Revegetation following Forest Cutting: Mechanisms for Return to Steady-State Nutrient Cycling.

Dense stands of a woody, successional species, Prunus pensylvanica L., develop rapidly, with early closure of canopy and rapid attainment of high values of net annual production and nutrient accumulation. Such rapid growth following disturbance tends to minimize losses of nutrients from the ecosystem, thus promoting a return to steady-state cycling characteristic of a mature forest.