Accelerated succession following an intense wind storm in an oak-dominated forest

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2012-09, Vol.279, p.141-146
• Main Authors: Holzmueller, Eric J., Gibson, David J., Suchecki, Paul F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; basal area; Biological and medical sciences; Central hardwood forest; Communities; community structure; Density; fire suppression; Forestry; Forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hardwood forests; Mesophytic species; Oak; overstory; Quercus; saplings; seedlings; species diversity; stems; Storms; Strata; Super derecho; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; Trees; understory; wind
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2012.05.036

► We sampled long-term forested plots in Illinois following an intense windstorm. ► The plots had been sampled one year prior to the storm. ► Oak species suffered greater losses than non-oak species in the overstory strata. ► There was a lack of oak species abundance in the sapling and seedling strata. ► Wind may accelerate forest succession during post-storm development across region. Catastrophic wind events often contribute to stand dynamics of central hardwood forests, yet opportunities to study them are limited. As luck would have it, we sampled 54 long-term monitoring plots (0.04ha) on the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois prior to an intense 2009 windstorm that swept across the central United States. The sampled plots, which were resampled immediately after the storm, were situated across a gradient of topographic positions. Overstory trees (⩾6.6cmdbh), saplings (⩾1m tall and