Fragmentation impacts on temperate forest structure and productivity
L. L. MORREALE, J. R. THOMPSON, X. TANG, A. B. REINMANN, AND L. R. HUTYRA
Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.

Deforestation is a critical impact of land-use change, not solely through the forUTYRAest that is lost, but also for its effects on the forest fragments that remain. Fundamental constraints on forest growth and carbon cycling are altered near edges relative to interior forests, with increases in light availability, temperature, wind, and reactive nitrogen deposition, as well as altered water availability.

Recent site-based research studies have found increases in basal area (BA; a measure of forest structure highly correlated with biomass) and basal area increment (BAI; a measure of forest growth/productivity) at temperate forest edges. Using the US national forest inventory (FIA)3, we examined forest edges across the northeastern US and explore the implications for regional forest productivity estimates.