Forest aging, disturbance and the carbon cycle

Curtis, Peter S.; Gough, Christopher M.

doi:10.1111/nph.15227

Forest aging, disturbance and the carbon cycle

Journal Article · Wed May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · New Phytologist

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15227· OSTI ID:1437326

Curtis, Peter S. ^[1]; Gough, Christopher M. ^[2]

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology Ohio State University Columbus OH 43210 USA
Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA 23284 USA

Contents Summary 1188 I. Introduction 1188 II. Forest aging and carbon storage 1189 III. Successional trends of NEP in northern deciduous forests 1190 IV. Mechanisms sustaining NEP in aging deciduous forests 1191 Acknowledgements 1192 References 1192

Summary

Large areas of forestland in temperate North America, as well as in other parts of the world, are growing older and will soon transition into middle and then late successional stages exceeding 100 yr in age. These ecosystems have been important regional carbon sinks as they recovered from prior anthropogenic and natural disturbance, but their future sink strength, or annual rate of carbon storage, is in question. Ecosystem development theory predicts a steady decline in annual carbon storage as forests age, but newly available, direct measurements of forest net CO ₂ exchange challenge that prediction. In temperate deciduous forests, where moderate severity disturbance regimes now often prevail, there is little evidence for any marked decline in carbon storage rate during mid‐succession. Rather, an increase in physical and biological complexity under these disturbance regimes may drive increases in resource‐use efficiency and resource availability that help to maintain significant carbon storage in these forests well past the century mark. Conservation of aging deciduous forests may therefore sustain the terrestrial carbon sink, whilst providing other goods and services afforded by these biologically and structurally complex ecosystems.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0006708

OSTI ID:: 1437326

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1541615

Journal Information:: New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 219; ISSN 0028-646X

Publisher:: Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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