Recent tree mortality and recruitment in mature and old-growth forests in western Washington

•We studied tree mortality and recruitment in mature and old-growth forests.•We established 45 permanent plots from sea-level to 1800m in western Washington.•Annual mortality was generally within the expected range of up to 1%.•Recruitment exceeded mortality for saplings, increasing shade-tolerant s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forest ecology and management 2015-01, Vol.336, p.109-118
Main Authors: Acker, Steven A., Boetsch, John R., Bivin, Mignonne, Whiteaker, Lou, Cole, Carla, Philippi, Tom
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abies lasiocarpa
Confidence intervals
Density
Elevation
Forests
Mortality
Pacific Northwest
Parks
Picea sitchensis
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Recruitment
Sapling recruitment
Thuja plicata
Trees
Tsuga heterophylla
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Summary:•We studied tree mortality and recruitment in mature and old-growth forests.•We established 45 permanent plots from sea-level to 1800m in western Washington.•Annual mortality was generally within the expected range of up to 1%.•Recruitment exceeded mortality for saplings, increasing shade-tolerant species.•Biotic factors predominated as the proximate cause of death for trees of all sizes. Tree mortality is a fundamental driver of forest ecosystems and occurs both in catastrophic events and as a chronic process. Persistent changes in the rate of chronic or background mortality can dramatically alter the structure and composition of forests stands. Tree recruitment is the complement to tree mortality, combining with mortality to determine changes in tree density and species composition. The purpose of this study is to ascertain trends of mortality and recruitment in mature and old-growth forests in western Washington state, U.S.A. We used a set of permanent plots established in units of the National Park System spanning the environmental gradient of forests in these parks (from near sea-level to 1800m elevation). Duration of observation was five years for most plots and two or three years for a small number of plots. Principal tree species on the plots were Picea sitchensis, Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, Abies lasiocarpa, and Abiesamabilis. Tree mortality was evaluated annually; recruitment was recorded at the end of the study. For small (dbh 12.7–76.1cm) and large (dbh >76.1cm) trees, annual mortality pooled across all elevations, parks, plots, and years was
ISSN:0378-1127
1872-7042
DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.10.008