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Assessing Coarse Woody Debris Nutrient Dynamics in Managed Northern Hardwood Forests Using a Matrix Transition Model

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Abstract

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a dynamic source of nutrients in managed forests of eastern North America. The temporal patterns of nutrient export from CWD are challenging to study, and efficient methods are lacking. We made empirical measurements of CWD density, volume, and nutrient concentrations in 5 stages of decay, and paired them with a decay class transition model to project the long-term nutrient dynamics of CWD in a managed northern hardwood forest. The model was used to describe stand-level changes in CWD nutrient pools over 40 years following a selection harvest, and to compare CWD nutrient pools in managed and unmanaged stands. The C content of CWD decreased throughout decay, and mirrored density losses. N, P, and Ca content increased throughout decay, Mg content remained relatively constant, and K was rapidly lost. At the stand level, despite a rapid loss of mass and density, the model projected an initial gain in total N, P and Ca stored in CWD during the first 4–8 years after harvest, whereas net C, Mg, and K began to decrease immediately. The average volume, mass, C and K stocks of CWD in managed stands were approximately 10% lower than unmanaged stands, and N, P, Ca, and Mg were up to 16% lower. This is the first study to use a decay class transition model to study the dynamics of nutrients other than C, and the model serves as a template upon which other models of CWD decay can be built.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Mark Vanderwel for the decay transition model that comprised the foundation of this study, and for access to the input data. We thank the staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources, and Jon Schurman, Jason Shabaga, Vicky An and Joshua Kershaw for their help with fieldwork, and Carolyn Winsborough for assistance with laboratory analyses. We also thank Jason Shabaga for his comments that improved the content of this study. Sincere thanks go to Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve for providing a venue for the research.

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  1. Philip Rudz: First author equivalent based on contributions.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Adam Gorgolewski & John Caspersen

  2. Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

    Philip Rudz

  3. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada

    Trevor Jones

  4. Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

    Nathan Basiliko

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  1. Adam Gorgolewski
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Correspondence to Adam Gorgolewski.

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Author's contributions

AG wrote the paper and analysed the data; PR conceived of study design, performed research, analysed data, and contributed new methods and models; TJ conceived of study design and contributed new methods and models; NB conceived of study design and contributed new methods and models; JC conceived of study design and contributed new methods and models.

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Gorgolewski, A., Rudz, P., Jones, T. et al. Assessing Coarse Woody Debris Nutrient Dynamics in Managed Northern Hardwood Forests Using a Matrix Transition Model. Ecosystems 23, 541–554 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00420-7

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