We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Disturbance and Successional Dynamics in an Old-Growth White Pine-Mixed Hardwood Forest in the Great Lakes Region of Minnesota.
- Authors
Elliott, Grant P.; Larson, Evan R.
- Abstract
Concern exists regarding the decline of Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) in the pine-mixed hardwood forests of the Great Lakes region. Using dendroecological techniques, we reconstructed the disturbance history and successional dynamics of an isolated old-growth white pine-mixed hardwood forest in northeastern Minnesota. The oldest trees in the stand were white pine, but a transition to late-successional species began in the mid-1800s prior to extensive anthropogenic influences in the region. This was facilitated by a change in the dominant disturbance type from fire to a combination of wind throw and white-tailed deer browsing. This transition appears to have occurred under natural conditions and will continue to favor both the establishment and continued dominance of late-successional species. This study highlights the importance of studying the natural range of variability of white pine forests in the Great Lakes region of Minnesota.
- Subjects
MINNESOTA; WHITE pine; FORESTS &; forestry; CHRONOLOGY; AUXILIARY sciences of history
- Publication
Geographical Bulletin, 2009, Vol 50, Issue 1, p17
- ISSN
0731-3292
- Publication type
Article