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A structural analysis of three Irish wooded wetlands
Author(s) -
Iremonger Susan F.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3235712
Subject(s) - basal area , fraxinus , geography , forestry , transect , crown (dentistry) , belt transect , quercus robur , evergreen , temperate climate , hectare , wetland , ecology , deciduous , biology , archaeology , medicine , dentistry , agriculture
Abstract. Transect analyses emphasize the differences in tree species composition and structure of three different wooded wetland tracts in Co. Kerry, Ireland. These are variously dominated by Alnus glutinosa, Betula pubescens, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur and Salix cinérea ssp. oleifolia. Stand density ranged from 16 to 54 live trees per 100 m 2 , tree height did not exceed 15 m, mean individual basal area ranged from 78 to 165 cm 2 and the average total basal area per hectare was between 3.6 and 4.1m 2 . The sites were quite different in a number of the characteristics recorded. The Irish forests were smaller in stature and denser than others in both temperate zones (Continental Europe, North America, Japan) and the tropics. Crown area indices were also lower than for other areas, ranging from 1.15 to 1.79. The height: diameter relationships may reflect the state of sylvige‐nesis of each stand. Death by blowdown appears to be less frequent in the younger stands than death by suppression. Gaps are therefore formed gradually, not suddenly, allowing neighbouring suppressed trees to develop into the spaces formed.