Abstract
Forest harvesting can impact site quality by removing essential nutrients, exacerbating the effects of historic base cation losses associated with acid deposition. We studied the 30-year trajectory of forest recovery from clearcutting (whole-tree harvest (WTH)) in a forest originally dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). At both the watershed scale (21.9 ha) and the “detailed” plot scale (1 m2), a dramatic decline of sugar maple was observed, along with maintenance of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and an increase in birch, mainly yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.). Many of the “detailed” plots where sugar maple failed to recruit became unoccupied rather than being “won” by another species. The decline of sugar maple was most severe in the upper elevation zones of the watershed, where low base status (especially Ca) of the soils was a likely driver. The results support previous studies indicating that regeneration by sugar maple is severely compromised on base cation depleted soils. Lower survival of seedlings for sugar maple emphasized the importance of maintaining advance regeneration to favor desired species such as sugar maple. Foresters should consider that sites with low base saturation and exchangeable Ca are likely to exhibit regeneration failure for sugar maple in the long term, even those with initial dominance by this species.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-31 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Community assembly
- Forest recovery
- Management implications
- Northern hardwood forest
- Priority effects
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Global and Planetary Change
- Forestry
- Ecology
Cite this
Long-term decline of sugar maple following forest harvest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. / Cleavitt, Natalie L.; Battles, John J.; Johnson, Chris E; Fahey, Timothy J.
In: Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 48, No. 1, 01.01.2018, p. 23-31.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term decline of sugar maple following forest harvest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire
AU - Cleavitt, Natalie L.
AU - Battles, John J.
AU - Johnson, Chris E
AU - Fahey, Timothy J.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Forest harvesting can impact site quality by removing essential nutrients, exacerbating the effects of historic base cation losses associated with acid deposition. We studied the 30-year trajectory of forest recovery from clearcutting (whole-tree harvest (WTH)) in a forest originally dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). At both the watershed scale (21.9 ha) and the “detailed” plot scale (1 m2), a dramatic decline of sugar maple was observed, along with maintenance of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and an increase in birch, mainly yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.). Many of the “detailed” plots where sugar maple failed to recruit became unoccupied rather than being “won” by another species. The decline of sugar maple was most severe in the upper elevation zones of the watershed, where low base status (especially Ca) of the soils was a likely driver. The results support previous studies indicating that regeneration by sugar maple is severely compromised on base cation depleted soils. Lower survival of seedlings for sugar maple emphasized the importance of maintaining advance regeneration to favor desired species such as sugar maple. Foresters should consider that sites with low base saturation and exchangeable Ca are likely to exhibit regeneration failure for sugar maple in the long term, even those with initial dominance by this species.
AB - Forest harvesting can impact site quality by removing essential nutrients, exacerbating the effects of historic base cation losses associated with acid deposition. We studied the 30-year trajectory of forest recovery from clearcutting (whole-tree harvest (WTH)) in a forest originally dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). At both the watershed scale (21.9 ha) and the “detailed” plot scale (1 m2), a dramatic decline of sugar maple was observed, along with maintenance of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and an increase in birch, mainly yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.). Many of the “detailed” plots where sugar maple failed to recruit became unoccupied rather than being “won” by another species. The decline of sugar maple was most severe in the upper elevation zones of the watershed, where low base status (especially Ca) of the soils was a likely driver. The results support previous studies indicating that regeneration by sugar maple is severely compromised on base cation depleted soils. Lower survival of seedlings for sugar maple emphasized the importance of maintaining advance regeneration to favor desired species such as sugar maple. Foresters should consider that sites with low base saturation and exchangeable Ca are likely to exhibit regeneration failure for sugar maple in the long term, even those with initial dominance by this species.
KW - Community assembly
KW - Forest recovery
KW - Management implications
KW - Northern hardwood forest
KW - Priority effects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040019416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85040019416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233
DO - 10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85040019416
VL - 48
SP - 23
EP - 31
JO - Canadian Journal of Forest Research
JF - Canadian Journal of Forest Research
SN - 0045-5067
IS - 1
ER -