- Fir wave
A fir wave is a set of alternating bands of
fir tree s in sequential stages of development, observed inforest s on exposedmountain slopes in several areas, including northeasternNorth America andJapan . Fir waves develop by wave-regeneration followingwind disturbance , and is one of various types ofpatterned vegetation .How fir waves form
HashaFir waves form by the ecological process of wave-regeneration. When a tree falls, a gap in the canopy is formed. This exposes trees at the
leeward edge of the gap to greater wind. These trees are thus more likely to die from damage and desiccation thanwindward trees. These leeward trees eventually die, gradually expanding the gap downwind. At the same time, young trees start to grow in the wind shadow in the windward portion of the gap, protected from the high winds by the surviving trees. The combination of dying trees at the leeward edge and regenerating trees at the windward edge results in the propagation of the fir waves in the direction of the predominant prevailing wind. The period of the waves is variable, typically about 60 years inBalsam Fir ("Abies balsamea"). One can view these from the Appalachian Trail as it ascends the Hunt Spur ofKatahdin . Looking out to the Owl and the Brothers are extensive areas of this phenomenon.ee also
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Temperate coniferous forests References and further reading
* [http://forest.mtu.edu/classes/fw3020/wavereg.htm Wave-Regeneration in High Elevation Subalpine Fir Forests] , from Forest and Landscape Ecology course material at Michigan Tech.
* [http://www.open.ac.uk/science/biosci/research/ecology/silvertown/J_Silver/abies.htm Fir waves and life history evolution in the Adirondacks] , ecological research by J. Silvertown and M. Dodd.
* [http://tiee.ecoed.net/vol/v1/figure_sets/disturb/disturb_back4.html Fir Waves: Regeneration in New England Conifer Forests] , from "Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology".
*Sprugel, D. G. 1976. Dynamic structure of wave-regenerated Abies balsamea forests in the north-eastern United States. Journal of Ecology 64: 889-911.
*Shibuya, M., Hagai, N., Sasaji, T., Kikuchi, S., Haruki, M., Noda, M., Takahashi, K., and Matsuda, K. 2004. Stand and self-thinning dynamics in natural Abies stands in northern Hokkaido, Japan. Ecological Research 19:301. [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-1703.2004.00639.x "Article abstract"]
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