Prescribed Burning White Spruce Slash in Interior Alaska

1986 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Zasada ◽  
Rodney Norum
Keyword(s):  
Organic Material ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Organic Horizon ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Mechanical Site Preparation ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Soil Exposure

Abstract Broadcast burning following harvesting on flood-plain sites in Alaska substantially decreased residual organic material and increased exposed mineral soil. Two forest types were studied: white spruce/alder/feathermoss and white spruce/alder/lingenberry/feathermoss. The latter site contained permafrost. Fuel was reduced 67% and 81%, respectively; organic horizon thickness was decreased 43% to 2.9 in (7.4 cm) and 55% to 2.5 in (6.4 cm), respectively; and mineral soil exposure was 13% and 8%, respectively. Burning created good conditions for planting on both types. In addition, mechanical site preparation to increase mineral soil exposure appears to be necessary to achieve adequate, well-distributed regeneration from seed. North. J. Appl. For. 3:16-18, Mar. 1986.

The effect of wildfire on soil chemistry in four forest types in interior Alaska

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1389-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. T. Dyrness ◽  
K. Van Cleve ◽  
J. D. Levison
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Available P ◽  
Ph Effects ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Surface Mineral

Soil chemical properties were studied after a wildfire in stands of white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), and quaking aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.). Samples of the forest floor and surface 5 cm of mineral soil were collected from burned sites and unburned controls and analyzed soon after the fire. With the exception of soil pH, effects of the fire on soil chemistry differed among the four forest types. Generally, amounts of exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg did not appreciably increase in the forest floor and surface mineral soil except in heavily burned areas in white spruce and black spruce. Fire reduced amounts of N by about 50% in white spruce, aspen, and birch forest floors. In black spruce, quantities of N were slightly higher in heavily burned locations. Forest floor C:N ratios were substantially lower in heavily burned locations in white spruce and black spruce than in unburned controls. Burning did not have a marked influence on supplies of available P in the forest floor, except in heavily burned black spruce, where average amounts were 12.50 g/m2 versus only 0.46 g/m2 in the control. Burning caused more moderate gains in available P in surface mineral soils under aspen and white spruce. We concluded that fire caused marked short-term changes in soil chemistry in the four forest types. How long these changes will persist is unknown.

Productivity and nutrient cycling in taiga forest ecosystems

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
Lola Oliver ◽  
Robert Schlentner ◽  
Leslie A. Viereck ◽  
C. T. Dyrness
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Taiga Forest ◽  
Tree Production

This paper considers the productivity and nutrient cycling in examples of the major forest types in interior Alaska. These ecosystem properties are examined from the standpoint of the control exerted over them by soil temperature and forest-floor chemistry. We conclude that black spruce Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P. occupies the coldest, wettest sites which support tree growth in interior Alaska. Average seasonal heat sums (1132 ± 32 degree days (DD)) for all other forest types were significantly higher than those encountered for black spruce (640 ± 40 DD). In addition, black spruce ecosystems display the highest average seasonal forest-floor and mineral-soil moisture contents. Forest-floor chemistry interacts with soil temperature in black spruce to produce the most decay-resistant organic matter. In black spruce the material is characterized by the highest lignin content and widest C/N (44) and C/P (404) ratios. Across the range of forest types examined in this study, soil temperature is strongly related to net annual aboveground tree production and the annual tree requirement for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg. Forest floor C/N and C/P ratios are strongly related to annual tree N and P requirement and the C/N ratio to annual tree production. In all cases these controls act to produce, in black spruce, the smallest accumulation of tree biomass, standing crop of elements, annual production, and element requirement in aboveground tree components.

White spruce artificial regeneration options on river floodplains in interior Alaska

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. Youngblood ◽  
John C. Zasada
Keyword(s):  
White Spruce ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Artificial Regeneration ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Cutting Method ◽  
Mechanical Site Preparation ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
River Floodplains ◽  
Interior Alaska

Reforestation options for artificial regeneration of white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) were tested on three floodplain sites near Fairbanks, Alaska. Survival of containerized seedlings after outplanting was above 96%, regardless of harvest cutting method or mechanical site preparation, and declined little between the third and fifth growing seasons. Establishment and survival after direct seeding on seed spots was more variable and differed by harvest cutting method, by type of site preparation, and by the use of plastic seed shelters for seedling protection. Maximum terminal leader growth, seedling total height, and basal diameter were found on planted seedlings in clear-cut units on the better site. In clear-cut units prepared by blading on one site, basal diameter of seedlings five seasons after outplanting was almost 50% more than on similar surfaces in shelterwood units. Planted seedlings on unscarified surfaces and in small scalped patches generally had similar basal diameters. Results suggested that similar interior Alaska floodplain forests of white spruce can be successfully regenerated by using the clear-cutting harvest method and planting nursery-reared seedlings without mechanical site preparation.

