• \
    Start Submission Become a Reviewer

    Reading: Hurricane impacts on dynamics, structure and carbon sequestration potential of forest ecosys...

    Download

     A- A+
    Alt. Display

    Original Research Papers

    Hurricane impacts on dynamics, structure and carbon sequestration potential of forest ecosystems in Southern New England, USA

    Authors:

    María Uriarte ,

    Dept of Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 10th floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, US
    X close

    Michael Papaik

    Centre d’ étude de la forêt, University of Quebec at Montreal, CP 8888 Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, CA
    X close

    Abstract

    The observed increase in hurricane intensity in the North Atlantic calls for an evaluation of the effects that these storms have on temperate forest ecosystems where much of the terrestrial carbon is sequestered. We use a data-based forest simulator to analyse the effects of both historical and potentially future hurricane disturbance regimes on the structure, dynamics and carbon sequestration potential of Southern New England forests. Baseline estimates of carbon sequestration in aboveground biomass from our simulations are in line with forest inventory data and range from 0.93 to 1.68 tons C ha−1 yr−1 with the greatest rates in areas subject to the most severe wind disturbance. To the degree that carbon in downed timber is incorporated into the soil, an increase in severe storms is likely to enhance carbon sequestration potential in forests in this region by generating conditions that foster tree growth. However, unsalvaged timber can also increase fire risk, thereby escalating the potential for carbon losses to the atmosphere. Effects of hurricane disturbance on community composition are complex and highlight the role that life history traits play in mediating species’ idiosyncratic responses to wind disturbance. Incorporating disturbance in estimates of carbon sequestration in forests will improve congruence between models and data.

    How to Cite: Uriarte, M. and Papaik, M., 2007. Hurricane impacts on dynamics, structure and carbon sequestration potential of forest ecosystems in Southern New England, USA. Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 59(4), pp.519–528. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2007.00243.x
    2
    Views
    1
    Downloads
      Published on 01 Jan 2007
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0
     Accepted on 19 Feb 2007            Submitted on 26 Aug 2006

    References

    1. Birdsey , R. A. , Plantinga , A. J. and Heath , L. S. 1993 . Past and prospective carbon storage in United-States forests . Forest EcoL Manage . 58 , 33 – 40 .  

    2. Birdsey , R. A. 1992 . Carbon storage and accumulation in US forest ecosystems. USFS General Technical report W0-59. http://www.ilea.orgibirdsey/  

    3. Boose , E. R. , Foster , D. R. and Fluet , M. 1994 . Hurricane impacts to tropical and temperate forest landscapes . Ecological Monogr . 64 , 369 – 400 .  

    4. Boose , E. R. , Chamberlin , K. E. and Foster , D. R. 2001 . Landscape and regional impacts of hurricanes in New England . Ecological Monogr 71 , 27 – 48 .  

    5. Boucher , D. H. , Vandermeer , J. H. , Mallona , M. A. , Zamora , N. and Perfecto , I. 1994 . Resistance and resilience in a directly regenerating rainforest: Nicaraguan trees of the Vochysiaceae after Hurricane Joan . Forest Ecol. Manage . 68 , 127 – 136 .  

    6. Brown , S. L. and Schroeder , P. E. 1999 . Spatial patterns of aboveground production and mortality of woody biomass for eastern US forests . Ecological AppL 9 , 968 – 980 .  

    7. Canham , C. D. , Finzi , A. C. , Pacala , S. W. and Burbank , D. H. 1994 . Causes and Consequences of Resource Heterogeneity in Forests - Interspecific Variation in Light Transmission by Canopy Trees . Canadian J. Forest Res . 24 , 337 – 349 .  

    8. Canham , C. D. , Coates , K. D. , Bartemucci , P. and Quaglia , S. 1999 . Measurement and modeling of spatially explicit variation in light transmission through interior cedar-hemlock forests of British Columbia . Canadian J. Forest Res . 29 , 1775 – 1783 .  

    9. Canham , C. D. , Papailc , M. J. and Latty , E. F. 2001 . Interspecific variation in susceptibility to windthrow as a function of tree size and storm severity for northern temperate tree species . Canadian J. Forest Res . 31 , 1 – 10 .  

    10. Cooper-Ellis , S. , Foster , D. R. , Carlton , G. and Lezberg , A. 1999 . Forest response to catastrophic wind disturbance, results from an experimental hurricane . Ecology 80 , 2683 – 2696 .  

    11. Elsner , J. B. , Liu , K. and Kocher , B. 2000 . Spatial variation in major US hurricane activity: statistics and a physical mechanism . J. Clim . 13 , 2293 – 2305 .  

