Doctoral Dissertation Research: Forest Ecosystem Recovery After Catastrophic Wind Disturbance

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

This study will investigate the impact of salvage logging and controlled burning on ecosystem recovery after tornados. Strategies to manage naturally disturbed forests are critical to support the sustained supply of ecosystem goods and services. Salvage logging is commonly applied after natural disturbances to partially reclaim the economic value of wood products in damaged or dead trees, and to reduce risk and severity of future disturbances to the environment. Despite its widespread social and economic importance, little is known about how salvage logging impacts non-woody plant communities or the continued application of prescribed fire. Strategies to conserve biodiversity and provide the natural, renewable wood products that society needs requires data collection and analysis in areas where salvage logging and controlled burning take place. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will provide support to enable a graduate student to establish an independent research career. Increasing frequencies and severity of natural disturbances has motivated increasing interest in research on multiple interacting disturbances that alter rates and trajectories of forest recovery. This project investigates (1) how salvage logging alters woody and herbaceous plant assemblages after catastrophic wind disturbance, and (2) how prescribed fires influence forest ecosystem recovery in sites differentially impacted by wind disturbance and salvage logging. Five seasons of field data collection on permanent plots enable a comprehensive assessment of changes in biophysical site conditions across multiple forest strata and sampling unit sizes. Results of this study can be used to guide the management of other disturbed forests, especially fire-adapted forests. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.