What type of forest grows after disturbance?
A secondary forest develops after a disturbance removes or damages an earlier forest but leaves a biological legacy, especially soil. Fire, storms, logging, shifting cultivation, or abandoned farmland can initiate this recovery. Seeds in the soil, surviving roots and stumps, nearby seed sources, microbes, nutrients, and existing soil structure allow vegetation to return faster than during primary succession on newly exposed rock. Early colonists are often fast-growing, light-demanding herbs, shrubs, and trees. As their canopy develops, shade, litter, soil moisture, and competition change, allo
Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 2-3
