Vegetational patterns and processes in the balsam fir [Abies balsamea] zone, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Vegetation structure and dynamics of the upper subalpine or fir zone were studied in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The fir zone extends from 1220 m, the approximate upper limit of Picea rubens occurrence, to treeline (@?1450 m) where it is usually represented by a low krummholz. Live tree density in the part of the zone in which trees are >2 m tall averages 5000 stems/ha. Eighty-four percent of these are Abies balsamea, and most of the rest are Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia. Basal area averages 30 m^2/ha; canopy height averages 6.8 m. Stands tend to be dominated by discrete age classes. Tree ages range up to 111 yr (average 55 yr). Fir zone vegetation is subject to a number of processes that lead to a hierarchical set of overlapping patterns. Elevation and wind exposure produce general, or first-order, patterns over the landscape, e.g., canopy height decreases with elevation and exposure. Overlying this general pattern are a series of second-order patterns. Two acute disturbance factors--hurricanes and avalanches--have stamped discrete impressions over the general pattern. Other, more endogenously generated patterns, marks the landscape with more subtle textures. These patterns include fir waves, broken gaps, strips, and glades. A conceptualization of vegetation as a hierarchical series of overlapping patterns is an extension of Watt's view of vegetation dynamics and bears important ecological implications.