Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Fine-scale patch mosaic of developmental stages in Northeast American secondary temperate forests: the European perspective

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Forest Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Conceptual models that describe temperate forest dynamics differ substantially between Europe and America. In Europe, the concept of the forest cycle describes a sequentially shifting fine-scale mosaic of patches in different phases of forest development. In North America, the descriptive concept is largely based on severe coarse-scale disturbances that repeat in a cyclic fashion and restart the succession of the whole forest stand from initiation through to ‘old-growth,’ neglecting the within-stand dynamics on the patch level. Here, we investigate fine-scale stand structures across European and North American forests by applying the European concept of forest developmental phases to all stands. The patches of four major forest developmental stages were recognized and delineated by the spatially explicit rule-based classification system implemented in GIS, which employs stem position maps of live and dead trees for analysis. The basic quantitative characteristics of identified patch structures in the N. American stands, as the Mean Patch Size of the mosaic (between 760 and 890 m2), were comparable with European old-growth stands, although mosaic complexity was higher in the latter. We demonstrated that in addition to the large-scale forest cycle assumed by N. American conceptual models there simultaneously exist finer-scale patch dynamics described by the European conceptual model. We also demonstrated that the occurrence of the Steady State stage was promoted by higher local tree species richness, which may explain the abundant occurrence of this stage in N. American secondary stands. The Steady State stage of the European model might represent an important commonality across both paradigms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Davies SJ, Bennett AC et al (2014) CTFS-ForestGEO: a worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change. Global Change Biol 21:528–549. doi:10.1111/gcb.12712

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Begehold H, Rzanny M, Winter S (2016) Patch patterns of lowland beech forests in a gradient of management intensity. For Ecol Manag 360:69–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bobiec A, van der Burgt H, Meijer K, Zuyderduyn C, Haga J, Vlaanderen B (2000) Rich deciduous forests in Bialowieza as a dynamic mosaic of developmental phases: premises for nature conservation and restoration management. For Ecol Manag 130:159–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bormann FH, Likens GE (1979a) Catastrophic disturbance and the steady state in northern hardwood forests. Am Sci 67:660–669

    Google Scholar 

  • Bormann FH, Likens GE (1979b) Pattern and process in a forested ecosystem. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourg NA, McShea WJ, Thompson JR, McGarvey JC, Shen X (2013) Initial census, woody seedling, seed rain, and stand structure data for the SCBI SIGEO Large forest dynamics plot. Ecology 94:2111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun-Blanquet J (1921) Prinzipien einer Systematik der Pflanzengesellschaften auf floristischer Grundlage. Jahrbuch der St. Gallischen Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft 57:305–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Brokaw NV (1982) The definition of treefall gap and its effect on measures of forest dynamics. Biotropica 14:158–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown MJ, Parker GG (1994) Canopy light transmittance in a chronosequence of mixed-species deciduous forests. Can J For Res 24:1694–1703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carey AB, Curtis RO (1996) Conservation of biodiversity: a useful paradigm for forest ecosystem management. Wildl Soc B 24:610–620

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Wright SJ, Muller-Landau HC, Hubbell SP, Wang Y, Yu S (2016) Positive effects of neighborhood complementarity on tree growth in a Neotropical forest. Ecology 97:776–785

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chisholm RA, Muller-Landau HC, Abdul Rahman K et al (2013) Scale-dependent relationships between tree species richness and ecosystem function in forests. J Ecol 101:1214–1224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen WB, Spies TA, Bradshaw GA (1990) Semivariograms of digital imagery for analysis of conifer canopy structure. Remote Sens Environ 34:167–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Congalton RG (1991) A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote Sens Environ 37:35–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell JH (1978) Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 199:1302–1310

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Development Core Team R (2015) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Efron B, Tibshirani R (1993) an introduction to the bootstrap. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg H (1996) Vegetation Mitteleuropas mit den Alpen in ökologischer, dynamischer und historischer Sicht. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Fargione J, Tilman D, Dybzinski R et al (2007) From selection to complementarity: shifts in the causes of biodiversity–productivity relationships in a long-term biodiversity experiment. Pro R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 274:871–876

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer A, Marshall P, Camp A (2013) Disturbances in deciduous temperate forest ecosystems of the northern hemisphere: their effects on both recent and future forest development. Biodivers Conserv 22:1863–1893

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleming GP, Patterson KD (2012) Natural communities of Virginia: ecological groups and community types. Natural Heritage Technical Report 12–04. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, Virginia, USA

