Pattern and process in the afterlife: Legacy effects of canopy tree distribution on post-disturbance regeneration

Abstract

Wild et al. (2014, Journal of Vegetation Science 25: 1327-1340) document persistent effects of the spatial distribution of canopy trees on the distribution of regeneration following stand-replacing disturbance in montane Norway spruce forests. The authors suggest a simple physical process for these legacy effects - the accumulation of winter-dispersed seeds in 'tree-wells' with lower snow depth around the trunks of living and recently dead trees.