Catastrophic windthrow in Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario

Catastrophic windthrow has not been quantitatively documented within a Cana dian forest. Here, we report the effects of a major windstorm on a mature S ugar Maple - American Beech - Red Oak woodland at Rondeau Provincial Park, during July, 1998. Based on point-quarter sampling, we document blowdown of greater than 50% of trees, a decline in mean diameter at breast height fro m 37.1 to 23.0 cm, and dramatic changes in the size class distribution. We discuss a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors that account for the severity of the storm's effects and consider potential regeneration pathwa ys, particularly given continued intense grazing by White-tailed Deer.