Spatial patterning of underrepresented tree species in canopy gaps 9 years after group selection cutting

2014 ◽  
Vol 331 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Poznanovic ◽  
Aaron J. Poznanovic ◽  
Christopher R. Webster ◽  
Joseph K. Bump
2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1728-1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Looney ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Robert A. Slesak

Fraxinus nigra Marsh. (black ash) wetland forests in northern Minnesota, USA, are threatened by the invasive insect, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (EAB)). A potential management option is promoting regeneration of tree species that are not EAB hosts to maintain ecosystem functions. Using an operational-scale field experiment, we examined the survival of 12 alternative tree species in response to different canopy treatments. We planted the seedlings in 1.6 ha plots assigned to four replicated canopy treatments: untreated control, group selection (0.04 ha gaps, 20% of stand), black ash girdling to emulate EAB-induced mortality, and clearcut. Fall and spring plantings were used to compare the effects of spring ponding. Control (32.9%), group selection (34.5%), and girdling (33.3%) treatments had comparable overall seedling survival. Survival in the clear-cut treatments was significantly lower (22%). Species selection, overstory treatment, and season of planting together resulted in survival rates ranging from 0.08% to 94.1%. Conifer species had low overall rates of survival (10.7%), whereas some species with native ranges not presently overlapping with northern F. nigra forests, e.g., Quercus bicolor Willd. (75.5%), had high survival rates. If growth is light-limited, group selection may be effective in promoting recruitment and supporting a larger variety of species.


1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2141-2149 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Orwig ◽  
Marc D. Abrams

Radial growth patterns, canopy recruitment characteristics, and disturbance histories were examined in a shade-tolerant species, Nyssasylvatica Marsh., and a shade-intolerant species, Liriodendrontulipifera L., to determine the influence of canopy gaps in species with contrasting life histories. Tree cores of these co-occurring species were taken from three mixed-Quercus forests in northern Virginia. Most N. sylvatica individuals became established prior to 1850 and experienced multiple release and suppression periods coinciding with logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many L. tulipifera became established during the early 1900s following logging, and only a few individuals experienced prolonged suppression periods. Regardless of site, L. tulipifera grew faster than N. sylvatica (average radial growth >1.70 mm/year for L. tulipifera vs. <0.82 mm/year for N. sylvatica.). Liriodendrontulipifera also exhibited longer periods of mean yearly growth >2 mm (15–37 years for L. tulipifera vs. <5 years for Nsylvatica). Consecutive growth <0.5 mm/year ranged from 43 to 66 years in N. sylvatica vs. 2–11 years in L. tulipifera. Ring width patterns indicate that both species used different strategies following disturbance that enabled them to coexist in these forests. Nyssasylvatica persisted in subcanopy positions for extended periods of time but was capable of responding to release even after 170 years (i.e., gap facultative). In contrast, L. tulipifera appeared to rely on a strategy of rapid height and radial growth for canopy accession following large disturbances (i.e., gap obligate). The results of this study indicate the importance of using dendroecological techniques in the study of forest dynamics and species' growth strategies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Dupuy ◽  
Robin L. Chazdon

We examined effects of experimental manipulations of vegetation cover on recruitment, mortality and density of seedlings (20–100 cm tall) and saplings (≥100 cm tall) of woody growth forms over a 2.5-y period. We created four treatments in each of three 15–20-y-old tropical forest stands in Costa Rica: a large canopy gap (270–350 m2), a small canopy gap (50–100 m2), understorey vegetation removal, and an unmanipulated control treatment. Creation of canopy gaps, especially large ones, increased first-year recruitment and density, as well as overall mortality of seedlings. Saplings experienced lower mortality and more prolonged gap-enhanced recruitment and density than seedlings. Removal of understorey vegetation had little or no effect on tree seedling and sapling dynamics. Recruitment and density of lianas responded only to large gaps, whereas understorey species responded to both gap treatments and to spatial heterogeneity within gaps. Tree species exhibited diverse regeneration requirements, whereas liana and understorey species were more specialized to the high and low ends of the light availability gradient, respectively. Canopy gaps provide a critical mechanism for regeneration of lianas, and canopy tree species that dominate during the early stages of secondary forest succession. The choice of management system for these secondary forests can determine the direction and rate of succession.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 568-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Larouche ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel ◽  
Jean-Martin Lussier

