Simulation Modeling of Forest Landscape Disturbances

Forest landscape disturbances are a global phenomenon. Simulation models are an important tool in understanding these broad scale processes and exploring their effects on forest ecosystems. This book contains a collection of insights from a group of ecologists who address a variety of processes: physical disturbances such as drought, wind, and fire; biological disturbances such as defoliating insects and bark beetles; anthropogenic influences; interactions among disturbances; effects of climate change on disturbances; and the recovery of forest landscapes from disturbances—all from a simulation modeling perspective. These discussions and examples offer a broad synopsis of the state of this rapidly evolving subject.

Simulation modeling of forest landscape disturbances: An overview.- Modeling windthrow at stand and landscape scales.- Approaches to modeling landscape-scale drought-induced forest mortality.- Modeling wildfire regimes in forest landscapes: Abstracting a complex reality.- Modeling insect disturbance across forested landscapes: Insights from the spruce budworm.- Individual-based modeling: Mountain pine beetle seasonal biology in response to climate.- Southern pine beetle herbivory in the southern United States: Moving from external disturbance to internal process.- Exploring interactions among multiple disturbance agents in forest landscapes: Simulating effects of fire, beetles, and disease under climate change.- Simulating forest landscape disturbances as coupled human and natural systems.- Simulating forest recovery following disturbances: Vegetation dynamics and biogeochemistry.- Simulation modeling of forest landscape disturbances: Where do we go from here?.

Ajith H. Perera 
Ontario Forest Research Institute
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
1235 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5 Canada
ajith.perera@ontario.ca

Brian R. Sturtevant
Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service,
5985 Hwy K, Rhinelander, WI 54501 USA
bsturtevant@fs.fed.us

Lisa J. Buse
Ontario Forest Research Institute,
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
1235 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5 Canada
lisa.buse@ontario.ca