Ecology and Recovery of Eastern Old-Growth Forests

Description

The landscapes of North America, including eastern forests, have been shaped by humans for millennia, through fire, agriculture, hunting, and other means. But the arrival of Europeans on America’s eastern shores several centuries ago ushered in the rapid conversion of forests and woodlands to other land uses. By the twentieth century, it appeared that old-growth forests in the eastern United States were gone, replaced by cities, farms, transportation networks, and second-growth forests. Since that time, however, numerous remnants of eastern old growth have been discovered, meticulously mapped, and studied. Many of these ancient stands retain surprisingly robust complexity and vigor, and forest ecologists are eager to develop strategies for their restoration and for nurturing additional stands of old growth that will foster biological diversity, reduce impacts of climate change, and serve as benchmarks for how natural systems operate. Forest ecologists William Keeton and Andrew Barton bring together a volume that breaks new ground in our understanding of ecological systems and their importance for forest resilience in an age of rapid environmental change. This edited volume covers a broad geographic canvas, from eastern Canada and the Upper Great Lakes states to the deep South. It looks at a wide diversity of ecosystems, including spruce-fir, northern deciduous, southern Appalachian deciduous, southern swamp hardwoods, and longleaf pine. Chapters authored by leading old-growth experts examine topics of contemporary forest ecology including forest structure and dynamics, below-ground soil processes, biological diversity, differences between historical and modern forests, carbon and climate change mitigation, management of old growth, and more. This thoughtful treatise broadly communicates important new discoveries to scientists, land managers, and students and breathes fresh life into the hope for sensible, effective management of old-growth stands in eastern forests. ​ Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi Introduction: Ecological and Historical Context (Andrew M. Barton)....Pages 1-19 Old-Growth and Mature Remnant Floodplain Forests of the Southeastern United States (Loretta L. Battaglia, William H. Conner)....Pages 21-37 Fire-Maintained Pine Savannas and Woodlands of the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain (Robert K. Peet, William J. Platt, Jennifer K. Costanza)....Pages 39-62 Old-Growth Forests in the Southern Appalachians: Dynamics and Conservation Frameworks (Peter S. White, Julie P. Tuttle, Beverly S. Collins)....Pages 63-82 Topography and Vegetation Patterns in an Old-Growth Appalachian Forest: Lucy Braun, You Were Right! (Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. McEwan)....Pages 83-98 Old-Growth Disturbance Dynamics and Associated Ecological Silviculture for Forests in Northeastern North America (Anthony W. D’Amato, Patricia Raymond, Shawn Fraver)....Pages 99-118 Historical Patterns and Contemporary Processes in Northern Lake States Old-Growth Landscapes (David J. Mladenoff, Jodi A. Forrester)....Pages 119-138 Is Management or Conservation of Old Growth Possible in North American Boreal Forests? (Daniel Kneeshaw, Philip J. Burton, Louis De Grandpré, Sylvie Gauthier, Yan Boulanger)....Pages 139-157 Forest-Stream Interactions in Eastern Old-Growth Forests (Dana R. Warren, William S. Keeton, Heather A. Bechtold, Clifford E. Kraft)....Pages 159-178 Belowground Ecology and Dynamics in Eastern Old-Growth Forests (Timothy J. Fahey)....Pages 179-195 Biological Diversity in Eastern Old Growth (Gregory G. McGee)....Pages 197-216 Eastern Old-Growth Forests under Threat: Changing Dynamics due to Invasive Organisms (John S. Gunn, David A. Orwig)....Pages 217-235 Silviculture for Eastern Old Growth in the Context of Global Change (William S. Keeton, Craig G. Lorimer, Brian J. Palik, Frédérik Doyon)....Pages 237-265 Source or Sink? Carbon Dynamics in Eastern Old-Growth Forests and Their Role in Climate Change Mitigation (William S. Keeton)....Pages 267-288 Conclusion: Past, Present, and Future of Old-Growth Forests in the East (William S. Keeton, Andrew M. Barton)....Pages 289-306 Back Matter ....Pages 307-340