Long-term effects of wetland harvesting practices on productivity and carbon pools
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Forested wetlands are valued for social and ecological benefits including filtering sediments, uptake of nutrients, carbon storage, reduction of flood depths, protection of shorelines and streambanks, and provision of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat (Walbridge 1993, Kellison and Young 1997, Brady and Weil 2002). Although the importance of wetland functions are recognized, few studies examine long-term recovery rates of ecosystem functions such as forest productivity, sediment trapping, and carbon storage following disturbances in forested wetlands (Aust et al. 2006). Timber harvesting is an important commercial activity in forested wetlands and harvests have been common in US wetlands for centuries (Stine 2008). Harvest disturbances have in some instances been shown to have short-term negative consequences on site productivity, water quality, and carbon storage, but long-term patterns and relationships are uncertain.