The gap dynamics of canopy trees of a tsuga canadensis forest community

TLDR: In this article, the authors examined the correlation between canopy gap formation and the initial growth of forest trees by reconstructing the gap history of a Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr community in southeastern Ohio.

Abstract: We examined the correlation between canopy gap formation and the initial growth of forest trees by reconstructing the gap history of a Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. forest community in southeastern Ohio. We cored each tree (>10 cm dbh, n = 156) in a 40 × 90 m plot and examined the cores for release events, characterized by dramatic increases in radial growth. We identified 80 former gaps in the 79 yr sample period by clustering release events in time and space. Thirteen of the 80 former gaps coincided with the initial growth of trees. These 13 gaps were usually large gaps containing few established trees or gaps undergoing repeat disturbance. Of the 36 trees >10 cm dbh that began growth during the sample, 21 (58%) began growing inside a gap within 6 yr of gap formation-three times the rate predicted by chance (p = 0.001). We also measured the distance in time and space between the first year of growth and the closest canopy gap for each tree. We called the inverse of this measure the gap affinity i...