Infestation Phases and Impacts of Dryocoetes confusus in Subalpine Fir Forests of Southern British Columbia

Autor: Lorraine E. Maclauchlan, Arthur J. Stock, Julie E. Brooks
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Forests
Volume 14
Issue 2
Pages: 363
ISSN: 1999-4907
DOI: 10.3390/f14020363
Popis: Subalpine fir mortality and stand decline are increasingly evident in British Columbia (B.C.). This long-term study confirmed Dryocoetes confusus to be the major disturbance agent in high-elevation subalpine forests, killing over two-thirds of subalpine fir in eleven one-hectare study plots. D. confusus infestations in mature stands can be described as early-, mid-, or late-phase. The transition from the early- through late-phase is characterized by a lowered stem density as high levels of D. confusus attack and remove the largest trees, while other mortality factors kill smaller trees. Initially, live subalpine fir density and D. confusus activity varied among plots. By a final assessment, very little difference was observed in live stems per hectare. Mortality from all factors ranged from 0.5% to 5% annually, reaching as high as 80% in-stand mortality with >6 times more dead than live volume. When subalpine fir density was reduced to
Databáze: OpenAIRE