Cj. Peterson et Aj. Rebertus, TORNADO DAMAGE AND INITIAL RECOVERY IN 3 ADJACENT, LOWLAND TEMPERATE FORESTS IN MISSOURI, Journal of vegetation science, 8(4), 1997, pp. 559-564
We surveyed tornado damage 14 months after disturbance in three adjace
nt forest sites in southeastern Missouri, USA: upland, an occasionally
-flooded lowland and a frequently flooded swamp. We analysed three 0.0
9-ha plots in the swamp, and three 0.04-ha plots in the other sites an
d recorded the herbaceous-layer in five 1-m(2) quadrats per plot. Over
all, 30 % of the individuals and 64 % of the basal area of these sites
was blown down. However, mortality was less than structural damage: 2
0 % of the trees were dead 14 months post-disturbance, an intermediate
level of mortality relative to other wind disturbances. Damage varied
widely among species, sites and tree sizes, but large trees of all sp
ecies were most likely to be damaged and least likely to resprout. Whi
le damage was greatest in the wettest site, we attribute the increase
to larger tree sizes and lower density there, rather than to inherent
rooting instability. This study suggests that different forest composi
tion and structure may be sufficient to cause differential damage, wit
hout topographic effects. Herbaceous-layer response was more rapid tha
n in a previously reported tornado windthrow in Pennsylvania, and was
dominated by fast-growing, shade-intolerant forbs.