Forest damage and recovery from catastrophic wind

The literature on the effects of catastrophic wind disturbance (windstorms, gales, cyclones, hurricanes, tornadoes) on forest vegetation is reviewed to examine factors controlling the severity of damage and the dynamics of recovery. Wind damage has been quantified in a variety of ways that lead to differing conclusions regarding severity of disturbance. Measuring damage as structural loss (percent stems damaged) and as compositional loss (percent stems dead) is suggested as a standard for quantifying severity. Catastrophic wind produces a range of gaps from the size caused by individual treefalls to much larger areas. The spatial pattern of damage is influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors that influence severity of damage include stem size, species, stand conditions (canopy structure, density), and the presence of pathogens. Abiotic factors that influence severity of damage include the intensity of the wind, previous disturbance, topography, and soil characteristics. Recovery from catastrophic wind disturbance follows one of four paths: regrowth, recruitment, release, or repression. The path of recovery for a given site is controlled both by the severity of disturbance and by environmental gradients of resources. Recovery is influenced also by frequency of wind disturbance, which varies across geographical regions. To develop robust theories regarding catastrophic wind disturbance, the relative roles of different abiotic and biotic factors in controlling the patterns of severity of damage must be determined. These patterns of severity and environmental gradients must then be tied to long-term dynamics of recovery. /// La literatura sobre los efectos de disturbios catastróficos del viento (tormentas, ventarrones, ciclones, huracánes, tornados) sobre la vegetación de bosque es revisada para examinar los factores que controlan la severidad del daño y la dinámica de recuperación. El daño del viento puede ser cuantificado en varias formas, lo cual conlleva a diferir en las conclusiones en cuanto a la severidad del disturbio. Medir daños como la pérdida estructural (por ciento de tallos dañados) y la pérdida composicional (porcentaje de tallos muertos) son normas sugeridas para cuantificar la severidad. Los vientos catastróficos producen una extensión de aperturas de gran tamaño causados por árboles caídos sobre muchas otras áreas mayores. El patrón espacial de daño es influenciado por factores abióticos y bióticos. Factores bióticos que i