The development of old‐growth forests in northeastern North America has largely been within the context of gap‐scale disturbances given the rarity of stand‐replacing disturbances. Using the 10‐ha old‐growth Harvard Tract and its associated 90‐year history of measurements, including detailed surveys in 1989 and 2009, we document the long‐term structural and biomass development of an old‐growth Tsuga canadensis–Pinus strobus for...

Wind disturbance profoundly shapes temperate forests but few studies have evaluated patterns and mechanisms of long‐term forest dynamics following major windthrows. In 1990, we initiated a large hurricane simulation experiment in a 0.8‐ha manipulation (pulldown) and 0.6‐ha control area of a maturing Quercus rubra – Acer rubrum forest in New England. We toppled 276 trees in the pulldown, using a winch and cable, in the northwes...