Structure and Composition of Low Elevation Old-Growth Forests in Research Natural Areas of Southeast Alaska

Pristine examples of low elevation productive old-growth forest were studied in permanent plots established in three existing and four proposed research natural areas in coastal Alaska. The study was designed to document changes in the structure and composition of these forests along a latitudinal g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Natural areas journal 1989-01, Vol.9 (1), p.27-39
Main Authors: Alaback, Paul B., Juday, Glenn Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coastal forests
Coniferous forests
Forest ecology
Forest ecosystems
Forest growth
Forest management
Forest service
Forestry research
Old growth forests
Trees
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Summary:Pristine examples of low elevation productive old-growth forest were studied in permanent plots established in three existing and four proposed research natural areas in coastal Alaska. The study was designed to document changes in the structure and composition of these forests along a latitudinal gradient and to provide a baseline for future studies. The tallest and most productive forests occurred on protected islands in southeast Alaska, and the shortest and least productive forests occurred toward the northern and western range limit of the Sitka spruce-western hemlock forest type in southcentral Alaska. Understory vegetation species richness and biomass were more closely tied to overstory conditions and stand history than to overall climatic or geographic gradients. Old-growth forests in coastal Alaska supported less basal area and were lower in stature than coastal forests in the Pacific Northwest (60 to 75 m² ha⁻¹ vs. 100+ m² ha⁻¹). Highly productive old-growth forests in coastal Alaska usually occur in smaller patches than in the Pacific Northwest and are increasingly fragmented toward their northern range limit, but old growth in general is abundant due to the relatively low frequency of catastrophic disturbance. To date the research natural areas in coastal Alaska have not been selected to represent the complete range of ecosystem and climatic diversity. Additional RNA's are needed to represent the diverse geologic and climatic features of this vast region and to provide a more comprehensive baseline to compare against management activities in coastal Alaska and in other forest types.
ISSN:0885-8608
2162-4399