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Abstract
Using observational and manipulated studies, this dissertation examines both the effect of compound disturbance – windthrow and salvage logging – and disturbance severity on forest recovery, composition, and carbon pools. After a short introduction to the work in this field, I examine the effect of salvage logging on woody species composition, diversity, and recovery 6 years post-windthrow and salvage logging in a southern Appalachian forest. I find that species diversity recovered to pre-disturbance levels after 6 years for both windthrow and wind + salvage logged areas, but sapling composition diverged in the forest that had been salvage logged.
I compare the short- and long-term effects of windthrow and wind + salvage logging on woody species composition, stem density, diversity, basal area, and species richness in a mixed East Gulf Coastal Plain forest. I find that, by 19 years, the forest returned to pre-disturbance levels of diversity and basal area, but salvage logging led to both an increased stem density of Pinus taeda L. and differences in the subcanopy composition.
I examine tree resistance to static winching, a proxy for resistance to wind disturbance, of two common eastern US tree species, Quercus alba L. and Liquidambar styraciflua L. While I did not find differences in the wind resistance between the two species, I present a synthetic review of tree wind resistance, finding that tropical species are more wind resistant that temperate species.
I assess the short- and long-term aboveground tree biomass and carbon in windthrow and windthrow + salvage logged forest. By 19 years, the biomass and carbon had recovered to pre-disturbance levels, with no negative impacts of salvage logging.
I measure carbon storage in aboveground woody biomass, snags, and downed woody debris in both a 6-year-old site that experienced windthrow and salvage logging and a 1-year-old disturbance with experimentally manipulated disturbance. I find predictable effects of disturbance severity on these pools, with greater disturbance severity leading to less carbon stored in the woody biomass pool and more stored in the downed woody debris pool. Salvage logging reduced the amount of carbon stored in woody debris.