NPP Temperate Forest: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, U.S.A., 1978-1992

Summary:

Productivity of old, unlogged stands of southern Appalachian cove forest was studied and compared to young stands. Tree growth increments and allometric relationships were the basis for estimation of net primary production (NPP). Measurements of tree diameter at 1.37 m above ground were made at the beginning the study. Radial increment cores were taken from a subset of trees. Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated using regional species-specific allometric relationships for tree mass. Estimation procedures were outlined by Busing et al. (1993).

Old stands of mixed deciduous (and mixed deciduous-Tsuga) were selected for their gentle terrain, accessibility and history of study. From 1988 to 1992, seven old-growth stands were sampled with plots (0.6-1.0 ha each). The total area of old-growth forest sampled was 5.4 ha. Radial increments over the previous decade were used to provide estimates of tree diameter growth. Young stands, dominated by the deciduous species Liriodendron tulipifera, provided comparative information.

Typical old stands of mixed deciduous and mixed deciduous-Tsuga in the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Typical young stands, dominated by the deciduous species Liriodendron tulipifera, in the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, U.S.A.

The climate is perhumid mesothermal with seasonal temperature variation, but precipitation is distributed throughout the year. The Gatlinburg SW, Tennessee station mean annual temperature is 13.2 degrees centigrade. Mean annual precipitation is 141 cm. Detailed long-term climate data for this station are available from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/climate/sercc/). The Gatlinburg SW station is at 445 m asl, whereas the study sites are at elevations from 720 to 1140 m. The Alum Cave Bluffs Parking Area station at 1173 m asl is more representative of the study sites, but long-term data are not readily available. Shanks (1954), Stephens (1969), and Busing et al. (2005) have documented the 1947-1950 data from this station (http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/ds/2005/115/). Mean annual temperature is 9.9 degrees centigrade. Mean annual precipitation is 200 cm.

Estimates of annual ANPP for stands of various ages ranged from 6 to 13 Mg/ha. Stand biomass of the old stands was high for temperate deciduous forests (>300 Mg/ha above ground); however, ANPP was average (6-10 Mg/ha/yr) and tended to be lower than that of young stands (12-13 Mg/ha/yr) on similar sites.

Data Citation:

Cite this data set as follows:

Busing, R. T. 2005. NPP Temperate Forest: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, U.S.A., 1978-1992. Data set. Available on-line [http://www.daac.ornl.gov] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.

References:

Busing, R.T., E.E.C. Clebsch & P.S. White. 1993. Biomass and production of southern Appalachian cove forests reexamined. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 23:760-765.

Busing, R. T. (2005) Tree mortality, canopy turnover and woody detritus in old cove forests of the southern Appalachians. Ecology 86:73-84.

Busing, R. T. (1998) Composition, structure and diversity of cove forest stands in the Great Smoky Mountains: a patch dynamics perspective. Jour. Vegetation Sci. 9:881-890.

Busing, R. T., L. A. Stephens, and E. E. C. Clebsch. 2005. Climate data by elevation in the Great Smoky Mountains: a database and graphical displays for 1947 – 1950 with comparison to long-term data. U.S. Geological Survey Data Series Report DS 115. Available on-line from http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/ds/2005/115/#pdf.

Clebsch, EEC & RT Busing (1989) Secondary succession, gap dynamics and community structure in a southern Appalachian cove forest. Ecology 70:728-735.

Shanks, R. E. 1954. Climates of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecology 35:354-361.

Stephens, L.A. 1969. A comparison of climatic elements at four elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Data Format:

Site characteristics, stand descriptors, and measured and calculated biomass and ANPP data and metadata are contained in the file GSM_NPP.csv.

Document Information:

Document Revision Date:

2005/8/5

Document Review Date:

2005/8/5

Document Curator:

webmaster@www.daac.ornl.gov

Document URL:

http://daac.ornl.gov/NPP/guides/Busing_GSM_NPP.html