Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Forestry

Major Professor

Wayne Clatterbuck

Abstract

Natural and anthropogenic disturbances are responsible for shaping forest community and structure. In February of 1993, the University of Tennessee's Forest Resources Research and Education Center in Oak Ridge, TN was hit by an F3 tornado, causing heavy damage. Subsequent salvage and slashing occurred in portions of the tornado disturbed area. This resulted in three research treatments: tornado disturbance only (tornado), tornado disturbance followed by salvage harvest (salvage), and tornado disturbance following by salvage and slashing harvest (salvage/slash). A fourth clearcut treatment of similar age from an adjacent stand was also included to compare to the tornado disturbance. The purpose of this research was to determine if treatment differences exist for measured forest stand characteristics.In comparison of tornado, salvage, and salvage/slash treatments, importance values (IV) analysis showed treatment differences in species composition for three species (flowering dogwood, sweetgum, and Virginia pine). However, no significant difference was detected for the four most important species, yellow-poplar, black cherry, red maple, and white oaks. Tornado areas had lower species diversity (H') than other treatments in the understory and midstory, but had the greatest H' in the overstory. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis showed significant dissimilarities between treatments for four of the five strata analyzed. Tornado areas had significantly greater coarse woody debris (CWD) volume and biomass than other treatments, and salvage/slash areas had a significantly greater CWD biomass than salvage areas. No differences existed for CWD density.In comparing the tornado and clearcut treatments, IV analysis showed differences for three species: black gum, redbud, and sugar maple. Tornado areas had greater H' in the overstory stratum. No significant differences were detected in any other strata. CWD volume, density, and biomass were all significantly greater in the tornado areas. Structural differences existed between natural and anthropogenic disturbances; specifically, diameter distribution and CWD loading. Due to the randomness of tornados, trees from all size classes remained standing after the disturbance. Tornado areas consisted of a more stratified vertical structure and greater CWD loads, as it was considered to be in the complex stage of stand development compared to all other treatments.

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