Mountain beech ( <i>Nothofagus solandri</i> var. <i>cliffortioides</i> ) decline in the Kaweka Range, North Island, New Zealand

Abstract

Abstract Forest dieback in the Kaweka Range appears to be a stage in the natural process of replacement for mountain beech. An examination of stand structure in stable, transitional, and unstable forest showed dieback and tree mortality to be associated with mature and over mature stands. Recruitment peaks suggest periodic natural disturbance, such as severe drought, initiates tree decline. Insects and disease, although contributing to the rate of decline, were shown to be symptoms rather than causes.