Short-term survival and crown rebuilding of European broadleaf tree species following a severe ice storm

摘要

Ice storms cause widespread damage to forests in many temperate regions, leaving behind many live trees with severe crown damage. Following a severe ice storm in 2014 that damaged forests across Slovenia, we examined how tree-level attributes influenced survival and crown rebuilding three growing seasons after the storm. Field sampling was carried out in four mature stands dominated by native broadleaf species. Of the 763 sampled trees, the annual mortality rate following the storm was 2.2%, and nearly all trees that died experienced >75% crown removal. Oak (Qtercus petraca (Matt.) Liebl.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa. Mill.) had higher rates of mortality than beech (Fagus svlvatica L.) and maple (Acct. pseucIuplatanus L.). Mixed models revealed that survival significantly increased with tree diameter and decreased with increasing crown damage. Although we observed sprouting across all the dominant species, maple, oak, and chestnut showed a more vigorous response than beech, and maple had the fastest sprout growth. Model results showed that sprout density and length increased with level of crown damage. The results indicate that these broadleaf forests are resilient to severe ice damage. Consequently, hasty salvage cutting of trees with canopy damage should be avoided, as many individuals with >75% crown damage are likely to survive and recover.