Coarse Woody Debris of the Ice Storm Experiment (ISE) plots at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

The ice storm experiment was a novel experimental approach creating a
suite of ice storms in a mature hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA.
The experiment included five ice storm intensities (0, 6.4, 12.7, and
19.1 mm radial ice accretion) applied in a single year, and one ice
storm intensity (12.7 mm) applied in two consecutive years. This
dataset quantifies the coarse woody debris transferred from the forest
canopy to the soil under the different icing conditions. In this
forest, little damage occurred below 6.4 mm radial ice accretion,
moderate damage occurred with up to 12.7 mm of accretion, and
significant branch breakage and canopy damage occurred with 19.1 mm of
ice. The icing in consecutive years demonstrated an interactive effect
of ice storm frequency and severity such that some branches damaged in
the first year of icing appeared to remain in the canopy and then fall
to the ground in the second year of icing. These results have
implications for National Weather Service ice storm warning levels,
and they provide a quantitative assessment of ice-load related inputs
of forest debris that will be useful to municipalities creating
response plans for current and future ice storms. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study
(HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook
Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA
Forest Service, Northern Research Station.