 8.9 ± 0.3 t C ha-1 yr.-1). The undisturbed forest served as atmospheric C sink (2.1 t C ha-1 yr.-1), whereas both clearings were C sources to the atmosphere. The source strength three years after disturbance (-5.5 t C ha-1 yr.-1) was almost twice as high as six years after disturbance (-2.9 t C ha-1 yr.-1), with declining heterotrophic soil respiration and the high productivity of dense graminoid ground vegetation mitigating C loss. CONCLUSIONS C loss after disturbance decreases with time and ground vegetation growth. Dense non-woody ground vegetation cover can hamper tree regeneration but simultaneously decrease the ecosystem C loss. The role of ground vegetation should be more explicitly taken into account in forest C budgets assessing disturbance effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Zehetgruber
- Department of Forest Ecology, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape – BFW, Seckendorff-Gudent Weg 8, A-1131 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Kobler
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Environmental Information Management, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Dirnböck
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Environmental Information Management, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Jandl
- Department of Forest Ecology, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape – BFW, Seckendorff-Gudent Weg 8, A-1131 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rupert Seidl
- Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Peter Jordan Straße 82, 1190 Wien, Austria
| | - Andreas Schindlbacher
- Department of Forest Ecology, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape – BFW, Seckendorff-Gudent Weg 8, A-1131 Vienna, Austria
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19
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Wang Z, Erb AM, Schaaf CB, Sun Q, Liu Y, Yang Y, Shuai Y, Casey KA, Román MO. Early spring post-fire snow albedo dynamics in high latitude boreal forests using Landsat-8 OLI data. REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT 2016; 185:71-83. [PMID: 29769751 PMCID: PMC5952213 DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.02.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Taking advantage of the improved radiometric resolution of Landsat-8 OLI which, unlike previous Landsat sensors, does not saturate over snow, the progress of fire recovery progress at the landscape scale (< 100m) is examined. High quality Landsat-8 albedo retrievals can now capture the true reflective and layered character of snow cover over a full range of land surface conditions and vegetation densities. This new capability particularly improves the assessment of post-fire vegetation dynamics across low- to high- burn severity gradients in Arctic and boreal regions in the early spring, when the albedos during recovery show the greatest variation. We use 30 m resolution Landsat-8 surface reflectances with concurrent coarser resolution (500m) MODIS high quality full inversion surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDF) products to produce higher resolution values of surface albedo. The high resolution full expression shortwave blue sky albedo product performs well with an overall RMSE of 0.0267 between tower and satellite measures under both snow-free and snow-covered conditions. While the importance of post-fire albedo recovery can be discerned from the MODIS albedo product at regional and global scales, our study addresses the particular importance of early spring post-fire albedo recovery at the landscape scale by considering the significant spatial heterogeneity of burn severity, and the impact of snow on the early spring albedo of various vegetation recovery types. We found that variations in early spring albedo within a single MODIS gridded pixel can be larger than 0.6. Since the frequency and severity of wildfires in Arctic and boreal systems is expected to increase in the coming decades, the dynamics of albedo in response to these rapid surface changes will increasingly impact the energy balance and contribute to other climate processes and physical feedback mechanisms. Surface radiation products derived from Landsat-8 data will thus play an important role in characterizing the carbon cycle and ecosystem processes of high latitude systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuosen Wang
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Angela M. Erb
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Crystal B. Schaaf
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qingsong Sun
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yan Liu
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yun Yang
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, MD, USA
| | - Yanmin Shuai
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kimberly A. Casey
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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20
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Long-Term Post-Disturbance Forest Recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Analyzed Using Landsat Time Series Stack. REMOTE SENSING 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/rs8110898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Turner MG, Whitby TG, Tinker DB, Romme WH. Twenty-four years after theYellowstone Fires: Are postfire lodgepole pine stands converging in structure and function? Ecology 2016; 97:1260-73. [PMID: 27349102 DOI: 10.1890/15-1585.