2021 Volume 103 Issue 4 Pages 291-296
The mortality rate of forest trees is an important parameter in a forest ecosystem carbon dynamic because it determines the amount of leaves and tree litter that are related to photosynthesis and decomposition, respectively. However, few data are available on the mortality rate in weight. In the present study, the mortality rates were assessed in a deciduous broadleaf forest in northern Japan, where the dominant tree species was transitioning from birch to oak. The mortality rates rose after the disturbance caused by a typhoon in 2004. The mortality rates differed depending on the damage degree for several years after the disturbance. The mortality rate in weight was lower than that in number or to the same degree in most periods. However, the mortality rate in weight was higher than that in number when the mass mortality of large trees was caused by the natural processes of death as well as disturbance.
