Forest Ecology. Dan Binkley

CHAPTER 7: Ecology of Growth of Trees and Forests Forests Are Small and Large, and Growth Is the Key Process Driving Increases Growth is Examined in a Variety of Ways Yield Tables Were an Early Example of Parsing Variation in Forests Across Landscapes Patterns in Yield Tables Were Explained Based on “Growing Space” Production Ecology Parses Growth into Ecophysiological Factors Constrained by Mass Balance Forest Growth Is a Function of Resources in the Environment, Resources Acquired, and Efficiency of Resource Use The Growth of a Forest is the Sum of the Growth of All the Trees Large Trees Usually Grow Faster than Small Trees in the Same Forest Dense Forests Have the Highest Growth Rates Forest Growth Peaks at a Young Age and Then Declines, but Not the Growth of the Biggest Trees in the Forest Forest Growth Changes over Time, Not Just with Age Neighbors Influence the Growth of Trees How Might a Mixed‐Species Forest Grow Faster than a Single‐Species Forest? Mixed‐Species Forests Usually Cannot Match the Growth of Fast‐Growing Monocultures When a Species Increases Resource Supplies, Mixtures May (or May Not) Outperform Single‐Species Forests The Growth of Mixed‐Species Forests Changes over Time Mixed‐Species Forests Are not Only About Growth Interactions Between Species Understory Vegetation is Important in Most Forests Mortality Gets the Final Word on Forest Production Death is Not the End of the Story for Trees Ecological Afterthoughts: Is it Better to Remove Small Trees or Large Trees When Thinning a Forest?

      14  CHAPTER 8: Forests Across Space The Three Most Important Things for a Tree Are Location, Location, and Location How Small Can a Forest Be? Forests May Be Divided Into Stands, But Not All Forests Are Structured As Distinct Stands People Engage with Forests by Defining Areas of Interest Larger Plots Contain More Species Vegetation Differs Between Locations Space Has Another Dimension for Animals Differences in Forests Usually Increase with Distance, But Not Always Location Matters Both Locally and Regionally Resource Use Varies Across Landscape Gradients Mind the Gap: Spatial Patterns of Trees Within Forests Modify Resource Supplies The Ecology of Gaps is Not Binary The Ecology of Gaps and Edges Affects Animals, and Is Shaped by Animals The Location of Each Tree Allows a Wide Range of Assessments of Forest Structure and Processes Forest‐Level Information Can Be Dissected Down to the Level of Individual Trees Riparian Forests Are Special and Important, for Different Reasons in Different Forests Spatial Patterns Are Important, Even in the Most Uniform Forests Forest Classification Is Different in the Twenty‐First Century Ecological Afterthoughts: When It's Not About the Trees

      15  CHAPTER 9: Forests Through Time Sometimes a Classic Story Comes True Long‐Term Experimental Forests Provide Knowledge at the Scale of Tree Lifetimes When Recorded History Is Not Enough, Tree Rings Can Provide a Record of Both Age and Size Dendrochronology Developed Because There Are No Canals on Mars Dendrochronology Can Explain Past Forest Structure and Dynamics Darwin's Ideas Contributed Very Little to Early Ideas of Forest Change (Unfortunately) Chronosequences Are a Shortcut to the Future, But They May Be Unreliable Strong Chronosequences Require Large Numbers of Replicates Growth Always Declines in Old Forests People Change How Forests Change Over Time Time Scales of Forests and Human Planning Do Not Always Match Over the Long‐Term, Forests Have Not Changed As Predicted Ecological Afterthoughts

      16  CHAPTER 10: Events in Forests It's Remarkable That Trees Can Stand Up to Strong Winds Tree Stems May Break or Uproot Storms Blow in with a Wide Range of Wind Speeds Storm Impacts Can Be Severe in Local Areas Storms