Susceptibility of Western Conifers to Laminated Root Rot (Phellinus weirii) in Oregon and British Columbia Field Tests

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Nelson ◽  
Rona N. Sturrock

Abstract Several species of conifers were outplanted around infected stumps in Oregon and British Columbia to measure their susceptibility to laminated root rot caused by Phellinus weirii. Grand fir (Abies grandis) experienced nearly 30% mortality caused by P. weirii. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) mortality exceeded 20%. Noble fir (A. procera), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) mortality averaged less than 10%. Western white pine (P. monticola) and lodgepole pine (P. contorta) mortality was less than 1%. Phellinus weirii did not cause mortality of western redcedar (Thuja plicata) or redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Apparent susceptibility, based on mortality over 17-20 growing seasons, was similar to that recorded in past field observations. West. J. Appl. For. 8(2):67-70.

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Chen ◽  
Mark E Harmon ◽  
Robert P Griffiths

Decomposition of woody roots in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. Laws. ex C. Laws.) dominated forests in Oregon, U.S.A. was studied using a chronosequence. Roots of five coniferous species were excavated from stumps with ages up to 46 years old. In order of increasing decomposition rate constant (k) the species were Douglas-fir < Sitka spruce < lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) < western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg) < ponderosa pine. Variation in the proportion of bark, wood, and resin cores was correlated to these differences. Root wood showed the highest k, root bark the second, and resin cores the lowest. The occurrence of resin cores in woody roots of Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, and lodgepole pine greatly slowed the decomposition of these species. White rots occurred frequently in ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine, whereas brown rots mostly appeared in Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce. Species with white rot had a higher k than those with brown rot. Decomposing woody roots started to release N after 20–30% mass loss, a point when the dead root C/N ratio averaged 140.


2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
A Banner ◽  
J Shaw

We compared height growth and nutrition (foliar nutrient concentrations and retranslocation rates from 1-year-old needles) of second-growth plantations on imperfectly drained, lower productivity cedar–hemlock–salal forests with those of more productive ecosystems of north coastal British Columbia. Soils ranged from deep organic profiles to well-drained mineral soils derived from igneous to metamorphic bedrock. Leader increments on imperfectly drained sites were smaller than on well-drained sites, averaging 42% less for western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), 56% less for Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière), and 32% less for western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don). Strong linear correlations were found between leader increment and foliar N, P, and S concentrations for all three tree species, and baseline foliar data for productive sites were presented. The foliar N ratios with P, S, and K were consistent across sites and indicated that many key foliar nutrients increased proportionally to the availability of N. A comparison of nutrient concentrations between current and 1-year-old foliage generally showed little difference on poorer sites, which suggested that there had been no retranslocation of nutrients from young needles within trees to compensate for low soil nutrient availability. This study confirmed the inherently low productivity of cedar-hemlock-salal forests, especially on granodiorite and gneissic diorite bedrock types, and suggested the need for site treatments or long rotations for sustainable management.


1956 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 197-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Walters ◽  
L. H. McMullen

The Douglas-fir hylesinus, Pseudohylesinus nebulosus (Leconte), is a common bark beetle in western North America from British Columbia to Mexico. Although Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, is the preferred host, the beetle has been collected also from western red cedar, Thuja plicata Donn, grand fir, Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl., amabilis fir, Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forb., and western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg., on the west coast of British Columbia, and from western hemlock and western yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa Laws., in the interior of the Province. Swaine (1918) describes Pseudohylesinus nebulosus (Lec.) as “a slender species, with strong colour-markings in dark and light reddish-brown; the male very densely clothed with stout scales; the epistomal lobe strongly developed; length, 2.8 mm.; width, 1.2 mm. The supposed female has interspace 9 on the declivity less strongly serrate, and the elytral scales decidedly elongate and becoming plumose towards the base.”


