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Christopher E. Moorman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Variable responses of non-native and native ants to Coarse Woody Debris removal following forest bioenergy harvests
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Steven M. Grodsky, Joshua W. Campbell, Sarah R. Fritts, T. Bently Wigley, Christopher E. MoormanAbstract:Abstract Timber harvests may facilitate ant invasions of forested landscapes, fostering interactions between non-native and native ants. Harvests that include removal of low-value Woody biomass as forest bioenergy feedstock may reduce residual Coarse Woody Debris, thereby altering food and cover resources for ant species. We manipulated: (1) volume and distribution of Coarse Woody Debris in stand-scale treatments ranging from intensive Coarse Woody Debris removal to no Coarse Woody Debris removal; and (2) Coarse Woody Debris availability at microsite locations within stand-scale treatments, including piles of hardwood stems, piles of conifer stems, and no pile locations in North Carolina, USA and windrows (i.e., long, linear piles of harvest residues) and no windrows in Georgia, USA, in recently clearcut pine plantations (n = 4 per state). We captured ants in regenerating stands and tested treatment- and location-level effects on non-native and native ant relative abundances. Invasive ants represented 19% of ant taxa richness, but comprised 94% of total ant captures. Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren, hereafter “RIFA”) dominated the ant community in young plantations. RIFA avoided windrows, but its relative abundance did not differ among stand-scale treatments. Coarse Woody Debris retention in stand-scale treatments and at microsite locations favored non-RIFA ants, including Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis Emery) and several native ant species. Dual invasions of RIFA and Asian needle ant in young plantations of the eastern United States may commonly occur because the two species may not compete for resources on the forest floor. Reduction of Coarse Woody Debris via intensified Woody biomass harvesting may negatively affect non-RIFA ant species and promote RIFA colonization, thereby indirectly increasing deleterious effects of RIFA on other wildlife.
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Invertebrate community response to Coarse Woody Debris removal for bioenergy production from intensively managed forests.
Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2017Co-Authors: Steven M. Grodsky, Joshua W. Campbell, Sarah R. Fritts, Christopher E. Moorman, Clyde E. Sorenson, Matthew A. Bertone, Steven B. Castleberry, T. Bently WigleyAbstract:Increased market viability of harvest residues as forest bioenergy feedstock may escalate removal of Coarse Woody Debris in managed forests. Meanwhile, many forest invertebrates use Coarse Woody Debris for cover, food, and reproduction. Few studies have explicitly addressed effects of operational-scale Woody biomass harvesting on invertebrates following clearcutting. Therefore, we measured invertebrate community response to large-scale harvest residue removal and micro-site manipulations of harvest residue availability in recently clearcut, intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests in North Carolina (NC; n = 4) and Georgia (GA; n = 4), USA. We captured 39,794 surface-active invertebrates representing 171 taxonomic groups using pitfall traps situated among micro-site locations (i.e., purposefully retained piles of hardwood stems and piles of conifer stems and areas without Coarse Woody Debris in NC; windrows and no windrows in GA). Micro-site locations were located within six, large-scale treatments (7.16-14.3 ha) in clearcuts. Large-scale treatments represented intensive harvest residue removal, 15% and 30% harvest residue retention, and no harvest residue removal. In NC, ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) were three times more abundant in treatments with no harvest residue removal than those with the most intensive harvest residue removal and were reduced in treatments that retained 15% or 30% of harvest residues, although not significantly. Invertebrate taxa richness was greater at micro-site locations with retained hardwood and pine (Pinus spp.) harvest residues than those with minimal amounts of Coarse Woody Debris. In both states, relative abundances of several invertebrate taxa, including cave crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae), fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae), millipedes (Diplopoda), and wood roaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), were greater at micro-site locations with retained harvest residues than those with minimal Coarse Woody Debris. Intensified Woody biomass harvesting without retention of ≥15% of harvest residue volume may reduce invertebrate taxa richness and abundances of some key invertebrate taxa in regenerating stands. Further, harvest residue management during and after Woody biomass harvesting may be an important consideration for maintaining invertebrate diversity and conserving invertebrates that are influential in the maintenance of ecosystem function and integrity in young forests.
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Spatial and temporal patterns of beetles associated with Coarse Woody Debris in managed bottomland hardwood forests.
