The landscapes of North America, including eastern forests, have been shaped by humans for millennia, through fire, agriculture, hunting, and other means. But the arrival of Europeans on America's eastern shores several centuries ago ushered in the rapid conversion of forests and woodlands to other land uses. By the twentieth century, it appeared that old-growth forests in the eastern United States were gone, replaced by cities, farms, transportation networks, and second-growth forests. Since that time, however, numerous remnants of eastern old growth have been discovered, meticulously mapped, and studied. Many of these ancient stands retain surprisingly robust complexity and vigor, and forest ecologists are eager to develop strategies for their restoration and for nurturing additional stands of old growth that will foster biological diversity, reduce impacts of climate change, and serve as benchmarks for how natural systems operate.
Forest ecologists William Keeton and Andrew Barton bring together a volume that breaks new ground in our understanding of ecological systems and their importance for forest resilience in an age of rapid environmental change. This edited volume covers a broad geographic canvas, from eastern Canada and the Upper Great Lakes states to the deep South. It looks at a wide diversity of ecosystems, including spruce-fir, northern deciduous, southern Appalachian deciduous, southern swamp hardwoods, and longleaf pine. Chapters authored by leading old-growth experts examine topics of contemporary forest ecology including forest structure and dynamics, below-ground soil processes, biological diversity, differences between historical and modern forests, carbon and climate change mitigation, management of old growth, and more.
This thoughtful treatise broadly communicates important new discoveries to scientists, land managers, and students and breathes fresh life into the hope for sensible, effective management of old-growth stands in eastern forests.
Foreword Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction: Ecological and Historical Context Andrew Barton Chapter 2. Old-Growth and Mature Remnant Floodplain Forests of the Southeastern United States Loretta Battaglia and William Conner Chapter 3. Fire-Maintained Pine Savannas and Woodlands of the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain Robert Peet, William Platt, and Jennifer Costanza Chapter 4. Old-Growth Forests in the Southern Appalachians: Dynamics and Conservation Frameworks Peter White, Julie Tuttle, and Beverly Collins Chapter 5. Topography and Vegetation Patterns in an Old-Growth Appalachian Forest: Lucy Braun, You Were Right! Julia Chapman and Ryan McEwan Chapter 6. Old-Growth Disturbance Dynamics and Associated Ecological Silviculture for Forests in Northeastern North American Anthony D'Amato, Patricia Raymond, and Shawn Fraver Chapter 7. Historical Patterns and Contemporary Processes in Northern Lake States Old-Growth Landscapes David Mladenoff and Jodi Forrester Chapter 8. Is Management or Conservation of Old Growth Possible in North American Boreal Forests? Daniel Kneeshaw, Philip Burton, Louis De Grandpre, Sylvie Gauthier, and Yan Boulanger Chapter 9. Forest-Stream Interactions in Eastern Old-Growth Forests Dana Warren, William Keeton, Heather Bechtold, and Clifford Kraft Chapter 10. Belowground Ecology and Dynamics in Eastern Old-Growth Forests Timothy Fahey Chapter 11. Biological Diversity in Eastern Old Growth Gregory McGee Chapter 12. Eastern Old-Growth Forests under Threat: Changing Dynamics due to Invasive Organisms John Gunn and David Orwig Chapter 13. Silviculture for Eastern Old Growth in the Context of Global Change William Keeton, Craig Lorimer, Brain Palik, and Frederik Doyon Chapter 14. Source or Sink? Carbon Dynamics in Eastern Old-Growth Forests and Their Role in Climate Change Mitigation William Keeton Chapter 15. Conclusion: Past, Present, and Future of Old-Growth Forests in the East William Keeton and Andrew Barton
Glossary Contributors About the Editors Index
"Finally, a much-needed, up-to-date treatise on the state of old-growth forests in the East. All forest stakeholders should read this book."
