Tree mortality in a mixed deciduous forest in Northwestern Russia over 22 years

• Published in: Annals of Forest Science
• Main Authors: Drobyshev, Igor, Dobrovolsky, Alexander, Neshataev, Vasiliy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2009
• Subjects: European hardwoods; conservation; forest decline; crown condition; forest inventory > - feuillus européens; dépérissement des forêts; état du houppier; inventaire forestier; [SDV.SA.SF]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Silviculture; forestry; Norway; Nord-ouest de la Russie
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00883459; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00883459/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00883459/file/hal-00883459.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009018

International audience We studied mortality rates of birch, small-leaved linden, pedunculate oak, Norway maple, black alder, common ash and Norway spruce, assessed through two inventories of 12664 trees in the unmanaged mixed deciduous forests of Oranienbaum Park, northwestern Russia, in 1981 and 2003. * Our objectives were to evaluate if (a) long-term mortality rates vary among species, and if (b) crown condition, age and tree size affect the probability of mortality. * Over this period, tree mortality rates in the park varied annually from 1 to 3% for healthy and moderately healthy trees, and from 3.9 to 9.3% for declining trees. The lowest mortality rates were observed for small-leaved linden and oak (0.8 and 1.0%, respectively), and the highest rate for birch (2.7%). We found (1) a significant and consistent association between tree condition and the probability of mortality, and (2) significantly higher mortality rates in smaller trees of ash, maple and oak. * The effect of species-specific biology on mortality rates in the Oranienbaum Park was largely overridden by the "health status" and environmental conditions of the trees (e.g. degree of crown shading). The observed rates were similar to the estimates from natural temperate deciduous forests in both Europe and North America, indicating similar intensity of mortality in these ecosystems under natural conditions. Nous avons étudié les taux de mortalité du bouleau, du tilleul à petites feuilles, du chêne pédonculé, de l'érable plane, de l'aulne, du frêne commun, et de l'épicéa par le biais de deux inventaires concernant 12664 arbres, en 1981 et 2003, dans les forêts mixtes non gérées de l'Oranienbaum Park, dans le nord-ouest de la Russie. * Nos objectifs étaient d'évaluer si (a) à long terme les taux de mortalité varient selon les espèces, et si (b) l'état du houppier, l'âge et la taille des arbres affectent la probabilité de mortalité. * Au cours de cette période, les taux de mortalité des arbres dans le parc ont varié annuellement de 1 à 3 % pour ...