Disturbance, tree mortality, and implications for contemporary regional forest change in the Pacific Northwest

Thomas Spies; Matthew Reilly

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.05.002

Treesearch

Disturbance, tree mortality, and implications for contemporary regional forest change in the Pacific Northwest

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Thomas Spies, Matthew Reilly

Year:

2016

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.05.002

Source:

Forest Ecology and Management

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Abstract

Tree mortality is an important demographic process and primary driver of forest dynamics, yet there are relatively few plot-based studies that explicitly quantify mortality and compare the relative contribution of endogenous and exogenous disturbances at regional scales. We used repeated observations on 289,390 trees in 3673 1 ha plots on U.S. Forest Service lands in Oregon and Washington to compare distributions of mortality rates among natural disturbances and vegetation zones from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, a period characterized by drought, insect outbreaks, and large wildfires. Endogenous disturbances (e.g. pathogens, insects) were pervasive but operated at relatively low levels of mortality (

Keywords

tree mortality, Pacific Northwest, disturbance, regional forest dynamics, fire, insects

Citation

Reilly, Matthew J.; Spies, Thomas A. 2016. Disturbance, tree mortality, and implications for contemporary regional forest change in the Pacific Northwest. Forest Ecology and Management. 374: 102-110.