Radial Growth Patterns Associated with Tree Mortality in Nothofagus pumilio Forest

A synthesis of radial growth patterns preceding tree mortality.

Tree mortality is a key factor influencing forest functions and dynamics, but our understanding of the mechanisms leading to mortality and the associated changes in tree growth rates are still limited. We compiled a new pan-continental tree-ring width database from sites where both dead and living trees were sampled (2970 dead and 4224 living trees from 190 sites, including 36 species), and com...

Soil–plant relationships and tree distribution in old growth Nothofagus betuloides and Nothofagus pumilio forests of Tierra del Fuego

The evergreen Nothofagus betuloides and deciduous Nothofagus pumilio live close together in Tierra del Fuego. The fact that these two species rarely form mixed forests suggests that the soil factor can contribute to the distribution of two species on a local scale. Most of these forests are undisturbed; therefore, soil characteristics may reflect both the influence of the species and of the dom...

Size-Specific Tree Mortality Varies with Neighbourhood Crowding and Disturbance in a Montane Nothofagus Forest

Tree mortality is a fundamental process governing forest dynamics, but understanding tree mortality patterns is challenging because large, long-term datasets are required. Describing size-specific mortality patterns can be especially difficult, due to few trees in larger size classes. We used permanent plot data from Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides (mountain beech) forest on the eastern...

Characterizing spatial–temporal tree mortality patterns associated with a new forest disease

A new forest disease called Sudden Oak Death, caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, occurs in coastal hardwood forests in California and Oregon. In this paper, we analyzed the spatial–temporal patterns of overstory oak tree mortality in China Camp State Park, CA over 4 years using the point patterns mapped from high spatial resolution remotely sensed imagery. Both univariate and multivar...

Patterns of Tree Mortality in a Monodominant Tropical Forest