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Disturbance and succession have long been of interest in ecology, but how landscape patterns of ecosystem structure and function evolve following large disturbances is poorly understood. After nearly 25 years, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) forests that regenerated after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires (Wyoming, USA) offer a prime opportunity to track the fate of disturbance-created heterogeneity in stand structure and function in a wilderness setting. In 2012, we resampled 72 permanent plots to ask (1) How have postfire stand structure and function changed between 11 and 24 yr postfire, and what variables explain these patterns and changes? (2) How has landscape-level (among-stand) variability in postfire stand structure and function changed between 11 and 24 yr postfire? We expected to see evidence of convergence beginning to emerge, but also that initial postfire stem density would still determine trajectories of biomass accumulation. After 24 yr, postfire lodgepole pine density remained very high (mean = 21,738 stems/ha, range = 0-344,067 stems/ha). Stem density increased in most plots between 11 and 24 yr postfire, but declined sharply where 11-yr-postfire stem density was > 72,000 stems/ha. Stems were small in high-density stands, but stand-level lodgepole pine leaf area, foliage biomass, and live aboveground biomass increased over time and with increasing stem density. After 24 yr, mean annual lodgepole pine aboveground net primary production (ANPP) was high (mean = 5 Mg · ha⁻¹ · yr⁻¹, range = 0-16.5 Mg · ha⁻¹ · yr⁻¹). Among stands, lodgepole pine ANPP increased with stem density, which explained 69% of the variation; another 8% of the variation was explained by environmental covariates. Early patterns of postfire lodgepole pine regeneration, which were contingent on prefire serotiny and fire severity, remained the dominant driver of stand structure and function. We observed mechanisms that would lead to convergence in stem density (structure) over time, but it was landscape variation in functional variables that declined substantially. Stand structure and function have not converged across the burned landscape, but our evidence suggests function will converge sooner than structure.
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Schlesinger WH, Dietze MC, Jackson RB, Phillips RP, Rhoades CC, Rustad LE, Vose JM. Forest biogeochemistry in response to drought. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:2318-2328. [PMID: 26403995 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Trees alter their use and allocation of nutrients in response to drought, and changes in soil nutrient cycling and trace gas flux (N2 O and CH4 ) are observed when experimental drought is imposed on forests. In extreme droughts, trees are increasingly susceptible to attack by pests and pathogens, which can lead to major changes in nutrient flux to the soil. Extreme droughts often lead to more common and more intense forest fires, causing dramatic changes in the nutrient storage and loss from forest ecosystems. Changes in the future manifestation of drought will affect carbon uptake and storage in forests, leading to feedbacks to the Earth's climate system. We must improve the recognition of drought in nature, our ability to manage our forests in the face of drought, and the parameterization of drought in earth system models for improved predictions of carbon uptake and storage in the world's forests.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael C Dietze
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Y2E2 Building, 379B, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Richard P Phillips
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1 E 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Charles C Rhoades
- U.S.D.A., Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Lindsey E Rustad
- U.S.D.A., Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 271 Mast Rd, Durham, NH, 03824, USA
| | - James M Vose
- U.S.D.A., Forest Service, Southern Research Station, NC State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
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Stuart-Haëntjens EJ, Curtis PS, Fahey RT, Vogel CS, Gough CM. Net primary production of a temperate deciduous forest exhibits a threshold response to increasing disturbance severity. Ecology 2015; 96:2478-87. [PMID: 26594704 DOI: 10.1890/14-1810.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The global carbon (C) balance is vulnerable to disturbances that alter terrestrial C storage. Disturbances to forests occur along a continuum of severity, from low-intensity disturbance causing the mortality or defoliation of only a subset of trees to severe stand- replacing disturbance that kills all trees; yet considerable uncertainty remains in how forest production changes across gradients of disturbance intensity. We used a gradient of tree mortality in an upper Great Lakes forest ecosystem to: (1) quantify how aboveground wood net primary production (ANPP,) responds to a range of disturbance severities; and (2) identify mechanisms supporting ANPPw resistance or resilience following moderate disturbance. We found that ANPPw declined nonlinearly with rising disturbance severity, remaining stable until >60% of the total tree basal area senesced. As upper canopy openness increased from disturbance, greater light availability to the subcanopy enhanced the leaf-level photosynthesis and growth of this formerly light-limited canopy stratum, compensating for upper canopy production losses and a reduction in total leaf area index (LAI). As a result, whole-ecosystem production efficiency (ANPPw/LAI) increased with rising disturbance severity, except in plots beyond the disturbance threshold. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for a nonlinear relationship between ANPPw, and disturbance severity, in which the physiological and growth enhancement of undisturbed vegetation is proportional to the level of disturbance until a threshold is exceeded. Our results have important ecological and management implications, demonstrating that in some ecosystems moderate levels of disturbance minimally alter forest production.