Regeneration of northern white-cedar ( Thuja occidentalis L.) is often deficient after harvesting in mixedwood stands growing on mesic sites even where browsing pressure is low. We compared the effectiveness of silviculture treatments on early regeneration of white-cedar after single-tree selection cutting (25% of basal area removed), shelterwood seed cut (50% of basal area removed), and group selection cutting (gaps of 625 m2) in three yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) – softwood uneven-aged stands in Quebec, Canada. Three years after harvesting, the combination of factors that maximized abundance of white-cedar seedlings was single-tree selection cutting with artificial seeding on exposed mineral seedbeds (68.8% of plots with the presence of white-cedar). Early growth of planted white-cedar seedlings (40 cm tall) and biomass production were proportional to light availability, i.e., best under group selection cutting (mean height increment = 14.8 cm/year, mean root collar diameter increment = 3.0 mm/year). Browsing pressure has regional impacts depending on herbivore occupancy of the area. Our study was conducted near the northern limit of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman, 1780)), and deer were locally absent, while snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) did not have a consistent effect on seedling abundance and early survival, limiting height growth only during the first year following planting.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Qiaoyu Li ◽  
Yu Du ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Juan Chen ◽  
Xiaojing Zhang ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: The landscape aesthetic service (LAS) is a crucial ecosystem service in subalpine forests of the mountain and ravine regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially in autumn; it can provide important ecological and economic value, improving the livelihood of the local people. Canopy gap acts as a key role in the maintenance of species diversity and forest stability and ecosystem services. However, the mechanisms and interactions of forest stability maintained by gap formations and LAS via gap dynamics are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of canopy gaps on autumn color-leaved tree species diversity (ACTSD), color-leaved patch structure attributes (CPSA), LAS, and their interactions during the autumn viewing period, and to provide a fundamental basis for the management and protection of subalpine autumn color-leaved forests (SACF). Materials and Methods: We used very high-resolution images to quantify gap characteristics and examined the effects of canopy gaps on ACTSD, CPSA, and LAS in 21 SACF plots in southwestern China. We then used path analysis to determine the relationships between these factors. Results: The number of gaps and total gap area were the key gap characteristics affecting LAS; particularly, medium canopy gaps (51–100 m2) played a more important role. The path model showed that increasing the total gap area along with the number of medium canopy gaps had direct positive effects on ACTSD, color-leaved patch diversity, and total color-leaved patch area, thus improving the LAS. Conclusions: Canopy gaps indirectly improve LAS in autumn by significantly affecting ACTSD and CPSA. Our results suggest that forest managers may be able to manipulate the numbers and proportion of medium canopy gaps to protect and preserve ACTSD and color-leaved landscapes, promoting the LAS of SACF, and in turn, ensuring the coordinated development of economic, social, and ecological benefits for the underdeveloped rural montane areas of southwestern China.


2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 1093-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Raymond ◽  
Alison D Munson ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel ◽  
Philippe Nolet

In mixed tolerant hardwood – white pine stands of Southwestern Quebec, the effects of group selection cutting on eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), red oak (Quercus rubra L.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) regeneration are compared to the currently used single-tree selection cutting. The experimental design, initiated in 1998, comprised three cover reduction treatments (circular gap (45 m, 1590 m2)), 25% and 35% single-tree selection cutting), two scarification treatments (scarified and non-scarified) and two seeding treatments for white pine (seeded and non-seeded). The effect of white pine seed predation was studied in the gaps and the adjacent understory, with exclosures for small mammals. After three years, scarification had a positive effect on white pine, yellow birch and paper birch regeneration but also on aspen (Populus spp.) and pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.f.) in the three cover reduction treatments. Red oak regeneration was negatively affected by scarification. Shade-tolerant species (sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.)) tended to be less present in the regeneration gaps than in the single-tree selection cutting. Considering that white pine seed predation can be critical in mixed tolerant hard-wood – white pine stands, a greater rate of seeding is recommended for direct seeding. Key words: group selection cutting, regeneration gap, single-tree selection cutting, tolerant hardwoods, eastern white pine, yellow birch, paper birch, red oak, scarification, direct seeding, regeneration, seed predation


2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 530-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt O. Reinhart ◽  
Alejandro A. Royo ◽  
Stacie A. Kageyama ◽  
Keith Clay

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