Synopses & Reviews
Many terms often used to describe old-growth forests imply that these forests are less vigorous, less productive and less stable than younger forests. But research in the last two decades has yielded results that challenge the view of old-growth forests being in decline. Given the importance of forests in battling climate change and the fact that old-growth forests are shrinking at a rate of 0.5% per year, these new results have come not a moment too soon. This book is the first ever to focus on the ecosystem functioning of old-growth forests. It is an exhaustive compendium of information that contains original work conducted by the authors. In addition, it is truly global in scope as it studies boreal forests in Canada, temperate old-growth forests in Europe and the Americas, and global tropical forests. Written in part to affect future policy, this eminently readable book is as useful for the scientist and student as it is for the politician and politically-interested layman.
Review
From the reviews: "This book pulls together the most imperative current original research on old-growth forests. The editors, (all, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany) authoritative and well respected for their broad knowledge of biogeochemical processes of ecosystems, and forests in particular, have assembled contributions from more than 50 other experts on old-growth forest form/function (7 are North American). ... Includes a handy geographic/taxonomic index and an extensive subject index, numerous photographs and scientific figures, and end-of-chapter references. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners." (D. L. Richter, Choice, Vol. 47 (6), February, 2010)
Synopsis
The first ever book to focus on the ecosystem functioning of old-growth forests, this exhaustive compendium contains original research by the authors and is global in scope, studying boreal forests in Canada, temperate old-growth forests, and tropical forests.
Table of Contents
Part I Introduction
1 Old-growth forests: function, fate and value - An Overview
Christian Wirth, Gerd Gleixner, Martin Heimann
2 Old-growth forest definitions: a pragmatic view
Christian Wirth, Christian Messier, Yves Bergeron, Dorothea Frank, Anja Fankhänel
3 Old trees and the meaning of 'old'
Fritz Hans Schweingruber, Christian Wirth
Part II Aboveground processes
4 Ecophysiological characteristics of mature trees and stands - consequences for old-growth forest productivity
Werner L. Kutsch, Christian Wirth, Jens Kattge, Stefanie Nöllert, Matthias Herbst, Ludger Kappen
5 The imprint of succession on old-growth forest carbon balances - insights from a trait-based model of forest dynamics
Christian Wirth and Jeremy Lichstein
6 Functional relationships between old-growth forest canopies, understorey light and vegetation dynamics
Christian Messier, Juan Posada, Isabelle Aubin and Marilou Beaudet
7 Biosphere-atmosphere exchange of old-growth forests: processes and pattern
Alexander Knohl, Detlef Schulze, Christian Wirth
8 Woody detritus mass and its contribution to carbon dynamics of old-growth forests: The temporal context
Mark E. Harmon
Part III Belowground processes
9 Aboveground and belowground consequences of long-term forest retrogression in the timeframe of millennia and beyond
David A. Wardle
10 Rooting patterns of old-growth forests. Is aboveground structural and functional diversity mirrored belowground?
Jürgen Bauhus
11 Soil Carbon Accumulation in Old-Growth Forests
Gerd Gleixner, Cindy Tefs, Albrecht Jordan, Mathias Hammer, Andreas Telz, Uwe E. Schmidt and Stephan Glatzel, Christian Wirth
12 Is there a theoretical limit for soil carbon storage in old-growth forests? A model analysis with contrasting approaches
Markus Reichstein, Göran Ågren, Sebastién Fontaine
Part IV Biomes
13 Old-growth forests in the Canadian boreal: The exception rather than rule?
Yves Bergeron, Karen A. Harper
14 Biomass chronosequences of U.S. forests: implications for carbon storage and forest management
Jeremy W. Lichstein, Christian Wirth, Henry S. Horn, Stephen W. Pacala
15 Temperate and boreal old growth forests: how does their growth dynamics and biodiversity differ from young stands and managed forests?
Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Dominik Hessenmöller, Alexander Knohl, Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Annett Boerner, John Grace
16 Old-growth temperate rainforests of South America: Conservation, plant-animal interactions, and baseline biogeochemical processes
J. J. Armesto, C. Smith-Ramírez, M. Carmona, J. L. Celis-Diez , I. Díaz, A. Gaxiola, A. G. Gutiérrez, M. Núñez-Avila , C. Pérez, and R. Rozzi
17 Tropical rain forests as old-growth forests
John Grace, Patrick Meir
Part V Human dimensions
18 Detecting intact forests from space: Hot spots of loss, deforestation and the UNFCCC
Frédéric Achard , Hugh Eva, Danilo Mollicone , Peter Popatov , Hans-Jürgen Stibig , Svetlana Turubanova, Alexey Yaroshenko
19 Impacts of land use on habitat functions of old-growth forests and their biodiversity
Dorothea Frank, Manfred Finckh, Christian Wirth
20 Old-growth forests in the context of international environmental agreements
Annette Freibauer
Part VI Synthesis
21 Old-growth forests: function, fate and value - A synthesis
Christian Wirth