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1561-1563
Author(s):  
R. T. Ogilvie ◽  
R. J. Hebda ◽  
Hans L. Roemer

The occurrence of Oxalis oregana Nutt. in British Columbia is documented for five localities on the west coast of Vancouver Island and one locality in the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Oxalis populations grow in alluvial Tsuga heterophylla – Picea sitchensis – Thuja plicata – Polystichum munitum forest communities. Rhizomatous reproduction was recorded in all populations and flowering in two of the Vancouver Island populations. Three of the populations may be less than 3000 years old because they would have been inundated by higher sea levels during the middle Holocene. Possible introduction of plants by native people from the Olympic Peninsula, WA, is discussed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Hebda

ABSTRACT British Columbia Holocene vegetation and climate is reconstructed from pollen records. A coastal Pinus contorta paleobiome developed after glacier retreat under cool and probably dry climate. Cool moist forests involving Picea, Abies, Tsuga spp., and Pinus followed until the early Holocene. Pseudotsuga menziesii arrived and spread in the south 10 000-9000 BP, and Picea sitchensis - Tsuga heterophylla forests developed in the north. T. heterophylla increased 7500-7000 BP, and Cupressaceae expanded 5000-4000 BP. Bogs began to develop and expland. Modern vegetation arose 4000-2000 BP. There were early Holocene grass and Artemisia communities at mid-elevations and pine stands at high elevations in southern interior B.C. Forests expanded downslope and lakes formed 8500-7000 BP. Modern forests arose 4500-4000 BP while lower and upper tree lines declined. In northern B.C. non-arboreal communities preceded middle Holocene Picea forests. Abies, Pinus and Picea mariana predominated at various sites after 4000 BP. At 6000 BP Tsuga heterophylla (south) and Picea sitchensis (north) dominated the coast and islands and Quercus garryana and Pseudotsuga on southeast Vancouver Island, but Thuja plicata was infrequent. Southern Interior Plateau vegetation at 6000 BP was more open than today at middle to lower elevations, whereas forests covered the Northern Interior Plateau. Picea forests occurred in northern B.C. Holocene climate phases were: 1) warm dry "xerothermic" ca. 9500-7000 BP, 2) warm moist "mesothermic" ca. 7000-4500 BP, 3) moderate and moist 4500-0 BP, with increasing moisture 8500-6000 BP and cooling (?increased moisture) 4500-3000 BP. B.Cs Hypsithermal had dry and wet stages; 6000 BP occurred in the warm and wet mesothermic stage.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 3172-3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Hebda

At 13 630 ± 310 BP (WAT-721) Port Hardy is the earliest area known to have been deglaciated at the end of the Fraser Glaciation on Vancouver Island. Pollen and macrofossil analyses of two cores from a basin–blanket bog show that about 14 000 years ago Pinus contorta, Alnus, and Pteridium aquilinum formed pioneering vegetation typical of post-ice environments on the Pacific Northwest coast. Climate is interpreted to have been relatively cool and dry. Picea sitchensis – Tsuga mertensiana forest succeeded at about 11 500 BP and persisted until about 10 000 BP. Climate was cool, moist, and maritime. Warming at about 10 000 BP permitted Tsuga heterophylla gradually to replace T. mertensiana. At 8800 BP Pseudotsuga menziesii migrated into the area and together with P. sitchensis dominated the forest. Abundant Pteridium aquilinum spores suggest forests were open. During the interval 8800 to 7000 BP the climate was warmer and drier than at present because today forests with Pseudotsuga do not extend as far north as Port Hardy. During this warm time, shallow ponds dried out. By 7000 BP Pseudotsuga declined and T. heterophylla and P. sitchensis dominated forests. Climate became wetter and cooler than in the preceding period but not as cool as today. About 3000 BP Cupressaceae, presumably both Thuja plicata and Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, shared the forest canopy with T. heterophylla. Sphagnum growth and bog development occurred after 7000 BP as climate became moister. The vegetation sequence described is a "maritime" type similar to sequences on the west coast of Washington State but unlike those from the Fraser Lowland. The xerothermic interval was of short duration between 8800 and 7000 BP but was expressed clearly in this area of moist maritime climate and therefore must have been of considerable amplitude. Vegetation differences between coastal and inland southwestern British Columbia were established by 11 500 BP.


