Landscape and regional impacts of hurricanes in New England

Hurricanes are a major factor controlling ecosystem structure, function, an d dynamics in many coastal forests, but their ecological role can be unders tood only by assessing impacts in space and time over a period of centuries . We present a new method for reconstructing hurricane disturbance regimes using a combination of historical research and computer modeling. Historica l evidence of wind damage for each hurricane in the selected region is quan tified using the Fujita scale to produce regional maps of actual damage. A simple meteorological model (HURRECON), parameterized and tested for select ed recent hurricanes, provides regional estimates of wind speed, direction, and damage for each storm. Individual reconstructions are compiled to anal yze spatial and temporal patterns of hurricane impacts. Long-term effects o f topography on a landscape scale are then simulated with a simple topograp hic exposure model (EXPOS). We applied this method to the region of New England, USA, examining hurrica nes since European settlement in 1620. Results showed strong regional gradi ents in hurricane frequency and intensity from southeast to northwest: mean return intervals for F0 damage on the Fujita scale (loss of leaves and bra nches) ranged from 5 to 85 yr, mean return intervals for F1 damage (scatter ed blowdowns, small gaps) ranged from 10 to >200 yr, and mean return interv als for F2 damage (extensive blowdowns, large gaps) ranged from 85 to >380 yr. On a landscape scale, mean return intervals for F2 damage in the town o f Petersham, Massachusetts, ranged from 125 yr across most sites to >380 yr on scattered lee slopes. Actual forest damage was strongly dependent on la nd use and natural disturbance history. Annual and decadal timing of hurric anes varied widely. There was no clear century-scale trend in the number of major hurricanes. The historical-modeling approach is applicable to any region with good hist orical records and will enable ecologists and land managers to incorporate insights on hurricane disturbance regimes into the interpretation and conse rvation of forests at landscape to regional scales.