Balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) – Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) forest productivity 35 years after whole-tree and stem-only harvesting in north-central Maine, USA

AbstractA series of low-volume spray treatments were conducted to study the contact and residual effect of two concentrations of the insecticide phosphamidon to fourth instar spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), on balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill, and red spruce, Picea rubens Sarg. Treatment of sprayed larvae on sprayed trees, unsprayed larvae on sprayed trees, and sprayed larvae on unsprayed trees, resulted in two principal conclusions: (a) Higher concentrations of phosphamidon (1% versus 0.5% active) accelerated mortality in all instances and (b) no statistical difference (P = 0.1%) was found in the final mortalities between treatments in which only the foliage was treated and where both larvae and foliage were treated with phosphamidon.

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A study of fungal endophytes of needles of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red spruce (Picea rubens) in New Brunswick, Canada, using culture and electron microscope techniques

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b89-431 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 67 (12) ◽

pp. 3513-3516 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

John A. Johnson ◽

Norman J. Whitney

Keyword(s):

New Brunswick ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Picea Rubens ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Intercellular Spaces ◽

Parenchyma Cells ◽

Spruce Needles ◽

Petiole Segment

Endophytic fungi were isolated from the interiors of surface-sterilized needles of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red spruce (Picea rubens) in New Brunswick, Canada. Four different fungi were isolated frequently. One species, designated X-W, was isolated exlusively from the petiole segment of red spruce needles. There was no difference in the variety of species isolated from fir needles from two sites, but a difference in frequency of species did exist. Micrographs of the interior of balsam fir needles showed hyphae occupying intercellular spaces and adhering to the outer walls of parenchyma cells. No penetration of cells by either fungus was observed.

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Étude rétrospective de l'accroissement en diamètre du sapin baumier (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) et de l'épinette rouge (Picea rubens Sarg.) en peuplements mixtes après une coupe a diamètre limite

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc81791-6 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 791-800 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mathieu Fortin

Keyword(s):

Mixed Model ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Picea Rubens ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Diameter Growth ◽

Significant Variable ◽

Mixed Stands ◽

Harvesting Time

Diameter growth at breast height of 341 balsam fir and red spruce stems has been reproduced over a time lapse of 50 years following a diameter limit cutting. The available information has been analyzed with a statistical model in which the effects of time, species (two levels), ecological type (three levels) and diameter at harvesting have been tested. Results indicate that balsam fir saplings have higher diameter growths than red spruce saplings, but only in the case of better ecological types. The differences between both species are smaller for stems having a merchantable diameter (dbh > 9.0 cm) at harvesting time. On poor ecological station, red spruce diameter growth is more important than for balsam fir and this, whatever the diameter at harvesting time. On the other hand, as indicated by this analysis, stem diameter at the time of silvicultural treatment constitutes a significant variable in the prediction of diameter growth for red spruce stems, while the effect of this variable is less identifiable for balsam fir. Even if significant, the growth differences between the two species are small. The competition created by the balsam fir regeneration on red spruce saplings is definitely not the cause of the depletion of red spruce in second growth stands.. Key words: red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), diameter growth, partial cut, mixed stands, linear model, mixed model

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FoliageߝSapwood Area Relationships for Balsam Fir in North-Central Minnesota

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/22.3.203 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 203-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniel W. Gilmore ◽

Eric K. Zenner

Keyword(s):

