Influence of disturbance on temperate forest productivity

Emily B. Peters, Kirk R. Wythers, John B. Bradford, Peter B. Reich

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    44 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Climate, tree species traits, and soil fertility are key controls on forest productivity. However, in most forest ecosystems, natural and human disturbances, such as wind throw, fire, and harvest, can also exert important and lasting direct and indirect influence over productivity. We used an ecosystem model, PnET-CN, to examine how disturbance type, intensity, and frequency influence net primary production (NPP) across a range of forest types from Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. We assessed the importance of past disturbances on NPP, net N mineralization, foliar N, and leaf area index at 107 forest stands of differing types (aspen, jack pine, northern hardwood, black spruce) and disturbance history (fire, harvest) by comparing model simulations with observations. The model reasonably predicted differences among forest types in productivity, foliar N, leaf area index, and net N mineralization. Model simulations that included past disturbances minimally improved predictions compared to simulations without disturbance, suggesting the legacy of past disturbances played a minor role in influencing current forest productivity rates. Modeled NPP was more sensitive to the intensity of soil removal during a disturbance than the fraction of stand mortality or wood removal. Increasing crown fire frequency resulted in lower NPP, particularly for conifer forest types with longer leaf life spans and longer recovery times. These findings suggest that, over long time periods, moderate frequency disturbances are a relatively less important control on productivity than climate, soil, and species traits.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)95-110
    Number of pages16
    JournalEcosystems
    Volume16
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Keywords

    • Great Lakes (North America)
    • N mineralization
    • disturbance

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Influence of disturbance on temperate forest productivity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this