Trajectories of forest composition, structure, and productivity following an experimental ice storm disturbance
| Authors: | Robert T. Fahey, John Campbell, Lindsey Rustad, Charles T. Driscoll, Paul Schaberg |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2025-0044 |
| Source: | Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
Abstract
Disturbance creates structural legacies that are important drivers of functional and compositional stabilities in forested ecosystems. We used an experimental ice storm disturbance to evaluate effects of disturbance severity on structural legacies and their functional consequences. We evaluated canopy structural characteristics (height, density, openness, and complexity) before and after disturbance using data from terrestrial LiDAR. We compared trajectories of structural characteristics and functional outcomes (composition, mortality, and productivity) among treatments and relative to controls. We found significant post-disturbance change for all canopy structural characteristics especially at higher severity levels, with persistent legacy effects on mean canopy height and canopy complexity. There were limited changes in biomass, productivity, and composition, and mortality did not vary significantly among treatments. There was limited evidence for linkages between structural and functional responses, but plots that retained greater complexity had higher stability of net primary productivity. Our findings indicate persistent structural legacies associated with ice storm disturbance, but declining structural legacies over time may affect interactions with subsequent disturbance or stressors. Improved understanding of these trajectories could help with predicting outcomes of changing disturbance regimes associated with global change.