Vegetation Responses to Edge Environments in Old-Growth Douglas-Fir Forests

Forest edges created by dispersed-patch clear-cutting have become a conspicuous landscape feature in western North America, but the effects of edge on forest structure and function are still poorly understood. In this paper we describe responses of stocking density, growth, mortality, and regenerati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological applications 1992-11, Vol.2 (4), p.387-396
Main Authors: Chen, Jiquan, Franklin, Jerry F., Spies, Thomas A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coniferous forests
Ecology
Edge effects
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Forest ecology
Forest growth
Forest management
Forest regeneration
Forest service
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Old growth forests
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Science & Technology
Seedlings
Trees
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Summary:Forest edges created by dispersed-patch clear-cutting have become a conspicuous landscape feature in western North America, but the effects of edge on forest structure and function are still poorly understood. In this paper we describe responses of stocking density, growth, mortality, and regeneration for three conifer species from the clear-cut edge into the interior of old-growth forest patches adjacent to 10-15 yr old clearcuts in southern Washington and central Oregon. The significance of edge effects for each variable was tested through a single-factor (distance) analysis of variance (F test). Relationships between these variables and depth-of-edge influence (i.e., edge width) on old-growth forest were characterized by nonlinear regression models. Near the edge (forest-clearcut boundary line), the old-growth forest has (1) reduced stocking density, as measured by canopy cover, number of stems per hectare, and basal area; (2) increased growth rates of dominant Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), as calculated by an index of relative growth rate; (3) elevated rates of tree mortality, as measured by standing dead and down trees (snags and logs); and (4) greater numbers of Douglas-fir and western hemlock seedlings (@
ISSN:1051-0761
1939-5582
DOI:10.2307/1941873