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General Technical Report
Title: Vegetation and Ecological Characteristics of Mixed-Conifer and Red Fir Forests at the Teakettle Experimental Forest
Author: North, Malcolm; Oakley, Brian; Chen, Jiquan; Erickson, Heather; Gray, Andrew; Izzo, Antonio; Johnson, Dale; Ma, Siyan; Marra, Jim; Meyer, Marc; Purcell, Kathryn; Rambo, Tom; Rizzo, Dave; Roath, Brent; Schowalter, Tim.
Date: 2002
Source: Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-186. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 52 p.
Station ID: GTR-PSW-186
Description: Detailed analysis of mixed-conifer and red fir forests were made from extensive, large vegetation sampling, systematically conducted throughout the Teakettle Experimental Forest. Mixed conifer is characterized by distinct patch conditions of closed-canopy tree clusters, persistent gaps and shrub thickets. This heterogeneous spatial structure provides contrasting microclimate, habitat and resource conditions probably associated with the high diversity of understory plants, fungi, and invertebrates found in ongoing studies in the Tea-kettle Experiment. In contrast, red fir forests are more homogeneous with continuous high canopy cover, cooler, more consistent microclimate conditions and fewer plant species. In both forests, annual fluctuations in available soil moisture resulting from El Niño influences on snow pack depth may have a significant influence on tree establishment and understory diversity. In depth descriptions of Teakettle’s mixed conifer may provide a target of historicold-growth conditions for forest
Key Words: conifer, fir, teakettle experimental forest
Contents
Appendix A: The Teakettle Experiment
Appendix B: Plant List
Citation
North, Malcolm; Oakley, Brian; Chen, Jiquan; Erickson, Heather; Gray, Andrew; Izzo, Antonio; Johnson, Dale; Ma, Siyan; Marra, Jim; Meyer, Marc; Purcell, Kathryn; Rambo, Tom; Rizzo, Dave; Roath, Brent; Schowalter, Tim. 2002. Vegetation and Ecological Characteristics of Mixed-Conifer and Red Fir Forests at the Teakettle Experimental Forest Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-186. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 52 p.