Authors
David R Foster, David A Orwig
Publication date
2006/8
Journal
Conservation Biology
Volume
20
Issue
4
Pages
959-970
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing Inc
Description
One unexpected consequence of natural disturbances in forested areas is that managers often initiate activities that may impose greater ecosystem impacts than the disturbances themselves. By salvage logging areas affected by windstorms or other impacts, by harvesting host trees in advance of insect infestation or disease, or by preemptively harvesting forests in an attempt to improve their resilience to future disturbances and stresses, managers initiate substantial changes in the ecosystem structure and function. Much of this activity is undertaken in the absence of information on the qualitative and quantitative differences between disturbance impacts and harvesting. To provide insight for such decisions we evaluated the ecosystem consequences of two major disturbance processes in New England (U.S.A.)—intense windstorms and invasive pests and pathogens—and contrasted them with impacts from …
Total citations
Scholar articles
Preemptive and salvage harvesting of New England forests: when doing nothing is a viable alternative
DR Foster, DA Orwig - Conservation Biology, 2006