Leaf Area ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Tree Level ◽

Allometric Relationships ◽

Sapwood Area ◽

North Central ◽

Model Form ◽

Crown Biomass

Abstract Leaf area is an important determinant of plant productivity. Because foliage is difficult to measure directly, allometric relationships often are used to predict branch-level and tree-level attributes such as total mass, needle mass, crown biomass, and projected leaf area. Two modeling approaches (i.e., the “crown weighing” and the “branch summation” approach) and two model forms (i.e., a nonlinear model form and a linear logarithmic model form) have generally been used to develop allometric relationships. It is unclear, however, whether these approaches result in similar predictions, which of these model forms provides us with the better predictions, and whether allometric equations developed for the same tree species in one region can be safely applied in another region. To investigate these questions, allometric equations to predict branch-level attributes (mass and leaf area) were constructed for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) in Minnesota. The “branch summation” approach was used to construct equations to predict crown biomass and projected leaf area from sapwood area, dbh, and crown length. These predictions were compared to those from the crown weighing approach. No statistically significant differences were detected. Results also indicated that the logarithmic form of the allometric model was the model of choice over the nonlinear form. Furthermore, branch-level and tree-level equations developed for balsam fir from north-central Minnesota differed from those of other regions within the range of data for the trees sampled. This reinforces the need for developing localized allometric equations.North. J. Appl. For. 22(3):203–210.

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Long-term outcome of precommercial thinning in northwestern New Brunswick: growth and yield of balsam fir and red spruce

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-132 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 592-610 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Doug Pitt ◽

Len Lanteigne

Keyword(s):

Block Design ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Stem Volume ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Precommercial Thinning ◽

Minimum Requirement

A study was established between 1959 and 1961 to study the long-term responses of balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.) to precommercial thinning. Three nominal spacings of 4 ft (1.2 m), 6 ft (1.8 m), and 8 ft (2.4 m) were compared with an unthinned control in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. At the time of thinning, natural regeneration averaged 16 years of age, 8 years after harvest. Although thinning had minimal effect on gross total volume production over a 42 to 44 year observation period, actual spacings between 2.1 and 2.5 m produced an average of 360 m3·ha–1gross merchantable volume (GMV), representing a 21% gain over unthinned stands. The same spacings produced quadratic mean diameters of 21 and 23 cm, respectively, compared with 18 cm in the unthinned stands. These size increases translated to individual stem volume gains of 33% and 62%, significantly reducing the age at which thinned stands would meet a specified minimum requirement for merchantability or habitat. The mean annual increment of GMV ranged from 6 m3·ha–1·year–1in unthinned stands, to more than 7 m3·ha·–1·year–1in the thinned stands, and had not yet culminated an average of 50 years postharvest.

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Mortality Patterns Following Spruce Budworm Infestation in Unprotected Spruce-Fir Forests in Maine

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/20.4.148 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 148-153 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Dale S. Solomon ◽

Lianjun Zhang ◽

Thomas B. Brann ◽

David S. Larrick

Keyword(s):

Abies Balsamea ◽

Basal Area ◽

Growth Function ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Stem Density ◽

Cumulative Mortality ◽

Time Period ◽

Composition Classes ◽

Annual Mortality

Abstract Cumulative and annual mortality of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] were examined over a 10 yr period to follow the mortality patterns in unprotected spruce-fir forests in northern Maine. Different mortality patterns were determined based on stand composition classes and merchantability classes. In general, balsam fir was more vulnerable to budworm attack, and reached 92–100% basal area mortality and 84–97% stem density mortality 12 yr after the start of the outbreak. Red spruce, in contrast, had approximately 32–59% basal area mortality and 30–66% stem density mortality during the same time period. Balsam fir mortality started 1 to 2 yr before spruce, while spruce mortality continued 2 to 3 yr after fir mortality was completed. Higher mortality was found in smaller trees than sawtimber-sized trees. Stands with hardwood components (30–70% in basal area) had the lowest mortality rate for both species. Furthermore, Schnute growth function (Schnute 1981) was used to characterize the cumulative mortality trajectories after the defoliation of spruce and fir by stand composition classes. The models estimated the time when annual mortality achieved maximum, the cumulative mortality at that time, and the asymptotic mortality over a long time period after the start of the attack. The information can provide guidelines for predicting protection strategies and scheduling salvage harvests.

