Floodplain forest dynamics: Half‐century floods enable pulses of geomorphic disturbance and cottonwood colonization along a prairie river

A 50-year flood in 1954 triggered significant geomorphic disturbance and cottonwood colonization along the Red Deer River, a relatively undisturbed river within Dinosaur Provincial Park. The study, combining aerial photograph analysis with dendrochronology, revealed that such floods create conditions for seedling recruitment by saturating sand and gravel bars, leading to prolific cottonwood growth. The research found that major floods produce arcuate bands of mature cottonwoods, with older bands indicating progressive floodplain development over approximately 250 years. While bank erosion and cottonwood losses occurred more gradually, the study highlighted the critical role of extreme flood events in shaping floodplain forests and woodlands in semi-arid prairie ecosystems.

Philipsen, L. J., Romuld, M. A., & Rood, S. B. (2020). Floodplain forest dynamics: Half‐century floods enable pulses of geomorphic disturbance and cottonwood colonization along a prairie river. River Research and Applications, 37(1), 64–77. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3740