Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 499-503 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of arid environments |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Forests are highly susceptible to dieback under ongoing climate warming. In degraded forests, dead standing trees, or snags, have become such prominent features that they should be taken into account when setting management interventions. This study investigated (1) the extent and spatial pattern of standing dead stems of Juniperus procera and Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata along an elevational gradient, and (2) the effect of dieback on forest stand structure. We quantified abundance, size, and spatial pattern of tree dieback in 57 plots (50 m × 50 m) established at 100 m intervals along five transects. The snag density and basal area (mean ± SE) of the two species combined were 147 ± 23 stems ha-1 and 5.35 ± 0.81 m2 ha-1, respectively. The percentages of snags were extremely high for both J. procera (57 ± 7%) and O. europaea subsp. cuspidata (60 ± 5%), but showed a decreasing trend with increasing elevation suggesting that restoration is even more urgent at the lower elevations. Snags of the two species accounted for 31 and 45% of total stand density and basal area, respectively. Living stems exhibited truncated inverse-J-shaped diameter and height class distributions, indicating serious regeneration problems of these foundation species in the study area. In addition to direct interventions to assist recruitment of climax tree species, sites with high dieback would probably benefit from snag reduction to prevent fire incidents in the remaining dry Afromontane forests in northern Ethiopia.
Keywords
- Dead standing stem, Elevation gradient, Juniperus procera, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, Restoration, Semiarid
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Earth-Surface Processes
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Journal of arid environments, Vol. 75, No. 5, 05.2011, p. 499-503.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Dieback affects forest structure in a dry Afromontane forest in northern Ethiopia
AU - Aynekulu, E.
AU - Denich, M.
AU - Tsegaye, D.
AU - Aerts, R.
AU - Neuwirth, B.
AU - Boehmer, H. J.
N1 - Funding Information: The first author is grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for financial support and Mekelle University for logistical support during the fieldwork. We also wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their constructive comments. Raf Aerts is a postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - Forests are highly susceptible to dieback under ongoing climate warming. In degraded forests, dead standing trees, or snags, have become such prominent features that they should be taken into account when setting management interventions. This study investigated (1) the extent and spatial pattern of standing dead stems of Juniperus procera and Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata along an elevational gradient, and (2) the effect of dieback on forest stand structure. We quantified abundance, size, and spatial pattern of tree dieback in 57 plots (50 m × 50 m) established at 100 m intervals along five transects. The snag density and basal area (mean ± SE) of the two species combined were 147 ± 23 stems ha-1 and 5.35 ± 0.81 m2 ha-1, respectively. The percentages of snags were extremely high for both J. procera (57 ± 7%) and O. europaea subsp. cuspidata (60 ± 5%), but showed a decreasing trend with increasing elevation suggesting that restoration is even more urgent at the lower elevations. Snags of the two species accounted for 31 and 45% of total stand density and basal area, respectively. Living stems exhibited truncated inverse-J-shaped diameter and height class distributions, indicating serious regeneration problems of these foundation species in the study area. In addition to direct interventions to assist recruitment of climax tree species, sites with high dieback would probably benefit from snag reduction to prevent fire incidents in the remaining dry Afromontane forests in northern Ethiopia.
AB - Forests are highly susceptible to dieback under ongoing climate warming. In degraded forests, dead standing trees, or snags, have become such prominent features that they should be taken into account when setting management interventions. This study investigated (1) the extent and spatial pattern of standing dead stems of Juniperus procera and Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata along an elevational gradient, and (2) the effect of dieback on forest stand structure. We quantified abundance, size, and spatial pattern of tree dieback in 57 plots (50 m × 50 m) established at 100 m intervals along five transects. The snag density and basal area (mean ± SE) of the two species combined were 147 ± 23 stems ha-1 and 5.35 ± 0.81 m2 ha-1, respectively. The percentages of snags were extremely high for both J. procera (57 ± 7%) and O. europaea subsp. cuspidata (60 ± 5%), but showed a decreasing trend with increasing elevation suggesting that restoration is even more urgent at the lower elevations. Snags of the two species accounted for 31 and 45% of total stand density and basal area, respectively. Living stems exhibited truncated inverse-J-shaped diameter and height class distributions, indicating serious regeneration problems of these foundation species in the study area. In addition to direct interventions to assist recruitment of climax tree species, sites with high dieback would probably benefit from snag reduction to prevent fire incidents in the remaining dry Afromontane forests in northern Ethiopia.
KW - Dead standing stem
KW - Elevation gradient
KW - Juniperus procera
KW - Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
KW - Restoration
KW - Semiarid
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951767770&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.12.013
DO - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.12.013
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79951767770
VL - 75
SP - 499
EP - 503
JO - Journal of arid environments
JF - Journal of arid environments
SN - 0140-1963
IS - 5
ER -