  • Foster DR (1992) Land-use history (1730–1990) and vegetation dynamics in central New England, USA. J Ecol 80:753–772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster DR, Zebryk T, Schoonmaker P, Lezberg A (1992) Post-settlement history of human land-use and vegetation dynamics of a Tsuga canadensis (hemlock) woodlot in central New England. J Ecol 80:773–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin JF, Spies TA, Pelt RV et al (2002) Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example. For Ecol Manag 155:399–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frelich LE (2002) Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Frelich LE, Lorimer CG (1991) A simulation of landscape-level stand dynamics in the northern hardwood region. J Ecol 79:223–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janik D, Adam D, Vrska T, Hort L, Unar P, Kral K et al (2008) Tree layer dynamics of the Cahnov–Soutok near-natural floodplain forest after 33 years (1973–2006). Eur J For Res 127:337–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janik D, Adam D, Vrska T, Hort L, Unar P, Kral K, Samonil P, Horal D (2011) Field maple and hornbeam populations along a 4-m elevation gradient in an alluvial forest. Eur J For Res 130:197–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janik D, Adam D, Hort L, Kral K, Samonil P, Unar P, Vrska T, Horal D (2013) Spatiotemporal differences in tree spatial patterns between alluvial hardwood and mountain fir-beech forests: do characteristic patterns exist? J Veg Sci 24:1141–1153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janik D, Adam D, Hort L, Kral K, Samonil P, Unar P, Vrska T (2014) Tree spatial patterns of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica in the Western Carpathians over 30 years. Eur J For Res 133:1015–1028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kane VR, Gersonde RF, Lutz JA, McGaughey RJ, Bakker JD, Franklin JF (2011) Patch dynamics and the development of structural and spatial heterogeneity in Pacific Northwest forests. Can J For Res 41:2276–2291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpel S (1982) Degree of equilibrium and dynamical changes of the forest on example of natural forests of Slovakia. Acta Fac For 24:9–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Korpel S (1995) Die Urwälder der Westkarpaten. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Král K, Vrška T, Hort L, Adam D, Šamonil P (2010) Developmental phases in a temperate natural spruce-fir-beech forest: determination by a supervised classification method. Eur J For Res 129:339–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Král K, McMahon SM, Janík D, Adam D, Vrška T (2014) Patch mosaic of developmental stages in central European natural forests along an elevation and vegetation gradient. For Ecol Manag 330:17–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leibundgut H (1959) Über Zweck und Methodik der Struktur und Zuwachsanalyse von Urwäldern. Schweizerische Zeitsschrift für Forstwesen 110:111–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Leibundgut H (1982) Europäische Urwälder der Bergstufe. Haupt, Bern

    Google Scholar 

  • Linke J, Betts G, Lavigne B, Franklin SE (2007) Introduction: structure, function, and change of forest landscapes. In: Wulder A, Franklin SE (eds) Understanding forest disturbance and spatial pattern. Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, pp 1–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorimer CG, Halpin CR (2014) Classification and dynamics of developmental stages in late-successional temperate forests. For Ecol Manag 334:344–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer H (1984) Wälder Europas. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer H, Zukrigl K, Schrempf W, Schlager G (1989) Urwaldreste, Naturwaldreservate und schützenswerte Naturwälder in Österreich. Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien

  • McCarthy J (2001) Gap dynamics of forest trees: a review with particular attention to boreal forests. Environ Rev 9:1–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGarigal K, Marks BJ (1995) FRAGSTATS: spatial pattern analysis program for quantifying landscape structure. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-351, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland

  • Miller RG (1964) A trustworthy jackknife. Ann Math Stat 35:1594–1605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morin X, Fahse L, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Bugmann H (2011) Tree species richness promotes productivity in temperate forests through strong complementarity between species. Ecol Lett 14:1211–1219

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver CD, Larson BC (1990) Forest stand dynamics. McGraw-Hill Inc, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Penka M, Vyskot M, Klimo E, Vašíček F (1985) Floodplain forest ecosystems I: before water management measures. Academia, Prague

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H, Schütze G (2016) Effect of tree species mixing on the size structure, density, and yield of forest stands. Eur J For Res 135:1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Průša E (1985) Die bömischen und mährischen Urwälder—ihre Struktur und Ökologie. Academia, Praha

    Google Scholar 

  • Rempel RS, Kaukinen D, Carr AP (2012) Patch analyst and patch grid. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder Bay, Ontario

