{"id":{"repo_id":"the-open-u","oai_identifier":"oai:oro.open.ac.uk:54923"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/the-open-u/oai:oro.open.ac.uk:54923","repository":{"repo_id":"the-open-u","name":"The Open University","base_url":"https://oro.open.ac.uk/cgi/oai2"},"display":{"title":"Long-term patterns of mortality and regeneration in near-natural woodland","abstract":"1. Long-term patterns of natural regeneration, growth, mortality and disturbance were recorded in six native lowland woods around Britain, using a series of permanent transects/plots established during the 1950-80s. Records were made including the position and status of trees, shrubs, established seedlings, dead wood and canopy gaps.<br></br>2. The stands inherited various original-natural features and grew away from a managed state. Nonetheless, their structure and composition remained heavily influenced by past treatment and non-native species.<br></br>3. The natural development of five woodland types and twelve tree and shrub species was reviewed and four general stages of stand development were recognised.<br></br>4. The major processes controlling stand development were: (i) exclusion; (ii) damage caused by wind, drought, large herbivores and grey squirrels; and (iii) regeneration and release below part-broken stands and within/around larger canopy gaps.<br></br>5. The main structural changes identified during stand development were: (i) an increase in basal area to a maximum of c.30-50m<sup>2</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup>; (ii) a decline in stem density until understorey reinitiation/gap-phase regeneration occurred; (iii) an increase instratification, especially under lighter crowned trees and once reinitiation/regeneration occurred; (iv) a scarcity of canopy gaps until at least 125-150 years growth, after which gap creation tended to be patchy and mainly associated with windstorms and drought,though an extensive blow down was recorded; and (v) a scarcity of dead wood until stands matured and broke-up.<br></br>6. Compared to other temperate forests, several distinctive aspects of stand development were recognised, particularly: (i) the role of large herbivores in delaying and altering regeneration; (ii) the importance of debarking by grey squirrels; (iii) the potential for some canopy gaps to fill other than with tree regeneration; (iv) the persistence of the understorey in certain native stand types; and (v) the vulnerability of mature beech stands to sudden and quite extensive collapse.","abstract_html":"1. Long-term patterns of natural regeneration, growth, mortality and disturbance were recorded in six native lowland woods around Britain, using a series of permanent transects/plots established during the 1950-80s. Records were made including the position and status of trees, shrubs, established seedlings, dead wood and canopy gaps.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;2. The stands inherited various original-natural features and grew away from a managed state. Nonetheless, their structure and composition remained heavily influenced by past treatment and non-native species.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;3. The natural development of five woodland types and twelve tree and shrub species was reviewed and four general stages of stand development were recognised.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;4. The major processes controlling stand development were: (i) exclusion; (ii) damage caused by wind, drought, large herbivores and grey squirrels; and (iii) regeneration and release below part-broken stands and within/around larger canopy gaps.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;5. The main structural changes identified during stand development were: (i) an increase in basal area to a maximum of c.30-50m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;; (ii) a decline in stem density until understorey reinitiation/gap-phase regeneration occurred; (iii) an increase instratification, especially under lighter crowned trees and once reinitiation/regeneration occurred; (iv) a scarcity of canopy gaps until at least 125-150 years growth, after which gap creation tended to be patchy and mainly associated with windstorms and drought,though an extensive blow down was recorded; and (v) a scarcity of dead wood until stands matured and broke-up.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt;6. Compared to other temperate forests, several distinctive aspects of stand development were recognised, particularly: (i) the role of large herbivores in delaying and altering regeneration; (ii) the importance of debarking by grey squirrels; (iii) the potential for some canopy gaps to fill other than with tree regeneration; (iv) the persistence of the understorey in certain native stand types; and (v) the vulnerability of mature beech stands to sudden and quite extensive collapse.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mountford, Edward Peter"],"institution":"The Open University","degree_name":"phd","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2005,"date_issued":"2005","date_published":"2005","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:02:49Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mountford, Edward Peter"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2005"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2005"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["The Open University"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://oro.open.ac.uk/54923/"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["phd"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://oro.open.ac.uk/54923/1/410403.