Weight loss of litter and cellulose bags in a thinned white spruce forest in interior Alaska

1978 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Piene ◽  
Keith Van Cleve
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Decomposition Processes ◽  
Moisture Conditions

Thinning in a white spruce, Piceaglanca (Moench) Voss, forest in interior Alaska stimulated organic matter decomposition in the forest floor as indicated by weight loss of litter and cellulose bags. The general higher weight loss in the most heavily thinned plot is attributed to observed higher average seasonal temperatures. Cellulose bags placed in the boundary between the fermentation–humus and the humus–mineral soil layers of the forest floor showed a significantly higher weight loss than those placed on top of the litter layer. This was attributed to more favorable moisture conditions and a more direct contact with the decomposing microbial populations in the fermentation–humus and humus–mineral soil layers.Regardless of thinning treatment, elements were grouped according to their rate of release from decomposing organic matter as follows: K > Mg > C ≈ P ≈ N ≈ Ca, where potassium is lease resistant. Since relatively small differences in weight loss of litter bags were observed between the treatments, similar studies should extend over a longer period in order to obtain a better understanding of the decomposition processes.

Seedbed variation from the interior through the edge of a large wildfire in Alberta

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1640-1647 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F Greene ◽  
S Ellen Macdonald ◽  
Steve Cumming ◽  
Lynn Swift
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Soil Exposure ◽  
In Fire

Despite the importance of seedbeds in the life histories of many plant species, there has been little study of the seedbeds created by wildfire in fire-prone vegetation types such as the boreal forest. Both within the interior and at the edge of a very large (>100 000 ha) 2001 wildfire in the mixedwood boreal region of Alberta, we examined the postfire duff depth and the percent coverage of seedbed types. Minimizing the effect of site and forest composition, we looked only at Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Populus tremuloides Michx. sites burned during a single day of high fire intensity. Good seedbeds (thin humus and exposed mineral soil, with or without ash) averaged 35% coverage within the interior of the fire but varied enormously among stands. There was a weak but significant positive correlation between prefire percent white spruce basal area and percent mineral soil exposure; that is, there is some tendency for conifer stands to create the seedbeds best suited for their own germinants. Fire severity played a clear role in mineral soil exposure, which was greatest in areas with 100% canopy mortality. Mineral soil exposure was far less at the edges of the fire, averaging only 5% even in areas where all trees had been killed; the burn edge was characterized by superficial flaming combustion with no evidence of substantial duff removal via smoldering combustion. In short, the areas where white spruce seed will be most common after the fire, the edges, are where the worst seedbeds in the burn will be found. Regeneration microsites at fire edges appear to be better suited to regeneration of broadleaf species, via suckering; the persistence of white spruce in fire-prone landscapes continues to be difficult to explain.

Comparative drought sensitivity of co‐occurring white spruce and paper birch in interior Alaska

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick F. Sullivan ◽  
Annalis H. Brownlee ◽  
Sarah B.Z. Ellison ◽  
Sean M.P. Cahoon
Keyword(s):  
White Spruce ◽  
Drought Sensitivity ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Paper Birch

Evidence of temperature control of production and nutrient cycling in two interior Alaska black spruce ecosystems

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
Richard Barney ◽  
Robert Schlentner
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Soil Biological Activity ◽  
Nutrient Mineralization ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
And Function

Selected indices of structure and function were used to evaluate the effect of differing soil thermal regimes on soil-permafrost-dominated (muskeg) and permafrost-free (north-slope) black spruce ecosystems in interior Alaska. The poorly drained, permafrost site displayed cooler soil temperatures and higher soil moisture content than were encountered on the well-drained north slope. Mineral soil nutrient pools generally were largest on the permafrost site. However, low soil temperature acted as a negative feedback control, suppressing soil biological activity, nutrient mineralization, and tree primary production to lower levels on the soil-permafrost-dominated site as compared with the permafrost-free site. Forty percent larger accumulation of tree biomass and 80% greater annual tree productivity occurred on the warmer site.

scholarly journals Effects of substrate availability and competing vegetation on natural regeneration of white spruce on logged boreal mixedwood sites

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola A. Kokkonen ◽  
S. Ellen Macdonald ◽  
Ian Curran ◽  
Simon M. Landhäusser ◽  
Victor J. Lieffers
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Solid Wood ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Competing Vegetation ◽  
Survival And Growth

