Long-term change and spatial pattern in a late-successional hemlock-northern hardwood forest

Abstract

When unlogged, mesic forest of the Great lakes region of North America are "slow systems' dominant trees can live for over 300 years and canopy-residence times range from 100 to over 200 years (frelich & Lorimer 1991: Frelich & Graumlich 1994: parshall 1995: Dahir & Lorimer 1996: Woods 2000). Catastrophic wind-throw caused by tornadoes and derecho events may be the most important standing-initiating disturbances in mesic stands but return times for such occurrences appear to exceed a millennium (lorimer 1977: Canham & Loucks 1984: Whitney 1990: Seischab & Orwig 19910. It is therefore likely taht prior to the onset of widespread logging, large portions of the landscape were occupied by late-successional forest s in which intense disturbance had not occurred for serveral tree generations.

Citation

Woods , Kerry D. 2000. Long-term change and spatial pattern in a late-successional hemlock-northern hardwood forest. Journal of Ecology. Volume 88. 2000. pp. 267-282