Understanding the temporal context of interacting disturbances

Funding: National Science Foundation 
Collaborators: Chandi Witharana, James Hurd, Tom Worthley, Robi Bagchi (University of Connecticut), Audrey Barker-Plotkin (Harvard Forest)
Summary: In many forested regions the frequency of disturbance has been increasing in recent years with changing climatic conditions and the introduction of non-native pests and pathogens. As disturbances become more frequent, interactions between disturbances become more common and these interactions can greatly amplify the impacts of individual disturbances on forest health and sustainability. This project will study an unprecedented ongoing forest mortality event affecting the oak-dominated forests of southern New England, which appears to be related to the interaction of a drought and multiple canopy defoliations by non-native Gypsy Moth caterpillars. This project will evaluate to what extent the timing of disturbances matters in driving the impact of disturbance interactions.