Forest Ecology and Management, 2004Co-Authors: Michael D. Ulyshen, James L. Hanula, Scott Horn, John C. Kilgo, Christopher E. MoormanAbstract:For. Ecol. and Mgt. 199:259-272. Malaise traps were used to sample beetles in artificial canopy gaps of different size (0.13 ha, 0.26 ha, and0.50 ha) and age in a South Carolina bottomland hardwood forest. Traps were placed at the center, edge, and in the surrounding forest of each gap. Young gaps (ý 1 year) had large amounts of Coarse Woody Debris compared to the surrounding forest, while older gaps (ý 6 years) had virtually none. The total abundance and diversity of wood-dwelling beetles (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Brentidae, Bostrichidae, and Curculionidae (Scolytinae and Platypodinae)) was higher in the center of young gaps than in the center of old gaps. The abundance was higher in the center of young gaps than in the surrounding forest, while the forest surrounding old gaps and the edge of old gaps had a higher abundance and diversity of wood-dwelling beetles than did the center of old gaps. There was no difference in wood-dwelling beetle abundance between gaps of different size, but diversity was lower in 0.13 ha old gaps than in 0.26 ha or 0.50 ha old gaps. We suspect that gap size has more of an effect on woodborer abundance than indicated here because malaise traps sample a limited area. The predaceous beetle family Cleridae showed a very similar trend to that of the woodborers. Coarse Woody Debris is an important resource for many organisms, and our results lend further support to forest management practices that preserve Coarse Woody Debris created during timber removal.
Stephen Tooth - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Spatial distribution of Coarse Woody Debris dams in the Lymington Basin, Hampshire, UK
Geomorphology, 1993Co-Authors: Kenneth Gregory, R. J. Davis, Stephen ToothAbstract:Abstract Debris dams of Coarse Woody Debris have a significant influence on channel processes in forested areas but few detailed studies have been made of variations within a single basin. Results from previous research are standardised and show that average variations throughout basins include densities of Debris dams up to 40 per 100 metres of channel and can involve a loading value of up to 225 kg per m2 of channel. Variations have been ascribed to distance downstream, to channel width, to land-use effects, to felling, and to the management of Coarse Woody Debris in streams. This study of the Lymington Basin, 110.4 km2 in drainage area, shows that the input of storm Debris resulting from blowdown accounts for 45% of the gross load. The remaining 55% net load varies to distance downstream, to land use with the greatest loads in deciduous woodland areas, and according to management removal of Debris from streams and multiple regression equations are provided. It is deduced that as a consequence of long-term management the present channel Debris may be as little as 7% of the total net load that could have been present if no management had occurred.
Christopher R. Webster - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Spatial Distribution of Riparian Zone Coarse Woody Debris in a Managed Northern Temperate Watershed
The American Midland Naturalist, 2008Co-Authors: Christopher R. Webster, Casey J. Huckins, Joshua M. ShieldsAbstract:ABSTRACT Coarse Woody Debris is an important structural component of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We investigated Coarse Woody Debris size-structure, decay class composition and distribution within the interface between second growth mixed conifer-hardwood forests and perennial streams in a catchment of the Lake Superior watershed on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan. Down dead wood accumulation was nonlinearly distributed along transects perpendicular to streams and reached a peak between 30 and 50 m away from the wetted stream channels. Variability in the abundance of standing snags displayed a significant increase with distance. The Coarse wood accumulations we observed were consistent with levels reported for upland, second-growth forests and were low compared to old-growth forest remnants in the region. Large (>40 cm diam) down dead wood will probably be the slowest pool to recover from logging and land clearing activities that occurred in the watershed prior to the turn of the 19th Centur...
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Coarse Woody Debris dynamics in the southern Appalachians as affected by topographic position and anthropogenic disturbance history
Forest Ecology and Management, 2005Co-Authors: Christopher R. Webster, Michael A. JenkinsAbstract:Abstract We examined the influence of topography and anthropogenic disturbance associated with European settlement in the southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee on contemporary distributions of Coarse Woody Debris in western Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Coarse Woody Debris (≥10 cm diameter) was sampled on 63 permanent 20 m × 50 m plots, which were classified into one of five anthropogenic disturbance history classes based on published accounts: concentrated settlement, corporate logging, diffuse disturbance, diffuse disturbance with large residual trees present, or primary forest (no documented history of anthropogenic disturbance). Former concentrated settlement areas contained significantly less down deadwood (DDW) than areas with a history of less intense disturbance ( P 3 ha −1 ) and highly decayed (39.2 ± 16.2 m 3 ha −1 ) DDW than areas with a history of anthropogenic disturbance prior to Park Service acquisition in the 1930s (87.1 ± 15.5 and 21.1 ± 5.3 m 3 ha −1 , respectively). Large diameter DDW was most abundant in primary forests (90.1 ± 46.0 m 3 ha −1 ) and least common in forests with a history of concentrated settlement (7.3 ± 3.0 m 3 ha −1 ). Within a disturbance history class, the greatest levels of DDW were found on more mesic sites and/or higher elevations. Our results suggest that areas with a history of anthropogenic disturbance may require well over a century to recover Coarse Woody Debris distributions found in areas of primary forest.
