What Proportion of Standing Trees in Forests of the Northeast are Dead?

Abstract

TRrrON, L. M. (USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, P.O. Box 968, Burlington, VT 05402) AND T. G. SIccAMA (Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT 06512). What proportion of standing trees in forests of the Northeast are dead? Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 1 17: 163-166. 1990.-Based on 46 data sets, this paper documents standing dead trees as a proportion of total basal area and density of forest stands in the Northeast. Stands were grouped into six forest cover types ranging from coastal oak and pine types to montane spruce and fir. Over the wide diversity of stand histories, species, and sites studied, the proportion of dead trees was 3-43% of total basal area and 5-36% of total density. Montane spruce-fir stands characteristically had high proportions of standing dead trees, expressed as basal area and density. By quantifying the proportion of dead trees occurring in forests of the Northeast, this study provides a reference for evaluating overall forest vigor or decline.