Whitney Hancock

Bio Lab @ 1300- Tuesdays

Forest dynamics in Westland, New Zealand:
the importance of large, infrequent earthquakes-induced disturbance
Albert Einstein once said Look deep into nature, and then you will be able to understand
everything better. You never know how unbelievable nature is until you see what she can do
after a natural disaster; Mother Nature will always pick herself backup and press on. For an
example after a fire a new cycle of succession begins. Succession can be described as the
ecological stages which animals, plants and land which they live are able to move back to a
returning state of relative steadiness after they have been struck by a natural catastrophe.
This article talks about how researchers studied the forest landscape in Westland, New
Zealand after three major earthquakes, and other major disasters within the last 650 years. The
second paragraph states the following about the land Much of the forested landscape of
Westland, New Zealand is predisposed to large disturbances, particularly landslides and floods,
due to high rainfall, steep topography, weak schist rock masses, and the presence of a large,
active fault (Alpine fault). Though it may be heard to believe large catastrophes can be good for
the land. The disasters in New Zealand originated the renewal of the canopy tree species; a
canopy in a forest refers to the upper layer formed by mature tree summits.
Geographically the region is composed of relatively young, weak schist rock masses that are
prone to slumps and failures. The combination of high rainfall, steep topography and weak rocks
makes the area very susceptible to erosion and sedimentation events (Andrew Wells)
Each area gave the researchers roughly a different tree and ground to analysis. The chart
below (Andrew Wells) will give you a rough idea of the area around them and what the
environment was like.

Land-surface type

Area (ha)

Distinguishing features

Stable hill-slope

77

Stable sites, well developed soil, mature all-a

forest

Landslide

100

Visible landslide scars and deposits; even-age

forest

Debris fan

289

Coarse unsorted debris deposits at base of st

slopes

Debris avalanche

215

Large debris deposits, below obvious source

Terrace

352

Flat surfaces by rivers; well sorted alluvium

Sedimentation surface

139

At base of hillsides and streams; layered

silts/gravels indicate periodic deposition

Present riverbed

170

Bare gravels and rocks in river flood range

Exposed bedrock slope

70

Bare rock surfaces beside ephemeral waterco

and avalanche paths

Total area

1412

Forested surfaces

Unforested, frequently disturbed surfaces

Did you know that trees can show us what happened in the past? According to
www.window2universe.org/earth/climate trees growth layers, appearing as rings in the cross
section of the tree trunk, record evidence of floods, droughts, insect attacks, lightning strikes, and
even earthquakes that occurred during the lifespan of the tree. Subtle changes in the thickness of
the rings over time indicate changes in length of, or water availability during, the growing
season. The researchers examined all trees from the Welcome Flat study sire that were dated back
to the year 1690AD. Each trees rings were measured and compared to the nearest tree next to it.
Below is a picture of tree rings and some of the measuring used in Dendrology

Youll find the goal for the researchers is under the 2nd bullet point under the summary;
the study area was divided into different-land surface types, aged trees on each land surface and
to identify cohorts of trees established in response to past disturbance, In order for the
researchers to complete their goal they counted the yearly rings on age canopy trees of every
different type of tree species they found in each area of the forest. This test was done to
reconstruct the history of the tree and to see what past events it endured. The only tree the
researchers were not able to test was the M. umbellate, because those trees do not have rings that
are visible.

Along with trees giving us a glimpse into the past they are also wonderful for our
environment. There are so many uses for trees such as, providing oxygen, cleaning the air we
breathe in, notifying us about season change, trees keep our streets and city cool. Trees provide
shade during a hot summer day, save water (which is great when you love in the desert), provide
wood for humans to stay warm during the cold, hard winter months the list goes on and on.
The results from the study stated that a good chunk of the study area surfaces sometime
in the 650 years were faced with erosion or sedimentation. While another part of the study
surface area was disturbed by rock slides and riverbeds. Pretty impressive that trees can hold up
that long after all mother nature threw at them.

Work cited:
Wells, Andrew, Richard P. Duncan, and Glenn H. Stewart. "Forest Dynamics in Westland, New
Zealand: The Importance of Large, Infrequent Earthquake-induced Disturbance." Journal of
Ecology J Ecology 89.6 (2001): 1006-018. Web.
"Tree Rings & Climate." - Windows to the Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.