Doctoral Dissertation Research: Forest Ecosystem Recovery After Catastrophic Wind Disturbance

博士论文研究：灾难性风扰后森林生态系统的恢复

基本信息

批准号：
2015466
负责人：
Justin Hart
金额：
$ 1.28万
依托单位：
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-07-15 至 2021-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2015466&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Doctoral Dissertation Research Forest Ecosystem

项目摘要

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.

这项研究将调查抢救性伐木和控制燃烧对龙卷风后生态系统恢复的影响。管理受自然干扰的森林的战略对于支持生态系统产品和服务的持续供应至关重要。抢救性伐木通常在自然干扰后进行，以部分回收受损或枯死树木中木制品的经济价值，并降低未来对环境干扰的风险和严重程度。尽管其具有广泛的社会和经济重要性，但人们对抢救性伐木如何影响非木本植物群落或持续使用规定的火灾知之甚少。保护生物多样性和提供社会所需的天然、可再生木材产品的战略需要在进行抢救性伐木和控制燃烧的地区收集数据并进行分析。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该项目将为研究生建立独立的研究生涯提供支持。自然干扰的频率和严重程度的增加激发了人们对多种相互作用的干扰的研究兴趣的增加，这些干扰改变了森林恢复的速度和轨迹。该项目研究（1）灾难性风扰后抢救性伐木如何改变木本和草本植物群落，以及（2）规定的火灾如何影响受风扰和抢救性伐木不同影响的地点的森林生态系统恢复。对永久地块进行五个季节的实地数据收集，可以对多个森林层和采样单位大小的生物物理场地条件的变化进行全面评估。这项研究的结果可用于指导其他受干扰森林的管理，特别是适应火灾的森林。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。