Long‐Term Vegetation Dynamics and Disturbance History of a Tsuga‐Dominated Forest in New England

Abstract

The post—glacial history of two adjacent sites in the Harvard Forest, a 10—ha swamp (Black Gum Swamp) and a 0.006—ha hollow (Hemlock Hollow) in a Tsuga canadensis forest were investigated using pollen analysis. The sites were selected in order to contrast the regional vegetation history revealed from the swamp sediments with the local history of the Tsuga forest reconstructed from the Hollow sediments. Specific objective were (1) to document the natural and anthropogenic disturbance history, (2) to examine the long—term vegetation dynamics of the two sites resulting from environmental change, species migration, and disturbance, especially with respect to Tsuga, and (3) to contrast the pre— and post—settlement vegetation and environments. The Swamp and Hollow cores contain continuous sediment records covering the past 12 300 and 9500 yr, respectively. Regional vegetation changes are delimited in six pollen zones: I, Herb zone (12 500—11 800 yr BP); II, Picea zone (11 800—9500 yr BP); III, Pinus—Quercus zone (9350—8350 yr BP); IV, Tsuga—northern hardwoods zone (8350—1750 yr BP); V, Tsuga—Castanea—hardwoods zone (1750—200 yr BP); and, VI Post—settlement zone (200 yr BP—present). No disturbances are detected in the periods of tundra or boreal vegetation from 12 500 to 8 350 yr BP. Since 8350 yr BP three distinct disturbance processes are detectable: (1) fires recorded in discrete charcoal horizons, (2) the apparent pathogenic decline of Tsuga (4700—3500 yr BP) and the blight of Castanea (° 1915 A.D.), and (3) post—settlement forest cutting, burning, land clearance, and cultivation (1750 A.D. to present). Log—ratio diagrams facilitate the differentiation of local vegetation history in the Tsuga forest from the regional upland history. Tsuga has been the dominant taxon at the Hollow for the last 8000 yr although its abundance has fluctuated with disturbance. Tsuga, Ulmus, Populus, Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Betula, and Castanea apparently are more abundant locally than in the regional vegetation, which has a larger component of Pinus, Quercus, and Carya. Post—disturbance vegetation dynamics in the Tsuga forest are controlled by the type and intensity of disturbance and the pool of available species, determined by species migration and climate change. Tsuga decreases and subsequently recovers in 300—1200 yr following most disturbances. Northern hardwood taxa (Acer saccharum, Fagus, Betula spp., Ulmus, Fraxinus) generally decrease after fire and human activity and recover with Tsuga. For the period 8000—3000 yr BP Pinus, Quercus, and occasionally Populus and Nyssa increase following fire and the Tsuga decline at 4700 yr BP. However, since its immigration at °3000 yr BP Castanea has been the major species to increase upon disturbance of the Tsuga—northern hardwood forest. The study documents the long—term dominance of a forest stand by Tsuga canadensis and northern hardwood species despite repeated infrequent disturbances. The ability of these taxa to gradually reassume their former abundance following disturbance is presumably a consequence of their shade tolerance and longevity and the low frequency of disturbance.