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Chlorophyll fluorescence response of red spruce and balsam fir to a watershed calcium fertilization experiment in New Hampshire

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-316 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 37 (8) ◽

pp. 1518-1522 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Richard L. Boyce

Keyword(s):

Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽

New Hampshire ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Physiological Effect ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest ◽

Forest Species ◽

Fluorescence Measurements

Decreases in soil exchangeable calcium (Ca) due to acid deposition have been linked with declines of forest species in the northeastern United States, particularly red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.). In 2005, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were taken on red spruce and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees growing on two watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire. One watershed had been fertilized with CaSiO3 in 1999 to replace the soil Ca losses of the past 50 years, and the other was a reference watershed. In March, there were no differences in any chlorophyll fluorescence parameter between sites or species. In August, however, dark-adapted ratios of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were significantly greater (p = 0.05) in the Ca-treated watershed for both spruce and fir, and spruce values were significantly greater than fir. No differences were found in the light-adapted fluorescence parameters. These results suggest that both spruce and fir respond to increases in Ca availability, even though fir does not exhibit the decline symptoms seen in spruce. It is unclear what physiological effect is responsible for the observed differences in Fv/Fm. The Fv/Fm values appear to respond to differences in Ca availability in forest tree species; thus, the ratio has the potential to be used in these two watersheds at HBEF to determine if other forest species are also responding to Ca additions.

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Management for red spruce conservation in Québec: The importance of some physiological and ecological characteristics – A review

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc83378-3 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 83 (3) ◽

pp. 378-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Daniel Dumais ◽

Marcel Prévost

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Management ◽

Seedling Establishment ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Picea Rubens ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Management Options ◽

Partial Cutting ◽

Ecological Characteristics ◽

Advance Regeneration

The physiological and ecological characteristics of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) are reviewed and integrated into ecosystem management options. Red spruce is a shade-tolerant, late-successional conifer species found in the temperate forests of northeastern North America. Its wood, being of excellent quality, is prized by the forest industry. Unfortunately, this high-value species has been in decline throughout its entire range for the past 50 years. At high elevations, in northeastern United States, crown dieback caused by the combined effect of atmospheric pollution and climate is largely responsible of this decline. In other areas, such as Québec (Canada), the scarcity of red spruce is mainly caused by forest management practices that are poorly adapted to the species' ecophysiology. Many physiological studies have shown that the species is sensitive to full sunlight (at juvenile and advance growth stages), high temperatures and frost. It also has particular microsite requirements for seed germination and early seedling establishment, such as the presence of large decaying woody debris. Hence, a management strategy adapted for red spruce should favour the use of partial cutting, maintaining some overstory and dead wood. This will emulate the natural dynamics of small canopy gaps and minimize the physiological stresses to regeneration. The ecophysiological aspects of natural and artificial regeneration of red spruce should be examined with respect to the increased use of partial cutting techniques. Key words: advance regeneration, balsam fir (Abies balsamea L.), ecophysiology, ecosystem management, frost susceptibility, light response, microenvironment, red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), seedling establishment, shade tolerance, silvicultural systems, thermosensitivity

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Biomass and nutrient removals by conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting of a red spruce – balsam fir stand in central Nova Scotia

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x81-034 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 250-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

B. Freedman ◽

R. Morash ◽

A. J. Hanson

Keyword(s):

Nova Scotia ◽

Biomass Yield ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Soil Horizons ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Total Pool ◽

Whole Tree

Data are presented of biomass and nutrient removals by conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting of 0.5-ha blocks of an all-aged Picearubens – Abiesbalsamea stand in central Nova Scotia. The biomass yield from the conventional clear-cut plot was 105 200 kg dry weight•ha−1, and the removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were 98.2, 16.3, 91.7, 180.9, and 17.0 kg•ha−1 respectively. Biomass removals from the whole-tree clear-cut plot were 152 500 kg dry weight•ha−1, and the removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were 239.1, 35.2, 132.6, 336.5, and 36.9 kg•ha−1, respectively. These removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg from the whole-tree harvested plot, expressed as percentages of the quantities of these nutrients in the "total" pool within the exploitable soil horizons, were 5.0, 2.8, 1.0, 5.9, and 2.1%, respectively. However, when these removals were expressed relative to the quantities in the "available" soil pools, they were much larger, i.e., 500, 34, 184, 306, and 95% for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively.

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