Jeffery B. Cannon 

Interactions between forest disturbances may be composed of a combination of both synergistic and antagonistic interactions.​

 

Current theory about the ways in which disturbances interact emphasize the importance of synergistic interactions—for example the case where prior wind damage increases fire behavior. Antagonistic interactions—where one disturbance reduces the effect of a second disturbance—are rarely studied. In this study, I am monitoring the recovery of woody vegetation in a forest that has received factorial combination of experimental wind damage and a controlled burn. I expect to find evidence for synergistic interactions. For example, a greater-than-expected reduction in of pine seedlings when a forest is subjected to both wind damage an  fire. However, I hypothesize that wind damage and fire may also interact antagonistically such that the composition of forests is formed from the net effect of both synergistic and antagonistic interactions.