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How large-scale bark beetle infestations influence the protective effects of forest stands against avalanches: A case study in the Swiss Alps / Marion E. Caduff in Forest ecology and management, vol 514 (June-15 2022)  

Public [article]  inForest ecology and management > vol 514 (June-15 2022) . - n° 120201 Titre : How large-scale bark beetle infestations influence the protective effects of forest stands against avalanches: A case study in the Swiss Alps Type de document : Article/Communication Auteurs : Marion E. Caduff, Auteur ; Natalie Brožová, Auteur ; Andrea D. Kupferschmid, Auteur ; et al., Auteur Année de publication : 2022 Article en page(s) : n° 120201 Note générale : bibliographie Langues : Anglais (eng) Descripteur : [Vedettes matières IGN] Applications de télédétection [Termes IGN] Alpes [Termes IGN] avalanche [Termes IGN] bois mort [Termes IGN] dépérissement [Termes IGN] image à haute résolution [Termes IGN] modèle de simulation [Termes IGN] orthophotographie [Termes IGN] protection des forêts [Termes IGN] régénération (sylviculture) [Termes IGN] risque naturel [Termes IGN] santé des forêts [Termes IGN] Scolytinae [Termes IGN] Suisse [Termes IGN] xylophage Résumé : (auteur) Large-scale bark beetle outbreaks in spruce dominated mountain forests have increased in recent decades, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. These outbreaks have immediate and major effects on forest structure and ecosystem services. However, it remains unclear how forests recover from bark beetle infestations over the long term, and how different recovery stages fulfil the capacity of forests to protect infrastructures and human lives from natural hazards. The aim of this study was to investigate how a bark beetle infestation (1992–1997) in a spruce dominated forest in the Swiss Alps changed the forest structure and its protective function against snow avalanches. In 2020, i.e. 27 years after the peak of the outbreak, we re-surveyed the composition and height of new trees, as well as the deadwood height and degree of decay in an area that had been surveyed 20 years earlier. With the help of remote sensing data and avalanche simulations, we assessed the protective effect against avalanches before the disturbances (in 1985) and in 1997, 2007, 2014 and 2019 for a frequent (30-year return period) and an extreme (300-year return period) avalanche scenario. Post-disturbance regeneration led to a young forest that was again dominated by spruce 27 years after the outbreak, with median tree heights of 3–4 m and a crown cover of 10–30%. Deadwood covered 20–25% of the forest floor and was mainly in decay stages two and three out of five. Snags had median heights of 1.4 m, leaning logs 0.5 m and lying logs 0.3 m. The protective effect of the forest was high before the bark beetle outbreak and decreased during the first years of infestation (until 1997), mainly in the case of extreme avalanche events. The protective capacity reached an overall minimum in 2007 as a result of many forest openings. It partially recovered by 2014 and further increased by 2019, thanks to forest regeneration. Simulation results and a lack of avalanche releases since the infestation indicate that the protective capacity of post-disturbance forest stands affected by bark beetle may often be underestimated. Numéro de notice : A2022-349 Affiliation des auteurs : non IGN Thématique : FORET/IMAGERIE Nature : Article DOI : 10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120201 Date de publication en ligne : 08/04/2022 En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120201 Format de la ressource électronique : URL article Permalink : https://documentation.ensg.eu/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=100536 [article]