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Aim  This study compares the magnitude and trajectory of vegetation and ecosystem function dynamics associated with the direct impact of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand; HWA) infestation vs. the indirect consequences of HWA‐induced damage in the form of salvage and pre‐emptive logging of hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere] forests.

Location  The study was conducted within an area extending from southern Connecticut up to and including the Connecticut River lowlands west to the Berkshire Plateau in central Massaschusetts, USA.

Methods  Overstorey and understorey vegetation and ecosystem function parameters such as decomposition and nitrogen cycling were examined in logged and unlogged portions of ten hemlock stands varying in HWA damage intensity.

Results  Intensive hemlock logging generated more rapid and pronounced microenvironment and vegetation …