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["1. Long-term patterns of natural regeneration, growth, mortality and disturbance were recorded in six native lowland woods around Britain, using a series of permanent transects/plots established during the 1950-80s. Records were made including the position and status of trees, shrubs, established seedlings, dead wood and canopy gaps.<br></br>2. The stands inherited various original-natural features and grew away from a managed state. Nonetheless, their structure and composition remained heavily influenced by past treatment and non-native species.<br></br>3. The natural development of five woodland types and twelve tree and shrub species was reviewed and four general stages of stand development were recognised.<br></br>4. The major processes controlling stand development were: (i) exclusion; (ii) damage caused by wind, drought, large herbivores and grey squirrels; and (iii) regeneration and release below part-broken stands and within/around larger canopy gaps.<br></br>5. The main structural changes identified during stand development were: (i) an increase in basal area to a maximum of c.30-50m<sup>2</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup>; (ii) a decline in stem density until understorey reinitiation/gap-phase regeneration occurred; (iii) an increase instratification, especially under lighter crowned trees and once reinitiation/regeneration occurred; (iv) a scarcity of canopy gaps until at least 125-150 years growth, after which gap creation tended to be patchy and mainly associated with windstorms and drought,though an extensive blow down was recorded; and (v) a scarcity of dead wood until stands matured and broke-up.<br></br>6. Compared to other temperate forests, several distinctive aspects of stand development were recognised, particularly: (i) the role of large herbivores in delaying and altering regeneration; (ii) the importance of debarking by grey squirrels; (iii) the potential for some canopy gaps to fill other than with tree regeneration; (iv) the persistence of the understorey in certain native stand types; and (v) the vulnerability of mature beech stands to sudden and quite extensive collapse."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Long-term patterns of mortality and regeneration in near-natural woodland"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Mountford, Edward Peter"],"dc:date":["2005"],"dc:date.issued":["2005"],"dc:description.abstract":["1. Long-term patterns of natural regeneration, growth, mortality and disturbance were recorded in six native lowland woods around Britain, using a series of permanent transects/plots established during the 1950-80s. Records were made including the position and status of trees, shrubs, established seedlings, dead wood and canopy gaps.<br></br>2. The stands inherited various original-natural features and grew away from a managed state. Nonetheless, their structure and composition remained heavily influenced by past treatment and non-native species.<br></br>3. The natural development of five woodland types and twelve tree and shrub species was reviewed and four general stages of stand development were recognised.<br></br>4. The major processes controlling stand development were: (i) exclusion; (ii) damage caused by wind, drought, large herbivores and grey squirrels; and (iii) regeneration and release below part-broken stands and within/around larger canopy gaps.<br></br>5. The main structural changes identified during stand development were: (i) an increase in basal area to a maximum of c.30-50m<sup>2</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup>; (ii) a decline in stem density until understorey reinitiation/gap-phase regeneration occurred; (iii) an increase instratification, especially under lighter crowned trees and once reinitiation/regeneration occurred; (iv) a scarcity of canopy gaps until at least 125-150 years growth, after which gap creation tended to be patchy and mainly associated with windstorms and drought,though an extensive blow down was recorded; and (v) a scarcity of dead wood until stands matured and broke-up.<br></br>6. Compared to other temperate forests, several distinctive aspects of stand development were recognised, particularly: (i) the role of large herbivores in delaying and altering regeneration; (ii) the importance of debarking by grey squirrels; (iii) the potential for some canopy gaps to fill other than with tree regeneration; (iv) the persistence of the understorey in certain native stand types; and (v) the vulnerability of mature beech stands to sudden and quite extensive collapse."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://oro.open.ac.uk/54923/1/410403.pdf"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:publisher.institution":["The Open University"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://oro.open.ac.uk/54923/"],"dc:title":["Long-term patterns of mortality and regeneration in near-natural woodland"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["phd"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:02:49Z"}