R. J. Davis - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Spatial distribution of Coarse Woody Debris dams in the Lymington Basin, Hampshire, UK
Geomorphology, 1993Co-Authors: Kenneth Gregory, R. J. Davis, Stephen ToothAbstract:Abstract Debris dams of Coarse Woody Debris have a significant influence on channel processes in forested areas but few detailed studies have been made of variations within a single basin. Results from previous research are standardised and show that average variations throughout basins include densities of Debris dams up to 40 per 100 metres of channel and can involve a loading value of up to 225 kg per m2 of channel. Variations have been ascribed to distance downstream, to channel width, to land-use effects, to felling, and to the management of Coarse Woody Debris in streams. This study of the Lymington Basin, 110.4 km2 in drainage area, shows that the input of storm Debris resulting from blowdown accounts for 45% of the gross load. The remaining 55% net load varies to distance downstream, to land use with the greatest loads in deciduous woodland areas, and according to management removal of Debris from streams and multiple regression equations are provided. It is deduced that as a consequence of long-term management the present channel Debris may be as little as 7% of the total net load that could have been present if no management had occurred.
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Coarse Woody Debris in stream channels in relation to river channel management in woodland areas
Regulated Rivers: Research & Management, 1992Co-Authors: Kenneth J. Gregory, R. J. DavisAbstract:Although river channel management now generally uses soft rather than hard engineering techniques the considerable research achieved for woodland river channels has not been completely collated with reference to management implications. Research results from 22 research papers show how Debris dams have a significant influence upon the morphological, the process and the ecological aspects of channels; vary in their permanence, and differ in stability according to the overall organic matter budget. A summary diagram contrasts the impact of dams on river channel morphology, process and ecology before and after dam removal. Four major types of specific recommendation about the management of channels in woodland areas are identified from 29 research papers are that (1) management should be undertaken against a background knowledge of the behaviour of Coarse, Woody Debris under natural conditions and that the organic matter budget should be disturbed as little as possible; (2) logging operations should minimize the amount of disturbance to, and disruption of, channel processes; (3) management should optimize the maintenance of habitat diversity and minimize the ecological disturbance to the channel; (4) in some areas specific management practices may require the introduction of new material into the channel. These recommendations are applied to the New Forest, southern U.K., which has a long history of clearance and management of Coarse Woody Debris and where the requirements for clearance in relation to fish, drainage, and aesthetic impact can be achieved by minimizing the amount of removal of material from the river channel. In managing channels with Debris dams in woodland areas, it is desirable to work with the river in a holistic basin context.
T. Bently Wigley - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Variable responses of non-native and native ants to Coarse Woody Debris removal following forest bioenergy harvests
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Steven M. Grodsky, Joshua W. Campbell, Sarah R. Fritts, T. Bently Wigley, Christopher E. MoormanAbstract:Abstract Timber harvests may facilitate ant invasions of forested landscapes, fostering interactions between non-native and native ants. Harvests that include removal of low-value Woody biomass as forest bioenergy feedstock may reduce residual Coarse Woody Debris, thereby altering food and cover resources for ant species. We manipulated: (1) volume and distribution of Coarse Woody Debris in stand-scale treatments ranging from intensive Coarse Woody Debris removal to no Coarse Woody Debris removal; and (2) Coarse Woody Debris availability at microsite locations within stand-scale treatments, including piles of hardwood stems, piles of conifer stems, and no pile locations in North Carolina, USA and windrows (i.e., long, linear piles of harvest residues) and no windrows in Georgia, USA, in recently clearcut pine plantations (n = 4 per state). We captured ants in regenerating stands and tested treatment- and location-level effects on non-native and native ant relative abundances. Invasive ants represented 19% of ant taxa richness, but comprised 94% of total ant captures. Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren, hereafter “RIFA”) dominated the ant community in young plantations. RIFA avoided windrows, but its relative abundance did not differ among stand-scale treatments. Coarse Woody Debris retention in stand-scale treatments and at microsite locations favored non-RIFA ants, including Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis Emery) and several native ant species. Dual invasions of RIFA and Asian needle ant in young plantations of the eastern United States may commonly occur because the two species may not compete for resources on the forest floor. Reduction of Coarse Woody Debris via intensified Woody biomass harvesting may negatively affect non-RIFA ant species and promote RIFA colonization, thereby indirectly increasing deleterious effects of RIFA on other wildlife.