  • Runkle JR (1981) Gap regeneration in some old-growth forests of the eastern United States. Ecology 62:1041–1051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šamonil P, Vrška T (2007) Trends and cyclical changes in natural fir–beech forests at the North-western Edge of the Carpathians. Folia Geobot 42:337–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shugart HH (1984) A theory of forest dynamics. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Spies TA, Franklin JF (1996) The diversity and maintenance of old-growth forests. Biodiversity in managed landscapes: theory and practice. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 296–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Standovár T, Kenderes K (2003) A review on natural stand dynamics in Beechwods of East Central Europe. Appl Ecol Environ Res 1:19–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabaku V (2000) Struktur von Buchen-Urwäldern in Albanien im Vergleich mit deutschen Buchen Naturwaldreservaten und Wirtschaftswäldern. Cuvillier Verlag, Göttingen

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesař V, Krečmer V (2001) Search for a balance between changing requirements for benefits from the forest and its condition in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids (Czech Republic). Schweiz Z Forstwes 152:145–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolasz R, Míková T, Valeriánová A, Voženílek V (2007) Climate atlas of Czechia. Český hydrometeorologicky ústav a Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Prague-Olomouc

    Google Scholar 

  • Unar P, Šamonil P (2008) The evolution of natural floodplain forests in South Moravia between 1973 and 2005. J For Sci 54:340–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandekerkhove K, De Keersmaeker L, Menke N, Meyer P, Verschelde P (2009) When nature takes over from man: dead wood accumulation in previously managed oak and beech woodlands in North-western and Central Europe. For Ecol Manag 258:425–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandekerkhove K, De Keersmaeker L, Walleyn R, Kohler F, Crevecoeur L, Govaere L, Thomaes A, Verheyen K (2011) Reappearance of old-growth elements in lowland woodlands in northern Belgium: do the associated species follow? Silva Fenn 45:909–935

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrška T, Adam D, Hort L, Odehnalova P, Horal D, Kral K (2006) Developmental dynamics of virgin forest reserves in the Czech Republic II—Floodplain forests—Cahnov-Soutok, Ranšpurk, Jiřina. Academia, Prague

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrška T, Adam D, Hort L, Kolář T, Janík D (2009) European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) rotation in the Carpathians—a developmental cycle or a linear trend induced by man? For Ecol Manag 258:347–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrška T, Šamonil P, Unar P, Hort L, Adam D, Kral K, Janik D (2012) Developmental dynamics of virgin forest reserves in the Czech Republic III—Šumava Mts. and Český les Mts.—Diana, Stožec, Boubín virgin forests, Milešice virgin forest. Academia, Prague

  • Watt AS (1947) Pattern and process in the plant community. J Ecol 35:1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1995) Landscape mosaics and ecological theory. In: Hansson L, Fahrig L, Merriam G (eds) Mosaic landscapes and ecological processes. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–26. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-0717-4_1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Winter S, Brambach F (2011) Determination of a common forest life cycle assessment method for biodiversity evaluation. For Ecol Manag 262:2120–2132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worrall JJ, Lee TD, Harrington TC (2005) Forest dynamics and agents that initiate and expand canopy gaps in Picea–Abies forests of Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, USA. J Ecol 93:178–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zang R, Tao J, Li C (2005) Within community patch dynamics in a tropical montane rain forest of Hainan Island. South China Acta Oecologica 28:39–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zukrigl K, Eckhardt G, Nather J (1963) Standortskundliche und waldbauliche Untersuchungen in Urwaldresten der nielderösterreichischen Kalkalpen. Mitteilungen Forst Bundesversuchanstalt 62:1–244

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the people who participated in the forest plots censuses. Thanks to Petruška Doleželová and Dušan Adam for technical support. The research was funded by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (Project KONTAKT II—No. LH12038).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Ecology, The Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Lidická 25/27, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Kamil Král & Tomáš Vrška

  2. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Institution’s Forest Global Earth Observatory, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, USA

    Jessica Shue, Geoffrey G. Parker & Sean M. McMahon

  3. Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd., Front Royal, VA, USA

    Erika B. Gonzalez-Akre & William J. McShea

Authors
  1. Kamil Král
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jessica Shue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tomáš Vrška
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erika B. Gonzalez-Akre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Geoffrey G. Parker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. William J. McShea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sean M. McMahon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kamil Král.

Additional information

Communicated by Aaron R Weiskittel, Ph.D.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Král, K., Shue, J., Vrška, T. et al. Fine-scale patch mosaic of developmental stages in Northeast American secondary temperate forests: the European perspective. Eur J Forest Res 135, 981–996 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-016-0988-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-016-0988-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation