scholarly journals Height Development of Upper-Canopy Trees Within Even-Aged Adirondack Northern Hardwood Stands

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Nyland ◽  
David G. Ray ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Canopy Trees

Abstract Knowledge of the relative rates of height growth among species is necessary for predicting developmental patterns in even-aged northern hardwood stands. To quantify these relationships, we used stem analysis to reconstruct early height growth patterns of dominant and codominant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), and America beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) trees. We used three stands (aged 19, 24, and 29 years) established by shelterwood method cutting preceded by an understory herbicide treatment. We analyzed 10 trees of each species per stand. Height growth was similar across stands, allowing us to develop a single equation for each species. Our data show that yellow birch had the most rapid height growth up to approximately age 10. Both sugar maple and white ash grew more rapidly than yellow birch beyond that point. Beech consistently grew the slowest. White ash had a linear rate of height growth over the 29-year period, while the other species declined in their growth rates. By age 29, the heights of main canopy trees ranged from 38 ft for beech to 51 ft for white ash. Both yellow birch and sugar maple averaged 46 ft tall at that time. By age 29, the base of the live crown had reached 17, 20, 21, and 26 ft for beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, and white ash, respectively. Live–crown ratios of upper-canopy trees did not differ appreciably among species and remained at approximately 40% for the ages evaluated. These results suggest that eliminating advance regeneration changes the outcome of competition to favor species other than beech. North. J. Appl. For. 21(3):117–122.

Calcium and magnesium in wood of northern hardwood forest species: relations to site characteristics

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Arthur ◽  
T G Siccama ◽  
R D Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Improving estimates of the nutrient content of boles in forest ecosystems requires more information on how the chemistry of wood varies with characteristics of the tree and site. We examined Ca and Mg concentrations in wood at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Species examined were the dominant tree species of the northern hardwood forest and the spruce-fir forest. The concentrations of Ca and Mg, respectively, in lightwood of these species, mass weighted by elevation, were 661 and 145 µg/g for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), 664 and 140 µg/g for American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), 515 and 93 µg/g for yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), 525 and 70 µg/g for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), 555 and 118 µg/g for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and 393 and 101 µg/g for white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.). There were significant patterns in Ca and Mg concentrations with wood age. The size of the tree was not an important source of variation. Beech showed significantly greater concentrations of both Ca (30%) and Mg (33%) in trees growing in moist sites relative to drier sites; sugar maple and yellow birch were less sensitive to mesotopography. In addition to species differences in lightwood chemistry, Ca and Mg concentrations in wood decreased with increasing elevation, coinciding with a pattern of decreasing Ca and Mg in the forest floor. Differences in Ca and Mg concentration in lightwood accounted for by elevation ranged from 12 to 23% for Ca and 16 to 30% for Mg for the three northern hardwood species. At the ecosystem scale, the magnitude of the elevational effect on lightwood chemistry, weighted by species, amounts to 18% of lightwood Ca in the watershed and 24% of lightwood Mg but only 2% of aboveground biomass Ca and 7% of aboveground Mg.

Modeling tree regeneration height growth after an experimental hurricane

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 2003-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ann Fajvan ◽  
Audrey Barker Plotkin ◽  
David R Foster
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Species Specific

Annual height growth rates for six species of tree seedlings were modeled during the first 10 years of cohort initiation following an experimental hurricane in central Massachusetts. Selected canopy trees in a second-growth, transition oak – northern hardwoods forest were pulled over with a winch in a 50 m × 160 m area. Regeneration height growth did not follow the species-specific patterns anticipated if the disturbance had been stand replacing. Instead, the temporal increase in shade from crown expansion and sprouting of residual trees slowed cohort development and resulted in a variety of annual height growth patterns among species. Height development was followed separately for advance regeneration and new seedlings of red maple white ash, black cherry, black and yellow birch, paper birch, and red oak. All species had increasing height growth rates for 3 years followed by either decreasing or unchanged (flat) rates except red maple and ash advance regeneration, which had increasing rates throughout the measurement period. After 10 years, black and yellow birch, and red maple are the most numerous species and compose the majority of the tallest regeneration. Red oaks, which dominated the original stand, are few and unlikely to emerge to the canopy of the new cohort.

Allometric equations for young northern hardwoods: the importance of age-specific equations for estimating aboveground biomass

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah R. Fatemi ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Mary A. Arthur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Estimates of aboveground biomass and nutrient stocks are commonly derived using equations that describe tree dimensional relationships. Despite the widespread use of this approach, there is little information about whether equations specific to stand age are necessary for accurate biomass predictions. We developed equations for small trees (2–12 cm diameter) of six species in four young northern hardwood stands. We then compared our equations with equations used frequently in the literature that were developed in mature stands (Whittaker et al. 1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252). Our equations for yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) predicted 11%–120% greater stem wood for individual trees compared with the equations from Whittaker et al. and, on average, 50% greater aboveground yellow birch biomass in the four stands that we studied. Differences were less pronounced for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.); our equations predicted, on average, 9% greater aboveground stand biomass for sugar maple and 3% lower biomass for American beech compared with Whittaker et al. Our results suggest that stand age may be an important factor influencing the aboveground allometry and biomass of small yellow birch trees in these developing northern hardwood stands.

Growth and morphological responses of yellow birch, sugar maple, and beech seedlings growing under a natural light gradient

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1007-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Stem Length ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Morphological Response ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Light Gradient ◽  
Morphological Responses

Height and lateral growth, biomass distribution, leaf morphology, and crown architecture were studied in yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) seedlings growing under 1-50% of above-canopy light in a sugar maple stand, in Quebec. All three species showed increasing growth with increasing light, but growth of yellow birch was higher and more responsive than that of sugar maple and beech. All three species showed typical sun-shade morphological responses, such as decreasing specific leaf area and leaf area ratio, and increasing leaf area index, with increasing light availability. Sugar maple was morphologically more plastic than the other species. It showed variations in biomass allocation to leaves and branches, a decrease in branch length to seedling height ratio, and a marked increase in the ratio of leaf area to stem length. Although our results clearly demonstrate the ability of these three species to modify several of their morphological features in response to variations in light, they do not show a clear relationship between species shade tolerance and morphological response to light variations. We suggest that species-specific developmental patterns may act as important constraints to morphological acclimation to light variation.

Leaf- and plant-level carbon gain in yellow birch, sugar maple, and beech seedlings from contrasting forest light environments

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
David W Hilbert ◽  
Ernest Lo ◽  
Zhang M Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Leaf Level ◽  
Plant Level

Leaf-level photosynthetic-light response and plant-level daily carbon gain were estimated for seedlings of moderately shade-tolerant yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) growing in gaps and under a closed canopy in a sugar maple stand at Duchesnay, Que. All three species had a higher photosynthetic capacity (Amax) in the gaps than in shade, but yellow birch and beech responded more markedly than sugar maple to the increase in light availability. The high degree of plasticity observed in beech suggests that the prediction that photosynthetic plasticity should decrease with increasing shade tolerance may not hold when comparisons are made among a few late-successional species. Unit-area daily carbon gain (CA) was significantly higher in the gaps than in shade for all three species, but no significant difference was observed between light environments for plant-level carbon gain (CW). In shade, we found no difference of CA and CW among species. In gaps, beech had a significantly higher CA than sugar maple but similar to that of birch, and birch had a significantly higher CW than maple but similar to that of beech. Sugar maple consistently had lower carbon gains than yellow birch and beech but is nevertheless the dominant species at our study site. These results indicate that although plant-level carbon gain is presumably more closely related to growth and survival of a species than leaf-level photosynthesis, it is still many steps removed from the ecological success of a species.

Identifying roots of northern hardwood species: patterns with diameter and depth

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 2862-2869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Melany C. Fisk ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Natalie L. Cleavitt ◽  
Byung B. Park
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Diagnostic Characteristics ◽  
Significant Difference

Forest canopies are often stratified by species; little is known about the depth distribution of tree roots in mixed stands because they are not readily identified by species. We used diagnostic characteristics of wood anatomy and gross morphology to distinguish roots by species and applied these methods to test for differences in the rooting depth of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), and yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) in two northern hardwood forests. We also distinguished hobblebush ( Viburnum lantanoides Michx.) and white ash ( Fraxinus americana L.) roots. Analysis of plastid DNA fragment lengths confirmed that 90% of the roots were correctly identified. The vertical distribution of fine roots of these species differed by 2–4 cm in the median root depth (P = 0.03). There was a significant difference in the distribution of roots by size class, with fine roots (0–2 mm) being more concentrated near the soil surface than coarser roots (2–5 mm; P = 0.004). The two sites differed by <2 cm in median rooting depths (P = 0.02). The visual identification of roots for the main tree species in the northern hardwood forest allows species-specific questions to be posed for belowground processes.

scholarly journals In situ decomposition of northern hardwood tree boles: decay rates and nutrient dynamics in wood and bark

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1515-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris E. Johnson ◽  
Thomas G. Siccama ◽  
Ellen G. Denny ◽  
Mary Margaret Koppers ◽  
Daniel J. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Exponential Model ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Clear Cutting

The decomposition of coarse woody debris contributes to forest nutrient sustainability and carbon (C) balances, yet few field studies have been undertaken to investigate these relationships in northern hardwood forests. We used a paired-sample approach to study the decomposition of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), American beech (Fagus grandifolia Erhr.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) boles at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. Mass loss over 16 years followed a first-order exponential decay pattern with half-lives ranging from 4.9 to 9.4 years in bark and from 7.3 to 10.9 years in wood. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations increased significantly during decomposition, resulting in sharp decreases in C:N and C:P ratios. We did not, however, observe significant net increases in the amount of N or P stored in decomposing boles, as reported in some other studies. Calcium (Ca) concentration decreased by up to 50% in bark but more than doubled in wood of all species. The retention of Ca in decomposing wood helps maintain Ca pools in this base-poor ecosystem. Together, the exponential model for mass loss and a combined power-exponential model for changes in nutrient concentrations were able to simulate nutrient dynamics in decomposing boles after clear-cutting in an adjacent watershed.

scholarly journals Validation and refinement of allometric equations for roots of northern hardwoods

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1777-1783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Mean Error

The allometric equations developed by Whittaker et al. (1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest have been used to estimate biomass and productivity in northern hardwood forest systems for over three decades. Few other species-specific allometric estimates of belowground biomass are available because of the difficulty in collecting the data, and such equations are rarely validated. Using previously unpublished data from Whittaker’s sampling effort, we extended the equations to predict the root crown and lateral root components for the three dominant species of the northern hardwood forest: American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt), and sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.). We also refined the allometric models by eliminating the use of very small trees for which the original data were unreliable. We validated these new models of the relationship of tree diameter to the mass of root crowns and lateral roots using root mass data collected from 12 northern hardwood stands of varying age in central New Hampshire. These models provide accurate estimates of lateral roots (<10 cm diameter) in northern hardwood stands >20 years old (mean error 24%–32%). For the younger stands that we studied, allometric equations substantially underestimated observed root biomass (mean error >60%), presumably due to remnant mature root systems from harvested trees supporting young root-sprouted trees.

Regeneration of Northern Hardwoods in the Northeast with the Shelterwood Method

1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter R. Hannah
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Additional Treatment ◽  
Northern Hardwoods ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Soil Scarification ◽  
Preferred Species

Abstract Study plots (1/4 ac) were located in four northern hardwood stands in Vermont, and shelterwood canopy covers of 40, 60, 80, and 100%, and a control (no cutting) were established. Regeneration on small plots within the treated areas was sampled over a 3-year period and the composition of saplings determined after 6 years. While there were substantial increases in amount of regeneration under most canopy covers, there was no significant differences due to treatment. Some important trends, however, were evident. Sugar maple showed some increase in seedling density under most canopy densities with up to 68,000 new sugar maple seedlings per acre under 60% canopy cover. Yellow birch did best under 40 to 80% canopy cover and with good soil scarification. White ash increased under most densities but was best at about 80% canopy cover. Competitors, beech, striped maple, and hobblebush, increased under most densities. At about 60% canopy cover and less, raspberries and blackberries, pin cherry, and other shade-intolerant species increase in abundance. Among regeneration less than 3 ft all after 3 years, preferred species outnumbered less preferred species by 5 to 1. Among regeneration over 3 ft tall when examined 6 years after treatment, the less preferred species, on average, outnumber preferred species by 2 to 1 (sugar maple 0-3430/ac, yellow birch 0-1920/ac, beech 200-2220/ac and striped maple 0-3130/ac). Most beech regeneration seemed to arise as root suckers. Small striped maple grew rapidly and assumed dominance among the regeneration when released. Northern hardwoods have diverse composition in the overstory, and much of the regeneration tallied after 3 years was already in place when the shelterwood cuts were made. Advanced regeneration as well as new regeneration is the key to success, or failure, if it is predominantly undesirable species. In implementing a shelterwood in northern hardwoods, 60 to 80% canopy cover seems good for most species. All trees below the main canopy should be cut to create a high canopy shade. Undesirable species should be controlled by cutting or possibly herbicides before or when the stand is cut, with additional treatment as necessary to maintain desired composition. North. J. Appl. For. 8(3):99-104.

scholarly journals Environmental controls of the northern distribution limit of yellow birch in eastern Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 720-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Drobyshev ◽  
Marc-Antoine Guitard ◽  
Hugo Asselin ◽  
Aurélie Genries ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Distribution Limit ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Canopy Trees ◽  
Northern Distribution

To evaluate environmental controls of yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) distribution at its northern distribution limit in eastern Canada, we analyzed abundance, age structure, biomass accumulation rate, and growth sensitivity to climate of this species at 14 sites along a 200 km latitudinal gradient spanning three bioclimatic domains and reaching frontier populations of this species in western Quebec. We observed a large variability in seedling density across domains and presence of sites with abundant yellow birch regeneration within all three bioclimatic domains. Seedling density was positively correlated to mean age and abundance of yellow birch trees in the canopy, while sapling density was positively associated with dryer habitats. Growth patterns of canopy trees showed no effect of declining temperatures along the south–north gradient. Environmental controls of birch distribution at its northern limit were realized through factors affecting birch regeneration and not growth of canopy trees. At the stand scale, regeneration density was strongly controlled by local site conditions and not by differences in climate among sites. At the regional scale, climate variability could be an indirect driver of yellow birch distribution, affecting disturbance rates and, subsequently, availability of suitable sites for regeneration.

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