PNNL

Abstract

Disturbances from insects threaten the critical goods and services supplied by forests, including wood production and carbon sequestration. We present findings from insect disturbance experiments, observations, and simulations to highlight factors that influence wood production and carbon sequestration resistance, a term quantifying the initial response to disturbance. Different disturbance sources and mechanisms prompt distinct plant physiological responses, which scale to influence ecosystem processes and thus, with time, ecosystem services. The degree and timing of tree mortality and defoliation affects the amount of residual vegetation available to compensate for lost plant biomass and the quantity of detritus serving as a substrate for decomposition. Compounding, or sequential, disturbances from insects may prime a forest for additional disturbance, further eroding wood production and carbon sequestration. Forest management practices that promote biological and structural diversity, and support the retention of limiting biological and nutrient resources, may help buffer against the effects of insect pests on wood production and carbon sequestration.