Windthrow and forest regeneration, structure, and composition in boreal forests

Abstract

Windthrow is a self-identified disturbance factor in forests, which has a huge ecological and economic impact. This paper discusses the influence of windthrow on boreal forests and analyzes the changes of tree ecosystems from three aspects of forest restoration, structure, and composition. This article combines two different experiments to study boreal forests in different regions including Europe and Canada. Through systematic quantitative review and data analysis, the main factors of forest restoration and the influence of pothole topography formed during windthrow inversion on forest structure and composition were obtained. Through the quantitative analysis of 13 boreal forest cases, the regeneration and survival of seedlings in the forests suffering from wind disasters are studied, and whether it promotes the regeneration of forests. This indicates that the soil microorganisms in the forest are the main factor that promotes forest restoration, which is also a point worthy of attention in forest management in the study of wind disturbance, the potholes in the forest experienced by the wind increased by about 10%. After the roots are uprooted, the soil becomes loose, giving the trees and seedlings good growth conditions. The terrain of each pothole is a micro-environment, which contains many microorganisms and nutrients, which provides a good growth environment for the germination of seeds and the growth of seedlings. When the growth conditions change, the structure and composition of the forest will also change accordingly. Therefore, windthrow affects the regeneration, structure and composition of forests.