Effects of catastrophic wind disturbance on formation of forest patch mosaic structure on the western and southern slopes of Changbai Mountain

•A catastrophic wind occurred on the SW slopes of the Changbai Mountain in 1986.•The catastrophic wind resulted in spatial heterogeneity of vegetation patches.•Divergent successional trajectories contributed to the patch mosaic structure.•The variation in soil fertility strengthened the heterogeneity of vegetation.