Disturbance Regime and Disturbance Interactions in a Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forest
Veblen TT, Hadley KS, Nel EM, Kitzberger T, Reid M, Villalba R. 1994. Disturbance Regime and Disturbance Interactions in a Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forest. Journal of Ecology. 82(1):125-135
The spatial and temporal patterns of fire, snow avalanches and spruce beetle outbreak s were investigated in Marvine Lakes Valley in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in forests of Picea engelmannii, Abies lasiocarpa, Pseudotsuga mensieseii and Populus tremuloides. Dates and locations of disturbances were determined by dendrochronological techniques. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to calculate areas affected by different disturbance agents and to examine the spatial relationship of the different disturbances. &. Several different types of disturbance interactions were identified. For example, large and severe avalanches affect the spread of fire. Similarly, following a stand-devastating fire or avalanche, Picea populations will not support a spruce beetle outbreak until individual trees reach a minimum diameter which represents at least 70 years growth. Thus recent fires and beetle outbreaks have non-overlapping distributions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Veblen, Thomas; Hadley, Keith; Nel, Elizabeth; Kitzberger, Thomas; Reid, Marion; Villalba, Ricardo
- Units
- ROMN
- Keywords
- avalanche, Dendrochronology, Disturbance, FIRE, Geographic Information System, GIS, interaction, Landscape, Plant Communities, Rocky Mountain, Spruce Beetle