Given a seed source, the quality of available substrates is a key factor in determining the success of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) natural regeneration. We examined the influence of substrate and competing vegetation on survival and growth of natural regeneration of white spruce up to 4 years following harvesting in deciduous-dominated upland boreal mixedwood sites. Feather moss, thick soil surface organic layers, litter, and solid wood were poor substrates for establishment. Early successional mosses establishing on mineral soil, thin organics, and rotten wood were generally favourable microsites but were not highly available on postharvest sites. Mineral soil substrates were not as suitable as expected, likely because on a postlogged site, they are associated with unfavourable environmental characteristics (e.g., low nutrient availability, exposure). There was some evidence that survival and growth of seedlings were improved by surrounding vegetation in the first years, but heavy competing vegetation had a negative impact on older seedlings. Burial by aspen litter greatly increased seedling mortality, especially when combined with a brief period of submergence due to heavy spring snowmelt. The results provide insight into conditions under which natural regeneration could be an option for establishing white spruce following harvesting of deciduous-dominated boreal mixedwood forests.

scholarly journals A Mapping of the Present and Past Forest-types of Prince Edward Island

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 504 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Sobey ◽  
W. M. Glen
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Soil Survey ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Disturbed Forest

Our aim was to produce maps showing the distribution on Prince Edward Island of five forest-types previously identified from a TWINSPAN analysis of ground flora data collected at 1200 sampling points in a field survey. For this purpose we had available two databases: one on the composition of the tree canopy of 82,957 forest stands, as determined by photointerpretation of a 1990 aerial photographic survey of the island; the other on the drainage properties of the same stands from a published soil survey. The tree canopy and drainage criteria for sorting these stands into five stand-types were chosen in the light of the equivalent properties of the TWINSPAN forest-types as evident from the field survey. These criteria were perfected in four trial computer-sortings, followed by the computer-printing of maps showing the distribution of the standtypes. These maps, which were then evaluated by comparing them with the properties of the TWINSPAN forest-types, are the first fine-scale maps of the main forest-types of the island. They reveal that, of the three “primary” forest-types, the upland hardwood forest occurs especially in the central and south-eastern hill-lands, as well as in scattered parcels elsewhere, whereas the Black Spruce forest and the wet species-rich woodland occur primarily in areas of lower elevation in the east and west of the island. The two forest-types resulting from human disturbance, the White Spruce woods and the “disturbed forest”, have a more scattered distribution, with the White Spruce woods being found especially in the central and eastern parts of the island and the disturbed forest in the west and east of the island. A secondary aim was to map the conjectured distribution before European settlement of the three primary forest-types: two maps have been produced, one showing the distribution of upland hardwood forest, the other of the wet forest-types.

A 200-Year Perspective of Climate Variability and the Response of White Spruce in Interior Alaska

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Patrick Juday ◽  
Valerie Barber
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Boreal Region ◽  
The North ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Summer Temperatures

The two most important life functions that organisms carry out to persist in the environment are reproduction and growth. In this chapter we examine the role of climate and climate variability as controlling factors in the growth of one of the most important and productive of the North American boreal forest tree species, white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss). Because the relationship between climate and tree growth is so close, tree-ring properties have been used successfully for many years as a proxy to reconstruct past climates. Our recent reconstruction of nineteenth- century summer temperatures at Fairbanks based on white spruce tree-ring characteristics (Barber et al. in press) reveals a fundamental pattern of quasi-decadal climate variability. The values in this reconstruction of nineteenth-century Fairbanks summer temperatures are surprisingly warm compared to values in much of the published paleoclimatic literature for boreal North America. In this chapter we compare our temperature reconstructions with ring-width records in northern and south-central Alaska to see whether tree-growth signals in the nineteenth century in those regions are consistent with tree-ring characteristics in and near Bonanza Creek (BNZ) LTER (25 km southwest of Fairbanks) that suggest warm temperatures during the mid-nineteenth century. We also present a conceptual model of key limiting events in white spruce reproduction and compare it to a 39-year record of seed fall at BNZ. Finally, we derive a radial growth pattern index from white spruce at nine stands across Interior Alaska that matches recent major seed crop events in the BNZ monitoring period, and we identify dates after 1800 when major seed crops of white spruce, which are infrequent, may have been produced. The boreal region is characterized by a broad zone of forest with a continuous distribution across Eurasia and North America, amounting to about 17% of the earth’s land surface area (Bonan et al. 1992). The boreal region is often conceived of as a zone of relatively homogenous climate, but in fact a surprising diversity of climates are present. During the long days of summer, continental interior locations under persistent high-pressure systems experience hot weather that can promote extensive forest fires frequently exceeding 100 kilohectares (K ha). Summer daily maximum temperatures are cooled to a considerable degree in maritime portions of the boreal region affected by air masses that originate over the North Atlantic, North Pacific, or Arctic Oceans.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document