This study examined the impact of logs and stumps on the understory composition of 28-yearold aspen-dominated boreal forests. Suitable logs covered more than five times the area of stumps in both harvest and wildfire stands. Logs and stumps were colonized by a significantly different assemblage of vascular plants than the forest floor. Initial colonization patterns on dead wood in both wildfire...

the aim of this study is comparison of soil characteristics and biodiversity in plantation of bald cypress and caucasian alder forest stands in kludeh region (mazandaran province). in order to study biodiversity in forest stands and control region, 10 sample plots (releve) were selected and the name and abundance of plant species of the forest floor were recorded. biodiversity of herbal plants ...

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands and savannas are among the most frequently burned ecosystems in the world with fire return intervals of 1-10 years. This fire regime has maintained high levels of biodiversity in terms of both species richness and endemism. Land use changes have reduced the area of this ecosystem by >95%, and inadequate fire frequencies threaten many of the remnants tod...

the effects of traffic frequency and skid trail slope on dry bulk density, litter mass and rutting are examined. treatments included a combination of four different traffic frequencies (3, 7, 14, and 20 passes of a rubber skidder) and three levels of slope ( 20%.) the results showed that dry bulk density, rut depth and soil displacement increased with the increase of traffic frequency and slope...

We measured forest floor C02 flux in three age classes of forest in the southern Appalachians: 20-year-old, 85-year-old, and old-growth. Our objectives were to quantify differences in forest floor C02 flux among age classes, and determine the relative importance of abiotic and biotic driving variables. Forest floor C02 flux was measured using an openflow infrared gas analyzer measurement system...

Forest harvest drastically alters nutrient cycling, yet stream water and mineral-soil solutions typically show little change in P concentrations after forest disturbance. Changes in P availability and movement are more likely to be detected in forest-floor solutions, since P can be strongly sorbed in soil. Tension-free lysimeters were used to compare forest-floor and mineral-soil solution total...

Edge effects represent an inevitable and important consequence of habitat loss and fragmentation. These effects include changes in microclimate, solar radiation, or temperature. Such abiotic effects can, in turn, impact biotic factors. They can have a substantial impact on species, communities, and ecosystems. Here we examine clinal variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values for tr...