Blowdown as a mortality factor in a mature boreal forest
Toczydlowski D, Stottlemyer R, Dlutkowski S. 1993. Blowdown as a mortality factor in a mature boreal forest. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 74(2):457
In 1988, nine transects (area 6.7 ha) were established in mature boreal forests of Isle Royale National Park, MI. In 1989 and 1991, the number, size, condition, and species of all trees fallen in the previous two-year interval were measured. The study objective was to assess the role of blowdown as a mortality factor. The number of downed trees in each transect ranged from 4 to about 50 ha-1. Of those downed, >50% were alive when they fell. Almost 80% of the live trees downed were snapped off. One-third of the live trees downed were Abies balsamea yet balsam fir made up only 16% of the total number of standing trees. Most of the trees fell to the south-southeast and south-southwest. Ten years of meteorological data show the strongest winds come from the west-southwest and west northwest in November, a time when conifers would be particularly vulnerable due to loss of hardwood leaf protection and possible icing.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Toczydlowski, David; Stottlemyer, Robert; Dlutkowski, Susan
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Boreal Forest, Ecology, Mortality, Plant Studies, windthrow