Table 2 Description of the stand-replaced and undisturbed ageing forests’ processes derived from 100-m resolution data
From: Global covariation of forest age transitions with the net carbon balance
Stand-replaced forests | Undisturbed ageing forests | |
|---|---|---|
Process description | Stand-replaced forests emerge from substantial disturbances, resetting forest age and undergoing regrowth. Following disturbance, structural growth (biomass accumulation, canopy development) can be rapid in young forests. | Undisturbed ageing forests include forests that have not experienced stand-replacing disturbances but may be subject to stable management practices such as thinning. These practices do not involve resetting the stand age. |
Forest age transition | Forests experience an age difference of less than ten years derived from 100-m resolution data, indicating stand-replacement followed by regrowth between 2010 and 2020. Before disturbance, these forests could have been young, maturing, mature or old, but after the stand-replacement event, they were reset to young stands and began regrowth. | For undisturbed forests between 2010 and 2020, a uniform ten-year age increase derived from 100-m resolution data is assumed. This category includes naturally ageing forests planted before 2010 and forests regenerating from pre-2010 disturbances. |
