Skip to main content

FRAMES logo
Resource Catalog

Document

Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Jonathan S. Kleinman; S. A. Ford; J. L. Hart
Publication Date: November 2017

Compound disturbances may result in novel forest successional and developmental patterns. This study investigated effects of post-wind disturbance salvage harvesting, a unique compound disturbance of which the ecological consequences are unresolved, in fire-restored longleaf pine woodlands of the Alabama Fall Line Hills, a characteristically biodiverse and rare ecosystem. Plot-level data were collected May-June 2016 in areas undisturbed, wind-disturbed, and compound-disturbed (salvage harvested within seven months of an April 2011 EF3 tornado). Disturbance-mediated differences in (1) physical site conditions, (2) woody plant composition and structure, and (3) ground flora (herbaceous and woody plants ³ 1 m in height) were assessed. Multivariate analyses revealed distinct differences in ground flora across disturbance categories. Biophysical drivers most correlated with differences in species assemblages included volume of coarse woody debris, sapling density, percent canopy cover, and basal area. Unharvested wind-disturbed plots had the greatest diversity of saplings and ground flora, and had indicator species with unique habitat requirements (specialists). Indicator species of compound-disturbed plots were mostly generalists that also had a relatively high frequency and abundance in the other disturbance categories. Reduced plant diversity on compound-disturbed plots was attributed to salvage harvest-mediated reductions in habitat heterogeneity and resource availability. Thus, leaving patches unharvested within salvaged stands is recommended to promote stand-scale plant diversity. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Online Links
Citation: Kleinman, J. S., S. A. Ford, and J. L. Hart. 2017. Catastrophic wind and salvage harvesting effects on woodland plants. Forest Ecology and Management, v. 403, p. 112-125. 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.08.006.

Cataloging Information

Regions:
Keywords:
  • Alabama
  • compound disturbance
  • Cumberland Plateau
  • CWD - coarse woody debris
  • DWD - downed woody debris
  • ground layer
  • herbaceous layer
  • longleaf pine
  • Longleaf Pine Forests
  • natural disturbance
  • Pinus palustris
  • plant communities
  • salvage
  • species diversity
  • structural development
  • wind disturbance
Tall Timbers Record Number: 33745Location Status: Not in fileCall Number: AvailableAbstract Status: Fair use
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 55671

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.