After one of the most intense cyclones in world history tore through the Pacific island of Tanna in Vanuatu, new research led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa showed the resilience of the island’s forests.
After one of the most intense cyclones in world history tore through the Pacific island of Tanna in Vanuatu, new research led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa showed the resilience of the island’s forests.
In the Pacific islands, climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of cyclones, causing huge potential risks to forests and the people who depend on them. In March 2015, Cyclone Pam touched down on the island of Tanna as the strongest Pacific island cyclone in history at the time. With sustained winds reaching 165 mph, Pam pounded the island for 18 hours.
A new study published February 29 in the journal, Science of the Total Environment, has documented the remarkable recovery of Tanna’s forests after Cyclone Pam. The team, which included researchers from UH Mānoa, The New York Botanical Garden, the University of the South Pacific, and the Vanuatu Cultural Centre and Vanuatu Department of Forestry, examined post-cyclone recovery across eight forested sites on Tanna over five years.
“Compared to cyclones on other Pacific Islands, Pam caused relatively low levels of severe damage to Tanna’s trees,” said UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences Professor Tamara Ticktin and lead author on the paper. “In addition, there was high resprouting, widespread recruitment of most tree species present and, basically no spread of invasive species.”
Read more at University of Hawaii at Manoa
Image: These photos show the rapid recovery of the forest canopy on Tanna, following Cyclone Pam in 2015. (Credit: University of Hawaii at Manoa)
