Furthermore, the lack of structural legacies and plant competition can hinder other beneficial ecological processes, such as nutrient recharge, while exacerbating undesirable processes, such as erosion. Early seral conifer forest sites are important for a variety of reasons. They tend to be rich in structural diversity. Their microclimate is considerably different than the forests surrounding them thanks to the increase in sunlight that reaches the ground. In addition, processes can occur there that are otherwise prevented under a forest canopy, especially in aquatic systems where primary productivity increases with the increased sunlight, leading to an explosion in aquatic diversity.
Overall, early seral sites are important simply because they represent an opportunity for processes and conditions to exist that are otherwise stifled under a forest canopy.
As a result, a great variety wildlife and other species that benefit from such conditions are given the chance to flourish, enhancing biological diversity, both locally and regionally.
As an organization that promotes working landscapes, we understand the economic, ecological, and cultural significance that managed lands can have, especially when they are managed with conservation-based principles in mind.
Recognizing that there is a place for disturbances in the life of a forested landscape, rather than striving to eliminate them, we work with landowners to ensure any harvest-based disturbances are managed to reap as many of the benefits that early seral forest sites have to offer while minimizing the negative impacts that logging and post-logging management may have.
Early Seral Mixed Conifer Habitat. About Early Seral Mixed Conifer Forest Habitat Early seral conifer forests are the ecological communities that emerge after a stand-replacing disturbance as the site begins its journey toward a closed-canopy forest.
Why Conserve this Habitat? How We Conserve this Habitat. Explore What We Do Conserve Forests We work with landowners to conserve well-managed forests, building resilient landscapes.
Advance Climate Solutions We protect, restore, and sustain forests to mitigate climate change and help species adapt. Primary succession typically occurs very slowly when site conditions are unfriendly to most plants but where a few unique plant species can catch, hold, and thrive.
Trees are not often present under these initial harsh conditions. Plants and animals resilient enough to first colonize such sites are the "base" community that kick starts the complex development of soil and refines the local climate. Site examples of this would be rocks and cliffs, dunes, glacial till, and volcanic ash.
Both primary and secondary sites in initial succession are characterized by full exposure to the sun, violent fluctuations in temperatures, and rapid changes in moisture conditions. Only the hardiest of organisms can adapt at first. Secondary succession tends to happen most often on abandoned fields, dirt, and gravel fills, roadside cuts, and after poor logging practices where disturbance has occurred.
It can also start very rapidly where the existing community is completely destroyed by fire, flood, wind, or destructive pests. Clements' defines the succession mechanism as a process involving several phases when on completion is called a "sere". These phases are: 1. Development of a bare site called Nudism ; 2. Introduction of living regenerative plant material called Migration ; 3. Establishment of vegetative growth called Ecesis ; 4. Plant competition for space, light, and nutrients called Competition ; 5.
Plant community changes that affect the habitat called Reaction ; 6. Final development of a climax community called Stabilization.
Forest succession is considered a secondary succession in most field biology and forest ecology texts but also has its own particular vocabulary. The forest process follows a timeline of tree species replacement and in this order: from pioneer seedlings and saplings to transition forest to young growth forest to mature forest to old growth forest.
Foresters generally manage stands of trees that are developing as part of a secondary succession. The most important tree species in terms of economic value are a part of one of several serial stages below the climax. It is, therefore, important that a forester manage his forest by controlling the tendency of that community to move toward a climax species forest.
As presented in the forestry text, Principles of Silviculture, Second Edition , "foresters use silvicultural practices to maintain the stands in the seral stage that meets society's objectives most closely. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.
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