Deadwood abundance in recently harvested and old Nova Scotia hardwood forests

Deadwood (dead standing tree (snag), woody debris (WD; downed deadwood), buried wood and stump abundance) was estimated in northern hardwood forests of Nova Scotia dominated by Acer saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, Betula papyrifera and Acer rubum. Three strata were examined (1) old forests, (2) forests clearcut 1-2 years before measurement and (3) forests clearcut 8 years before measurement. Deadwood stocks in old and clearcut Nova Scotia hardwood forests were low compared with deadwood stocks reported for similar southern and inland forests. Deadwood was 62-88 per cent WD, amounting to 11-37 Mg ha(-1). No snags > 30-cm diameter at breast height were encountered, with snags containing just 23 per cent of total deadwood biomass in old forests. Harvesting left no snags standing, but immediately generated a flush of WD. Small pieces (< 20-cm diameter) dominated WD abundance at all sites, with a large proportion < 10-cm diameter WD 1-2 years after harvest. Although sites harvested 1-2 years before measurement contained twice as much WD as old forests, sites harvested 8 years before measurement contained equivalent amounts of WD to old forests, indicative of rapid hardwood decay rates. Stumps and buried wood were minor biomass pools.