The contribution of beech bark disease-induced mortality to coarse woody debris loads in northern hardwood stands of Adirondack Park, New York, U.S.A

• Published in: Canadian journal of forest research Vol. 30; no. 9; pp. 1453 - 1462
• Main Author: McGee, Gregory G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa, Canada NRC Research Press 01.09.2000; National Research Council of Canada; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: Acer saccharum; Bark; Beech; beech bark disease; Biological and medical sciences; Cryptococcus fagisuga; Dactylopiidae; Decay; Diseases & pests; Fagus grandifolia; Forestry; Forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; Mortality; Nectria; Old growth; R&D; Research & development; Sugar; symbiosis; New York; United States; North America; America; USA, New York; Plant pathogen; Insecta; Forest management; Fagus grandifolia; Forecast model; Aceraceae; Fungi; Basal area; Pest; Homoptera; Acer saccharum; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Cryptococcus fagisuga; Hardwood forest tree; Ascomycetes; Debris; Thallophyta; Forest stand; Mortality; Coccoidea; Vegetation dynamics; Fagaceae; Strain; Volume; Arthropoda; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Coccidae
• ISSN: 0045-5067; 1208-6037
• DOI: 10.1139/x00-053

The objective of this study was to adjust previously published estimates of coarse woody debris (CWD) volume and basal areas in northern hardwood forests to account for elevated CWD inputs due to beech bark disease (a disease complex of the scale insect, Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger, and a fungus, Nectria spp., on American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). Ratios of snags/live tree densities and downed CWD volume/live tree basal area were compared between beech and the codominant, shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). The differences between the beech and the sugar maple ratios were used to define the elevated mortality from beech bark disease. Estimated volumes of downed CWD (stumps 1.0 m tall and logs), adjusted for effects of beech bark disease, were 108 ± 18 and 48 ± 11 m 3 ·ha -1 in old-growth and even-aged, 90- to 100-year-old maturing stands, respectively, representing reductions of 22 and 21%, respectively, compared with observed volumes. Similarly, snag densities were adjusted from 59.7 ± 21.7 to 41.1 ± 26.3 per hectare in the old-growth stands and from 96.3 ± 48.0 to 87.3 ± 46.5 per hectare in the maturing stands. Snag basal areas were reduced 21 and 17% from their observed values to 6.8 ± 3.5 and 3.5 ± 0.6 m 2 ·ha -1 in the old-growth and maturing stands, respectively. The adjusted CWD estimates presented here are more historically accurate and ecologically meaningful than previous observations made in diseased northern hardwood forests and, therefore, provide more appropriate target levels for managing CWD in these forest types.