Determining the rate of change in a mixed deciduous forest monitored for 50 years

Abstract

Introduction: Trees in two compartments of the mixed deciduous forest Draved Forest have been monitored regularly for 50 years. Materials and methods: This data set was used to study the rate of change in forest structure and composition applying the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics, chi-square test for the goodness of fit, and principal component analysis. We also correlated the specific test statistics with other forest properties to elucidate the importance of various factors for the observed changes in forest structure. Results: After 50 years, the still significant changes in the forest structure and species composition indicate that the compartments have not reached the state of an old growth forest. Although some measures indicated that the compartments were approaching this stage, other showed the opposite response and even an increasing rate of change. Conclusion: As the three statistical methods contributed in different ways, we recommend the combination of several statistical methods to assess changes in the forest structure. © INRA and Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.