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Forest dynamics and disturbance in a beech/hardwood forest, Fiordland, New Zealand

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Abstract

Valley floor beech/hardwood forests in northern Fiordland, New Zealand are dominated by Nothofagus menziesii, Weinmannia racemosa, and several species of subcanopy hardwoods. Population structures and replacement patterns, as determined from size- and age-structure and spatial pattern analysis, reflect the effects of periodic disturbances. The differential expression of aspects of species life history resulted in several regeneration strategies for Nothofagus and Weinmannia. Frequent minor treefalls allowed sporadic regeneration of N. menziesii and W. racemosa on logs in canopy openings resulting in all-aged stands. Infrequent catastrophic landslides and extensive windthrow (e.g., 0.2–0.5 ha) resulted in even-aged stands of N. menziesii or N. menziesii/W. racemosa with little subsequent regeneration. Other hardwoods, although rare on the forest floor in dense-canopied even-aged forest, were numerous on fallen logs and in the Nothofagus canopy crowns of all-aged forests. Establishment above competing dense fern understoreys on the forest floor and outside the browse zone of introduced deer and wapiti appeared critical for the regenerative success of many species, especially subcanopy hardwoods. The gap-phase replacement pattern for N. menziesii parallels that of N. cunninghamii in the rainforests of Tasmania but contrasts with a continual replacement pattern for N. menziesii in many pure beech forests of New Zealand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Research Institute, Forestry Research Centre, Box 31-011, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Glenn H. Stewart

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  1. Glenn H. Stewart
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Additional information

Nomenclature follows Allan (1961), Flora of New Zealand, vol. 1, Moore & Edgar (1970), Flora of New Zealand, vol. 2, and Edgar (1973), Names of Pseudopanax, N.Z. J. Bot. 11: 171–172.

I am grateful to R. Morison, G. Parker, and J. B. J. Harrison for field assistance and T. Pearson for drawing the figures. Substantial logistic support was provided by the staff of the New Zealand Forest Service. Te Anau, and access to the study area was granted by the Fiordland National Park Board. J. Orwin, M. Davis, J. Wardle, P. Wardle, and U. Benecke provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript.

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Stewart, G.H. Forest dynamics and disturbance in a beech/hardwood forest, Fiordland, New Zealand. Vegetatio 68, 115–126 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045063

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