OOS 14 - Conservation Values and Dynamics of Early Post-Disturbance Temperate Forests In North America

Tuesday, August 7, 2012: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
A105, Oregon Convention Center
Organizer:
Charles Kwit, University of Tennessee
Co-organizers:
David King, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service; Beverly Collins, Western Carolina University; and Mark Swanson, Washington State University
Moderator:
Charles Kwit, University of Tennessee
The proposed session will synthesize the perception and treatment of the early post-disturbance stage of forest succession as it pertains to the ecology and the conservation and management goals in temperate forests, and provide direction for future work in this arena. The proposed symposium builds off of a recently published (2011) book on early-successional habitat in the Southeastern U.S. (“Sustaining Young Forest Communities”) and dialogue in recent issues (2011) of ESA’s Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment regarding western U.S. and eastern U.S. viewpoints on early-successional forest ecosystems. The proposed session will begin with (1) a synthesis of succession models from temperate forest systems; ecoregional differences and similarities of the models will be presented, with an emphasis on the early-successional stage and its role in succession. This will be followed by (2) contributions on the value (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, monetary) of early successional habitats in temperate forest systems. These values, which are tied to the conference themes of preservation or sustainable utilization, logically set the stage for a (3) review of how early-successional phases have been and can be ‘treated,’ spatially and temporally, to achieve conservation and management goals. This will include discussion of acceleration and deceleration of forest successional development. Current case studies are included to accentuate these topics, and to offer insights on the conservation importance of the post-disturbance phase in temperate forests.
1:30 PM
 Comparison of temperate forest succession models from different ecoregions, and the role of the early-successional stage
James R. Runkle, Wright State University; James R. Milks, Wright State University
1:50 PM
 Synthesis of the conservation value of the early-successional stage of succession in eastern U.S. forests
David King, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service; Scott R. Schlossberg, University of Massachusetts Amherst
2:30 PM
 The changing role of fire in whitebark pine population dynamics: Implications for conservation
Andrew J. Larson, University of Montana; C. Alina Cansler, University of Washington
2:50 PM
 Review and synthesis of the early successional stage and invasive plant species
Lara Souza, University of Oklahoma; Sara E. Kuebbing, University of Tennessee
3:10 PM
3:20 PM
 Disturbance and early succession in the southern Appalachians and the eastern U.S
Beverly Collins, Western Carolina University; Peter S. White, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Charles Kwit, University of Tennessee
3:40 PM
 Southeastern ecosystems and early successional habitat: One size does not fit all
Cathryn H. Greenberg, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station; Tara L. Keyser, USDA Forest Service
4:00 PM
 Multiple successional pathways and precocity in forest development: Can some forests be born complex?
John Campbell, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service; Daniel C. Donato, Washington State Department of Natural Resources; Jerry F. Franklin, University of Washington
See more of: Organized Oral Session