Impact of a major ice storm on an old-growth hardwood forest

Abstract

We quantified the amount of woody biomass and volume lost in an old-growth hardwood forest at Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, as a consequence of a major ice storm. The storm of January 1998 brought down 19.9 (air-dried) metric tons or 33.6 m3 of woody debris per hectare. This is about 7-10% of the total aboveground biomass in this forest before the storm and is about 10-20 times greater than the annual production of woody litter typical for temperate deciduous forests in northeastern North America. The woody biomass lost is the greatest recorded for any ice storm. The impact of this ice storm ranks among that of the most damaging windstorms and hurricanes recorded in forested landscapes anywhere.Key words: glaze ice, forest disturbance, forest damage, tree biomechanics, forest dynamics, forest productivity.