Forest Turnover and Woody Debris Dynamics in Subalpine Conifer Forest Ecosystems in New England

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This project has two complementary components of study. In one part, the focus will be on documenting changes in forest turnover (i.e., tree recruitment, growth, and mortality) in the subalpine conifer forest of New England. The vegetation in 7 permanent stands of spruce-fir and 13 permanent stands of balsam-fir originally established 11-13 years ago will be resampled. Several of these stands are considered "old-aged" and in the final stages of scenescence' recruitment of new individuals is beginning. In the second part, broad-scale woody debris patterns and processes associated with forest turnover will be described. In particular, wood decay on 100 red spruce and balsam fir boles initially sampled 11-13 years ago will be measured. Also measured will be the input of wood litter to the forest floor using maps of the forest floor containing permanently marked boles. The input of woody debris is directly related to changes occurring during stand development and is often episodic. Rates of wood decay, on the other hand, are probably similar from year- to-year. By having input and decay data for 11 of the 20 stands of forest over a 11-13 year interval, the investigators will be able to landscape patterns. Finally, data will be used to examine the within-stand organic matter dynamics and the concept of net ecosystem production over a successional forest gradient. The investigators are an excellent team. Facilities for the work are quite good. Excellent scientific productivity can be expected.