Understory plant species composition 30-50 years after clearcutting in southeastern Wyoming coniferous forests

[摘要] To evaluate the long-term effects of clearcutting and slash treatment on understory plant species composition in Rocky Mountain coniferous forests, we collected comparable data from 30- to 50-year-old post-harvest stands and adjacent mature (> 100-year-old) stands that originated after wildfire. In general, plant species richness was higher in the post-harvest stands than in adjacent mature stands, due in large part to the presence of species that benefit from disturbance. Species composition in post-harvest and mature stands was more similar in montane forests (2710-2805 m elevation) than in subalpine forests (2800-3164 m elevation), suggesting greater resilience of montane understories. Composition in post-harvest and mature stands was least similar when slash was piled and burned, and most similar when slash was lopped and scattered. Eighty-seven percent of the post-harvest stands had at least one exotic species, but total cover of exotic plant species in all post-harvest stands was less than or equal to 1%. Exotic species were largely absent from mature forests. Our results suggest that understory species of low-elevation montane forests recover more quickly from disturbance than do those of subalpine forests, with slash treatment and species life history traits strongly influencing this recovery. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[发布日期] 2003-11-18

[关键词] clearcut logging;coniferous forests;Pinus contorta;Rocky Mountains;slash treatment;understory species composition;Vaccinium scoparium;Wyoming