    12. Emanuel , K. 2005 . Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years . Nature 436 , 686 – 688 .  

    13. Fernandez-Partagas , J. and Diaz , H. F. 1995 . A reconstruction of historical tropical cyclone frequency in the Atlantic from documentary and other historical sources 1851 to 1880. Climate Diagnostics Center, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington DC, USA.  

    14. Foster , D. R. 1988 . Disturbance history, community organization, and vegetation dynamics of the old-growth Pishgah Forest, southwestern New Hampshire USA . J. EcoL 76 , 105 – 134 .  

    15. Foster , D. R. and Boose , E. R. 1992 . Patterns of Forest Damage Resulting from Catastrophic Wind in Central New-England, USA . J. EcoL 80 , 79 – 98 .  

    16. Foster , D. R. , Aber , J. D. , Melillo , J. M. , Bowden , R. D. and Bazzaz , F. A. 1997 . Forest response to disturbance and anthropogenic stress . Bioscience 47 , 437 – 445 .  

    17. Foster , D. R. , Fluet , M. and Boose , E. R. 1999 . Human or natural disturbance: Landscape-scale dynamics of the tropical forests of Puerto Rico . Ecological AppL 9 , 555 – 572 .  

    18. Gaudinslci , J. B. , Trumbore , S. E. , Davidson , E. A. and Zheng , S. 2000 . Soil carbon cycling in a temperate forest: radiocarbon-based estimates of residence times, sequestration rates and partitioning of fluxes . Biogeochemistry 51 , 33 – 69 .  

    19. Glitzenstein , J. S. and Harcombe , P. A. 1988 . Effects of the December 1983 Tornado on Forest Vegetation of the Big Thicket, Southeast Texas, USA . Forest EcoL Manage . 25 , 269 – 290 .  

    20. Goldenberg , S. B. , Landsea , C. W. , Mestas-Munez , A. M. and Gray , W. M. 2001 . The recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity: Causes and implications . Science 293 , 474 – 479 .  

    21. Goulden , M. L. , Munger , J. W. , Fan , S. , Daube , B. C. and Wofsy , S. C. 1996 . Exchange of carbon dioxide by a deciduous forest: response to interannual climate variability . Science 271 , 1576 – 1578 .  

    22. Harmon , M. E. , Baker , G. A. , Spycher , G. and Greene , S. E. 1990 . Leaf-Litter Decomposition in the Picea-Tsuga Forests of Olympic National-Park, Washington, USA . Forest EcoL Manage . 31 , 55 – 66 .  

    23. IPCC . 2000 . Intergovernmental Panel on climate change/Land use, land use change and forestry . Cambridge University Press , Cambridge .  

    24. Jenkins , J. C. , Chojnacky , D. C. , Heath , L. S. and Birdsey , R. A. 2003 . National-scale biomass estimators for United States tree species . Forest Sc i . 49 , 12 – 35 .  

    25. Kobe , R. K. and Coates , K. D. 1997 . Models of sapling mortality as a function of growth to characterize interspecific variation in shade tolerance of eight tree species of northwestern British Columbia . Canadian J. Forest Res . 27 , 227 – 236 .  

    26. Kobe , R. K. , Pacala , S. W. , Silander , J. A. and Canham , C. D. 1995 . Juvenile Tree Survivorship as a Component of Shade Tolerance . Ecological AppL 5 , 517 – 532 .  

    27. Koch , P. 1989 . Estimates by species group and region in the USA of: I . Below-ground root weight as a percentage of ovendry complete-tree weight; and II. Carbon content of tree portions. Consulting report . pp. 23 .  

    28. Landsea , C. W. , Harper , B. A. , Hoarau , K. and Knaff , J. A. 2006 . Can we detect trends in extreme tropical cyclones? Science 313 , 452 – 454 .  

    29. LePage , P. T. , Canham , C. D. , Coates , K. D. and Bartemucci , P. 2000 . Seed abundance versus substrate limitation of seedling recruitment in northern temperate forests of British Columbia . Canadian J. Forest Res . 30 , 415 – 427 .  

    30. Loehle , C. 2000 . Strategy space and the disturbance spectrum: A life-history model for tree species coexistence . American Naturalist 156 , 14 – 33 .  

    31. Ludlum , D. M. 1963 . Early American hurricanes 1492-1870 . America Meteorological Society, Boston , Massachusetts , USA .  

    32. Mann , M. E. and Emanuel , K. A. 2006 . Atlantic hurricane trends linked to climate change . EOS Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 87 , 233 .  

    33. Marks , P. L. 1974 . The role of pin cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica, L.) in the maintenance of stability in northern hardwood ecosystems . Ecological Monographs 44 , 73 – 88 .  