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McDowell NG, Coops NC, Beck PSA, Chambers JQ, Gangodagamage C, Hicke JA, Huang CY, Kennedy R, Krofcheck DJ, Litvak M, Meddens AJH, Muss J, Negrón-Juarez R, Peng C, Schwantes AM, Swenson JJ, Vernon LJ, Williams AP, Xu C, Zhao M, Running SW, Allen CD. Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 20:114-23. [PMID: 25500552 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2014.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial disturbances are accelerating globally, but their full impact is not quantified because we lack an adequate monitoring system. Remote sensing offers a means to quantify the frequency and extent of disturbances globally. Here, we review the current application of remote sensing to this problem and offer a framework for more systematic analysis in the future. We recommend that any proposed monitoring system should not only detect disturbances, but also be able to: identify the proximate cause(s); integrate a range of spatial scales; and, ideally, incorporate process models to explain the observed patterns and predicted trends in the future. Significant remaining challenges are tied to the ecology of disturbances. To meet these challenges, more effort is required to incorporate ecological principles and understanding into the assessments of disturbance worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nate G McDowell
- Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
| | - Nicholas C Coops
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Pieter S A Beck
- Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy
| | - Jeffrey Q Chambers
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Earth Science Division, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Chandana Gangodagamage
- Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Hicke
- University of Idaho, Department of Geography, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
| | - Cho-ying Huang
- Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Robert Kennedy
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Dan J Krofcheck
- Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Marcy Litvak
- Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Arjan J H Meddens
- University of Idaho, Department of Geography, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
| | - Jordan Muss
- Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | | | - Changhui Peng
- Center of CEF/ESCER, Department of Biological Science, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal H3C 3P8, Canada and State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Amanda M Schwantes
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jennifer J Swenson
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Louis J Vernon
- Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - A Park Williams
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Chonggang Xu
- Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Maosheng Zhao
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Steve W Running
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, MT 59812, USA
| | - Craig D Allen
- United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Jemez Mountain Field Station, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
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Flower CE, Gonzalez-Meler MA. Responses of temperate forest productivity to insect and pathogen disturbances. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 66:547-569. [PMID: 25580836 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-043014-115540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Pest and pathogen disturbances are ubiquitous across forest ecosystems, impacting their species composition, structure, and function. Whereas severe abiotic disturbances (e.g., clear-cutting and fire) largely reset successional trajectories, pest and pathogen disturbances cause diffuse mortality, driving forests into nonanalogous system states. Biotic perturbations that disrupt forest carbon dynamics either reduce or enhance net primary production (NPP) and carbon storage, depending on pathogen type. Relative to defoliators, wood borers and invasive pests have the largest negative impact on NPP and the longest recovery time. Forest diversity is an important contributing factor to productivity: NPP is neutral, marginally enhanced, or reduced in high-diversity stands in which a small portion of the canopy is affected (temperate deciduous or mixed forests) but very negative in low-diversity stands in which a large portion of the canopy is affected (western US forests). Pests and pathogens reduce forest structural and functional redundancy, affecting their resilience to future climate change or new outbreaks. Therefore, pests and pathogens can be considered biotic forcing agents capable of causing consequences of similar magnitude to climate forcing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles E Flower
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607; ,
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Zhang Y, Liang S. Changes in forest biomass and linkage to climate and forest disturbances over Northeastern China. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:2596-2606. [PMID: 24687944 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2013] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The forests of northeastern China store nearly half of the country's total biomass carbon stocks. In this study, we investigated the changes in forest biomass by using satellite observations and found that a significant increase in forest biomass took place between 2001 and 2010. To determine the possible reasons for this change, several statistical methods were used to analyze the correlations between forest biomass dynamics and forest disturbances (i.e. fires, insect damage, logging, and afforestation and reforestation), climatic factors, and forest development. Results showed that forest development was the most important contributor to the increasing trend of forest biomass from 2001 to 2010, and climate controls were the secondary important factor. Among the four types of forest disturbance considered in this study, forest recovery from fires, and afforestation and reforestation during the past few decades played an important role in short-term biomass dynamics. This study provided observational evidence and valuable information for the relationships between forest biomass and climate as well as forest disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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27
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Forest cutting and impacts on carbon in the eastern United States. Sci Rep 2013; 3:3547. [PMID: 24352590 PMCID: PMC6506451 DOI: 10.1038/srep03547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest cutting is a major anthropogenic disturbance that affects forest carbon (C) storage and fluxes. Yet its characteristics and impacts on C cycling are poorly understood over large areas. Using recent annualized forest inventory data, we estimated cutting-related loss of live biomass in the eastern United States was 168 Tg C yr−1 from 2002 to 2010 (with C loss per unit forest area of 1.07 Mg ha−1 yr−1), which is equivalent to 70% of the total U.S. forest C sink or 11% of the national annual CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion over the same period. We further revealed that specific cutting-related C loss varied with cutting intensities, forest types, stand ages, and geographic locations. Our results provide new insights to the characteristics of forest harvesting activities in the eastern United States and highlight the significance of partial cutting to regional and national carbon budgets.