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Invertebrate community response to Coarse Woody Debris removal for bioenergy production from intensively managed forests.
Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2017Co-Authors: Steven M. Grodsky, Joshua W. Campbell, Sarah R. Fritts, Christopher E. Moorman, Clyde E. Sorenson, Matthew A. Bertone, Steven B. Castleberry, T. Bently WigleyAbstract:Increased market viability of harvest residues as forest bioenergy feedstock may escalate removal of Coarse Woody Debris in managed forests. Meanwhile, many forest invertebrates use Coarse Woody Debris for cover, food, and reproduction. Few studies have explicitly addressed effects of operational-scale Woody biomass harvesting on invertebrates following clearcutting. Therefore, we measured invertebrate community response to large-scale harvest residue removal and micro-site manipulations of harvest residue availability in recently clearcut, intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests in North Carolina (NC; n = 4) and Georgia (GA; n = 4), USA. We captured 39,794 surface-active invertebrates representing 171 taxonomic groups using pitfall traps situated among micro-site locations (i.e., purposefully retained piles of hardwood stems and piles of conifer stems and areas without Coarse Woody Debris in NC; windrows and no windrows in GA). Micro-site locations were located within six, large-scale treatments (7.16-14.3 ha) in clearcuts. Large-scale treatments represented intensive harvest residue removal, 15% and 30% harvest residue retention, and no harvest residue removal. In NC, ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) were three times more abundant in treatments with no harvest residue removal than those with the most intensive harvest residue removal and were reduced in treatments that retained 15% or 30% of harvest residues, although not significantly. Invertebrate taxa richness was greater at micro-site locations with retained hardwood and pine (Pinus spp.) harvest residues than those with minimal amounts of Coarse Woody Debris. In both states, relative abundances of several invertebrate taxa, including cave crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae), fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae), millipedes (Diplopoda), and wood roaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), were greater at micro-site locations with retained harvest residues than those with minimal Coarse Woody Debris. Intensified Woody biomass harvesting without retention of ≥15% of harvest residue volume may reduce invertebrate taxa richness and abundances of some key invertebrate taxa in regenerating stands. Further, harvest residue management during and after Woody biomass harvesting may be an important consideration for maintaining invertebrate diversity and conserving invertebrates that are influential in the maintenance of ecosystem function and integrity in young forests.
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Biofuel harvests, Coarse Woody Debris, and biodiversity – A meta-analysis
Forest Ecology and Management, 2011Co-Authors: Samuel K. Riffell, Jake Verschuyl, Darren A. Miller, T. Bently WigleyAbstract:Abstract Forest harvest operations often produce large amounts of harvest residue which typically becomes fine (foliage, small limbs and trees) and Coarse Woody Debris (snags and downed logs). If removed at harvest, residual biomass has potential to be a local energy source and to produce marketable biofuel feedstock. But, CWD in particular serves critical life-history functions (e.g., breeding, foraging, basking) for a variety of organisms. Unfortunately, little is known about how forest biodiversity would respond to large scale removal of harvest residues. We calculated 745 biodiversity effect sizes from 26 studies involving manipulations of CWD (i.e., removed or added downed Woody Debris and/or snags). Diversity and abundance of both cavity- and open-nesting birds were substantially and consistently lower in treatments with lower amounts of downed CWD and/or standing snags, as was biomass of invertebrates. However, cumulative effect sizes for other taxa were not as large, were based on fewer studies, and varied among manipulation types. Little is currently known about biodiversity response to harvest of fine Woody Debris. Predicting the effects of biomass harvests on forest biodiversity is uncertain at best until more is known about how operational harvests actually change fine and Coarse Woody Debris levels over long time periods. Pilot biomass harvests report post-harvest changes in CWD levels much smaller than the experimental changes involved in the studies we analyzed. Thus, operational biomass harvests may not change CWD levels enough to appreciably influence forest biodiversity, especially when following biomass harvest guidelines that require leaving a portion of harvest residues. Multi-scale studies can help reduce this uncertainty by investigating how biodiversity responses scale from the small scale of manipulative experiments (i.e., 10-ha plots) to operational forest management and how biodiversity response to CWD levels might vary at different spatial and temporal scales and in different landscape contexts.