Impact of Disturbance on Forest Regeneration and Recruitment

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 3167

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA
Interests: plant biogeography; disturbance ecology; forest regeneration
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The processes of regeneration and recruitment are necessary to sustain current forest tree populations and expand those populations over time. Dependent on the species and ecosystem, disturbance can have essential roles in facilitating or inhibiting regeneration and recruitment. Additionally, the intensity, scale, and frequency of the disturbance can be involved in maintaining forest community composition or influencing successional trajectories. There is a need to understand the complex interactions between anthropogenic and natural disturbances, artificial and natural regeneration, and initial and advanced regeneration. Subsequent recruitment into larger-size classes will also be influenced by the stand age structure, whether they are even- to uneven-aged, whether they are single- to multi-cohort stands, as well as gap formation and other release events. This Special Issue focuses on the impact of disturbance on forest regeneration and the subsequent recruitment of trees leading to future forest development, stand dynamics, and succession.

Prof. Dr. Jordan M. Marshall
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • artificial regeneration
  • ecological processes
  • forest biodiversity
  • natural regeneration
  • recruitment
  • reforestation
  • restoration
  • structure
  • succession

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2274 KiB  
Article
The Role of the Soil Seed Bank in the Recovery and Restoration of a Burned Amazonian Terra Firme Forest
by Vynicius B. Oliveira, Mário A. G. Jardim, Maria Fabíola Barros, Danilo S. Silva, Ima C. G. Vieira and Marcelo Tabarelli
Forests 2024, 15(9), 1513; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091513 - 29 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Here, we examine the effects of wildfires on the soil seed bank of a terra firme forest in the eastern Amazon. This seed bank is described via community-level attributes across forest stands exposed to wildfires once or twice, as well as across unburned, [...] Read more.
Here, we examine the effects of wildfires on the soil seed bank of a terra firme forest in the eastern Amazon. This seed bank is described via community-level attributes across forest stands exposed to wildfires once or twice, as well as across unburned, old-growth forest stands. A total of 2345 seeds germinated (837.5 seeds/m2). Across all three forest habitats, the soil seed bank was dominated by a small set of light-demanding species, with two to three species accounting for over 80% of all seeds. On the other hand, the seed bank of all habitats completely lacked seeds from the old-growth flora. Wildfires posed no effects relative to seed density and species richness. However, fire (1) reduced beta diversity, (2) caused an 8% increase in herb abundance and a 4% increase in the number of seeds produced by short-lived pioneers, and (3) resulted in a slight impact on taxonomic species composition. Our results suggest that the soil seed bank, while exhibiting high seed densities, is naturally species poor and, thus, relatively resistant to the first fire events. This implies that the recovery of fire-degraded forests will rely on vertebrate-dispersed seeds coming from any remaining well-preserved old-growth forest stands that are present in the landscape and are highly vulnerable to fire. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Disturbance on Forest Regeneration and Recruitment)
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21 pages, 3354 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Environments Where Natural Regeneration Is Established in the Absence of a Wildfire in the Open Pinus brutia Forests in the Middle Elevations of the Central Part of Cyprus
by Petros Petrou, Athanasios Stampoulidis, Elias Pipinis, Kyriaki Kitikidou and Elias Milios
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071228 - 15 Jul 2024
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Abstract
The objective of this research was to analyze the P. brutia natural regeneration and the environments where it was established in the absence of a wildfire in the open formations of the species in the middle elevations of the central part of Cyprus. [...] Read more.
The objective of this research was to analyze the P. brutia natural regeneration and the environments where it was established in the absence of a wildfire in the open formations of the species in the middle elevations of the central part of Cyprus. Forty-eight rectangular plots of 0.1 ha were established in three site productivity types. Individuals of the species with a height from 0.1 m to 1.5 m were considered regeneration plants. Within each plot, various measurements and estimations were made. Moreover, 480 hemispherical photographs were taken. Additionally, hemispherical photographs were taken above each of the recorded naturally regenerated P. brutia plants. In all the site productivity types, the most regeneration plants were established and grew under the process of facilitation. In each of the site productivity types, there were no differences in the light condition diversity between the environments where the regeneration plants grew and the existing light conditions. Regeneration exhibited a small number of plants and constituted only a very small proportion of all trees in the three site productivity types. To achieve sustainability in P. brutia forests, forest practices must develop strategies for the enhancement of P. brutia regeneration in the studied area and in analogous environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Disturbance on Forest Regeneration and Recruitment)
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14 pages, 13460 KiB  
Article
Pinus banksiana Lamb. Regeneration Patterns in a Lacustrine Dune System
by Jonathan C. Danielson, Adam R. Warrix, Madison E. Lehman, Andrew C. Lehman and Jordan M. Marshall
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071138 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 876
Abstract
Successional patterns in lacustrine sand dunes along Lake Superior begin with grass-dominated plant communities leading to the establishment of Pinus banksiana Lamb. as initial forests. Using maximum entropy models, we predicted P. banksiana seedling and sapling patterns within the Grand Sable Dunes, Pictured [...] Read more.
Successional patterns in lacustrine sand dunes along Lake Superior begin with grass-dominated plant communities leading to the establishment of Pinus banksiana Lamb. as initial forests. Using maximum entropy models, we predicted P. banksiana seedling and sapling patterns within the Grand Sable Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, USA, based on slope, aspect, forest basal area, and vegetation types. Across the different vegetation types, there were variable probabilities of seedling and sapling occurrence. For both seedlings and saplings, the higher likelihoods of occurrence were observed in coastal pine barrens vegetation types. P. banksiana regeneration is occurring in the Grand Sable Dunes in the absence of fire, with seedlings establishing and saplings being recruited in a variety of vegetation types. With the greatest probabilities in barrens, there is likely a relationship with seed source and canopy density. Understanding regeneration patterns in dune ecosystems is necessary to predict the future forest arrangement and colonization of P. banksiana into the dunes. These results contribute insights into the dynamics of plant communities in lacustrine dune systems, specifically the establishment of P. banksiana seedlings in various vegetation types. Continued forest establishment and increasing P. banksiana density will influence endangered species and non-native species management strategies for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Disturbance on Forest Regeneration and Recruitment)
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