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Levy-Varon JH, Schuster WSF, Griffin KL. Rapid rebound of soil respiration following partial stand disturbance by tree girdling in a temperate deciduous forest. Oecologia 2013; 174:1415-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2844-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Gough CM, Hardiman BS, Nave LE, Bohrer G, Maurer KD, Vogel CS, Nadelhoffer KJ, Curtis PS. Sustained carbon uptake and storage following moderate disturbance in a Great Lakes forest. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2013; 23:1202-1215. [PMID: 23967586 DOI: 10.1890/12-1554.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Carbon (C) uptake rates in many forests are sustained, or decline only briefly, following disturbances that partially defoliate the canopy. The mechanisms supporting such functional resistance to moderate forest disturbance are largely unknown. We used a large-scale experiment, in which > 6700 Populus (aspen) and Betula (birch) trees were stem-girdled within a 39-ha area, to identify mechanisms sustaining C uptake through partial canopy defoliation. The Forest Accelerated Succession Experiment in northern Michigan, USA, employs a suite of C-cycling measurements within paired treatment and control meteorological flux tower footprints. We found that enhancement of canopy light-use efficiency and maintenance of light absorption maintained net ecosystem production (NEP) and aboveground wood net primary production (NPP) when leaf-area index (LAI) of the treatment forest temporarily declined by nearly half its maximum value. In the year following peak defoliation, redistribution of nitrogen (N) in the treatment forest from senescent early successional aspen and birch to non-girdled later successional species facilitated the recovery of total LAI to pre-disturbance levels. Sustained canopy physiological competency following disturbance coincided with a downward shift in maximum canopy height, indicating that compensatory photosynthetic C uptake by undisturbed, later successional subdominant and subcanopy vegetation supported C-uptake resistance to disturbance. These findings have implications for ecosystem management and modeling, demonstrating that forests may tolerate considerable leaf-area losses without diminishing rates of C uptake. We conclude that the resistance of C uptake to moderate disturbance depends not only on replacement of lost leaf area, but also on rapid compensatory photosynthetic C uptake during defoliation by emerging later successional species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Gough
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Biology, Box 842012, 1000 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2012, USA.
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Bond-Lamberty B, Bunn AG, Thomson AM. Multi-year lags between forest browning and soil respiration at high northern latitudes. PLoS One 2012. [PMID: 23189202 PMCID: PMC3506603 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
High-latitude northern ecosystems are experiencing rapid climate changes, and represent a large potential climate feedback because of their high soil carbon densities and shifting disturbance regimes. A significant carbon flow from these ecosystems is soil respiration (RS, the flow of carbon dioxide, generated by plant roots and soil fauna, from the soil surface to atmosphere), and any change in the high-latitude carbon cycle might thus be reflected in RS observed in the field. This study used two variants of a machine-learning algorithm and least squares regression to examine how remotely-sensed canopy greenness (NDVI), climate, and other variables are coupled to annual RS based on 105 observations from 64 circumpolar sites in a global database. The addition of NDVI roughly doubled model performance, with the best-performing models explaining ∼62% of observed RS variability. We show that early-summer NDVI from previous years is generally the best single predictor of RS, and is better than current-year temperature or moisture. This implies significant temporal lags between these variables, with multi-year carbon pools exerting large-scale effects. Areas of decreasing RS are spatially correlated with browning boreal forests and warmer temperatures, particularly in western North America. We suggest that total circumpolar RS may have slowed by ∼5% over the last decade, depressed by forest stress and mortality, which in turn decrease RS. Arctic tundra may exhibit a significantly different response, but few data are available with which to test this. Combining large-scale remote observations and small-scale field measurements, as done here, has the potential to allow inferences about the temporal and spatial complexity of the large-scale response of northern ecosystems to changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bond-Lamberty
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Joint Global Change Research Institute at the University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.
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