Description

Natural disturbances are fundamental drivers of forest change and disturbance regimes vary widely among forest ecosystems. Disturbance regimes range from frequent, low-severity, small scale (e.g., gap forming) disturbances to infrequent, large-scale, high-severity events that markedly alter forest structure and function. Disturbances also generate a material legacy that can amplify or buffer future forest response to disturbance via vegetation-disturbance feedbacks. These feedbacks can also be influenced by climate change Tom Veblen’s research on the role of disturbance and disturbance regimes on forest development was foundational and lead to a paradigm shift from an equilibrium to a non-equilibrium perspective in ecology. In this session, speakers who are former students, post-doctoral scholars, and colleagues will present research on disturbance as a driver of forest change in Northern and Southern Hemisphere forests that exemplifies the research Tom established and lead over 45 years at the University of Colorado.