Return to search

Hurricane Effects on a Fagus/Magnolia Forest in Southeast Texas, USA, in the Context of Long Term Forest Monitoring

In 1986, Hurricane Bonnie passed over Wier Woods, a well-developed
mesic forest in the Big Thicket Area of Texas, causing substantial tree
mortality and opening several canopy gaps. Mortality was high during the
hurricane interval, but did not vary significantly among species. Ingrowth
into the 4.5 cm DBH size class was accelerated by the hurricane. Tree
growth was largely unaffected by the hurricane; however, small individuals
of all species experienced slightly increased growth rates after the
hurricane. Mortality in the years after the storm did not decrease or
increase. Even though Bonnie caused approximately three times "normal"
mortality, there was only a slight decrease in basal area from 1985 to
1987. The low frequency of hurricanes and the modest effects of this
hurricane suggest that hurricanes may have limited effects on the structure
and dynamics of forests of the Big Thicket.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/20476
Date January 1995
Source SetsRice University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Text
Formatapplication/pdf

Page generated in 0.0019 seconds