    34. McNulty , S. G. 2005 . Hurricane impacts on US forest carbon sequestration . Environ. PolluL 116 , S17–S24 .  

    35. Merrens , E. J. and Peart , D. R. 1992 . Effects of hurricane damage on individual growth and stand structure in a hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA . J. EcoL 80 , 787 – 795 .  

    36. Miranda , M. L. 1996 . Final report: an evaluation of post-Hugo forest recovery programs: salvage, wildfire hazard mitigation and reforestation. USFS General Technical Report SRS-5.  

    37. Pacala , S. W. , Canham , C. D. , Silander , J. A. and Kobe , R. K. 1994 . Sapling Growth as a Function of Resources in a North Temperate Forest . Canadian J. Forest Res . 24 , 2172 – 2183 .  

    38. Pacala , S. W. , Canham , C. D. , Saponara , J. , Silander , J. A. , Kobe , R. K. and Ribbens , E. 1996 . Forest models defined by field measurements: Estimation, error analysis and dynamics . Ecological Monogr 66 , 1 – 43 .  

    39. Papaik , M. J. , Canham , C. D. , Latty , E. F. and Woods , K. D. 2005 . Effects of an introduced pathogen on resistance to natural disturbance: beech bark disease and windthrow . Canadian J. Forest Res . 35 , 1832 – 1843 .  

    40. Papaik , M. J. and Canham , C. D. 2006 . Species resistance and community response to wind disturbance regimes in Northern temperate forests . J Ecol 94 , 1011 – 1026 .  

    41. Peterson , C. J. and Pickett , S. T. A. 1991 . Treefall and resprouting following catastrophic windthrow in an old-growth hemlock hardwoods forest . Forest Ecology Manage . 42 , 205 – 217 .  

    42. Peterson , C. J. and Rebertus , A. J. 1997 . Tornado damage and initial recovery in three adjacent, lowland temperate forests in Missouri. J. Vegetation Sc i . 8 , 559 – 564 .  

    43. Phipps , R. L. 1967 . Annual growth of suppressed chestnut oak and red maple, a basis for hydrological inference. US Geological Survey Professional Paper 485-C.  

    44. Runkle , J. R. 1981 . Gap regeneration in some old-growth forests of the eastern United States . Ecology 62 , 1041 – 1051 .  

    45. Sanford , R. , Parton , W. , Ojima , D. S. and Lodge , D. J. 1991 . Hurricane effects on soil organic matter dynamics and forest production in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico: Results of simulation modeling . Biotropica 23 , 364 – 372 .  

    46. Schimel , D. , Melillo , J. , Tian , H. Q. , McGuire , A. D. , Kicklighter , D. , and co-authors. 2000 . Contribution of increasing CO2 and climate to carbon storage by ecosystems in the United States . Science 287 , 2004– 2006 .  

    47. Schimel , D. S. , Emanuel , W. , Rizzo , B. , Smith , T. , Woodward , F. I. and co-authors. 1997 . Continental scale variability in ecosystem processes: Models, data, and the role of disturbance. Ecological Monogr 67 , 251 - 271 .  

    48. Uriarte , M. , Canham , C. D. , Thompson , J. , Zimmerman , J. K. and Brokaw , N. 2005 . Seedling recruitment in a hurricane-driven tropical forest: light limitation, density-dependence and the spatial distribution of parent trees . J. EcoL 93 , 291 – 304 .  

    49. Uriarte , M. , Canham , C. D. , Thompson , J. and Zimmerman , J.K. 2004 . A maximum-likelihood, spatially-explicit analysis of tree growth and survival in a hurricane-driven tropical forest . Ecological Monogr 71 , 591 – 614 .  

    50. Walker , L. R. 1991 . Tree damage and recovery from Hurricane Hugo in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico . Biotropica 23 , 379 – 385 .  

    51. Webster , P. J. , Holland , C. J. , Curry , J. A. and Chang , H. R. 2005 . Changes in tropical cyclone number, duration, and intensity in a warming environment . Science 309 , 1844 – 1846 .  

    52. Wright , E. F. , Coates , K. D. , Canham , C. D. and Bartemucci , P. 1998 . Species variability in growth response to light across climatic regions in northwestern British Columbia . Canadian J. Forest Res . 28 , 871 – 886 .  

    53. You , C. and Petty , W. H. 1991 . Effects of Hurricane Hugo on Manilkara bidentata, a primary tree species in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico . Biotropica 23 , 106 – 113 .  

    54. Zimmerman , J. K. , Everham , E. M. BI , Waide , R. B. and McDowell , W. H. 1994 . Responses of tree species to hurricane winds in subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico: implications for tropical life histories . J. Ecol . 82 , 911 – 922 .  

    Jump to Discussions Related content
    comments powered by Disqus