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Hemlock Declines Rapidly with Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation: Impacts on the Carbon Cycle of Southern Appalachian Forests

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Abstract

The recent infestation of southern Appalachian eastern hemlock stands by hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is expected to have dramatic and lasting effects on forest structure and function. We studied the short-term changes to the carbon cycle in a mixed stand of hemlock and hardwoods, where hemlock was declining due to either girdling or HWA infestation. We expected that hemlock would decline more rapidly from girdling than from HWA infestation. Unexpectedly, in response to both girdling and HWA infestation, hemlock basal area increment (BAI) reduced substantially compared to reference hardwoods in 3 years. This decline was concurrent with moderate increases in the BAI of co-occurring hardwoods. Although the girdling treatment resulted in an initial pulse of hemlock needle inputs, cumulative litter inputs and O horizon mass did not differ between treatments over the study period. Following girdling and HWA infestation, very fine root biomass declined by 20–40% in 2 years, which suggests hemlock root mortality in the girdling treatment, and a reduction in hemlock root production in the HWA treatment. Soil CO2 efflux (E soil) declined by approximately 20% in 1 year after both girdling and HWA infestation, even after accounting for the intra-annual variability of soil temperature and moisture. The reduction in E soil and the concurrent declines in BAI and standing very fine root biomass suggest rapid declines in hemlock productivity from HWA infestation. The accelerated inputs of detritus resulting from hemlock mortality are likely to influence carbon and nutrient fluxes, and dictate future patterns of species regeneration in these forest ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the USDA Forest Service Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Coweeta Long-Term Ecological Research grant NSF-DEB-0218001 and the University of Georgia’s D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. We thank Patrick Bussell, Daniel Markewitz, Amanda Newman, Lee Ogden, Dale Porterfield, Kate Seader, and Larry West for their advice and assistance. We thank R. Cobb and C. Maier for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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  1. Brian D. Kloeppel

    Present address: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, 28723, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA

    April E. Nuckolls & Ronald L. Hendrick

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    Nina Wurzburger

  3. Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, USDA Forest Service SRS, Otto, North Carolina, 28763, USA

    Chelcy R. Ford & James M. Vose

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  1. April E. Nuckolls
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Correspondence to Chelcy R. Ford.

Additional information

AEN performed research and analyzed data; NW performed research, analyzed data, and wrote the article; CRF contributed new methods, analyzed data, and wrote the article; RLH designed the study; JMV conceived of and designed the study; and BDK performed research.

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Nuckolls, A.E., Wurzburger, N., Ford, C.R. et al. Hemlock Declines Rapidly with Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation: Impacts on the Carbon Cycle of Southern Appalachian Forests. Ecosystems 12, 179–190 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-008-9215-3

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