Data and analysis code for \"Forest recovery following extreme drought in California, USA: natural patterns and effects of pre-drought management\"

This repository contains data and code for the paper \"Forest recovery following extreme drought in California, USA: natural patterns and effects of pre-drought management\" by Young et al., published in Ecological Applications. The abstract of the paper is as follows.

Rising temperatures and more frequent and severe droughts are driving increases in tree mortality in forests around the globe. However, in many cases, the likely trajectories of forest recovery following drought-related mortality are poorly understood. In many fire-suppressed western U.S. forests, management is applied to reverse densification and restore natural forest structure and composition, but it is unclear how such management affects post-mortality recovery. We addressed these uncertainties by examining forest stands that experienced mortality during the severe drought of 2012-2016 in California, USA. We surveyed post-drought vegetation along a gradient of overstory mortality severity in paired treated (mechanica...