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

Mortalité des arbres dans une forêt feuillue mixte du nordouest de la Russie pendant 22 ans

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 411 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • 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 12 664 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.

Résumé

  • • 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 12 664 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 les arbres sains et modérément sains, et de 3,9 à 9,3 % pour les arbres dépérissants. Les taux de mortalité les plus bas ont été observés pour le tilleul à petites feuilles et le chêne (respectivement 0,8 et 1,0 %) et le taux le plus élevé pour le bouleau (2,7 %). Nous avons trouvé (1) une importante et constante association entre la condition de l’arbre et la probabilité de mortalité, et (2) les taux de mortalité significativement les plus élevés chez les plus petits arbres chez le frêne, l’érable et le chêne.

  • • Les effets biologiques de l’espèce sur les taux de mortalité ont été en grande partie annulés par l’état de santé des arbres et les conditions environnementales (par exemple le degré d’ombrage de la couronne). Les taux observés étaient similaires aux estimations obtenues pour les forêts naturelles tempérées en Europe et en Amérique du Nord, indiquant une intensité similaire de mortalité dans ces écosystèmes en conditions naturelles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, SLU, P.O. Box 49, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden

    Igor Drobyshev

  2. St. Petersburg State Forest Technical Academy, Institutsky str. 5, 194021, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Alexander Dobrovolsky & Vasiliy Neshataev

  3. Canada Research Chair in Ecology and Sustainable Forest Management, University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445 blvd. de l’Université, J9X5E4, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada

    Alexander Dobrovolsky

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  1. Igor Drobyshev
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Correspondence to Igor Drobyshev.

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Drobyshev, I., Dobrovolsky, A. & Neshataev, V. Tree mortality in a mixed deciduous forest in Northwestern Russia over 22 years. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 411 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009018

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X