Twelve year response of old-growth southeastern bottomland hardwood forests to disturbance from Hurricane Hugo
Dehai
Zhao1, Bruce Allen2, and Rebecca R. Sharitz3
1Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University
of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
2Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Columbus,
OH 43021, USA
3Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia,
Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
Abstract
The influence of wind damage from Hurricane Hugo on bottomland forest
community structure and composition over a 12 year period was evaluated
using data generated from repeated measurements in permanent plots. The
resistance and responsiveness of the forests to hurricane disturbance
at the community level are dependent on the prehurricane species composition
and structure. However, there is no evidence to support the hypothesis
that forests with higher species diversity are more resistant to hurricane
disturbances. The hurricane disturbance does restructure species composition
and may enrich species diversity, but the evidence of diversity enrichment
is not strong. The effects of the hurricane on the succession of the bottomland
forests are complex at the tree population level: both promoting colonization
of some shade-intolerant pioneer species and removing other established
pioneers. Changes in community composition and structure suggest that
hurricane disturbance can accelerate succession of the bottomland hardwood
forests.
SREL Reprint #3026
Zhao, D.,
B. Allen, and R. R. Sharitz. 2006. Twelve year response of old-growth
southeastern bottomland hardwood forests to disturbance from Hurricane
Hugo. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 36:3136-3147.
