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Article: Demographics and disturbance history of a boreal old-growth Picea abies forest.(Report)
- Article from:
- Journal of Vegetation Science
- Article date:
- December 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Opulus Press AB. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
The boreal forest constitutes one of the largest biomes on earth, covering 11% of the earth's terrestrial surface (Bonan & Shugart 1989). Although fire is generally considered the primary natural disturbance agent in boreal forests, sizeable areas can exhibit quite long fire-free periods. The research emphasis historically placed on stand-replacing fire has likely overshadowed the role of small-scale disturbances that occur in late successional boreal forests (McCarthy 2001). As a consequence, much remains unknown about basic autogenic processes, such as tree growth and mortality, as well as the role of non-catastrophic disturbances that occur under ...