2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J Barclay

Leaf angle distributions are important in assessing both the flexibility of a plant's response to differing daily and seasonal sun angles and also the variability in the proportion of total leaf area visible in remotely sensed images. Leaf angle distributions are presented for six conifer species, Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl., Thuja plicata Donn. ex D. Don, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg., Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia. The leaf angles were calculated by measuring four foliar quantities, and then the distributions of leaf angles are cast in three forms: distributions of (i) the angle of the long axis of the leaf from the vertical for the range 0–180°; (ii) the angle of the long axis of the leaf for the range 0–90°; and (iii) the angle of the plane of the leaf for the range 0–90°. Each of these are fit to the ellipsoidal distribution to test the hypothesis that leaf angles in conifers are sufficiently random to fit the ellipsoidal distribution. The fit was generally better for planar angles and for longitudinal angles between 0° and 90° than for longitudinal angles between 0° and 180°. The fit was also better for Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Picea sitchensis, and Pinus contorta than for Abies grandis and Thuja plicata. This is probably because Abies and Thuja are more shade tolerant than the other species, and so the leaves in Abies and Thuja are preferentially oriented near the horizontal and are much less random than for the other species. Comparisons of distributions on individual twigs, whole branches, entire trees, and groups of trees were done to test the hypothesis that angle distributions will depend on scale, and these comparisons indicated that the apparent randomness and goodness-of-fit increased on passing to each larger unit (twigs up to groups of trees).Key words: conifer, leaf angles, ellipsoidal distribution.


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mark Brigham

I used radiotelemetry to study the roosting and foraging behaviour of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in south central British Columbia. Maternity colonies were found in hollows of dead ponderosa pine trees (Pinus ponderosa) and colony members were not loyal to specific trees. Individuals consistently foraged above a 300-m stretch of the Okanagan River, travelling 1.8 km on average from day roosts to the foraging area. There were significant differences in the duration of foraging bouts among different sex and age-classes. The results are compared with data collected in a similar manner for a population in Ontario, where, in contrast to British Columbia, E. fuscus were highly loyal to man-made roost structures and on average travelled less than 1 km to foraging sites that varied nightly. I suggest that the marked difference in both roosting and foraging behaviour is due to differences in the availability and structure of roosts and in the distribution of insect prey.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda E. Heusser

Varved, black clayey silts deposited in the marine waters of Saanich Inlet yield unusually abundant and diverse pollen assemblages derived from the coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) forests of southwestern British Columbia. The 12 000 year palynological record chronicles the development of vegetation since ice left Saanich Inlet: the succession of pine (Pinus contorta) and alder (Alnus rubra) woodlands by forests characterized by Douglas-fir and oak (Quercus) and later by western hemlock and red cedar (Thuja plicata). Rapid deposition of annual layers of pollen, charcoal, and other terrigenous particles provides detailed evidence of changes in land use during the past few hundred years: settlement, logging, farming, and urbanization. Vegetational and climatic changes inferred from pollen spectra in the marine sediments of Saanich Inlet compare favorably with changes inferred from correlative pollen assemblages previously described from adjacent parts of Vancouver Island and the Fraser River valley.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 1635-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. J. Li ◽  
P. J. Burton ◽  
C. L. Leadem

Pregermination stratification treatment was generally more important than the effects of light on seed germination by 14 conifer species and varieties native to British Columbia. Nevertheless, there were some strong species differences in the response of germination to light. Final germination percentage after 21 days (28 days for Abies spp.) for both stratified and unstratified seeds of Picea glauca, Picea sitchensis, and Tsuga heterophylla showed no response to light during germination. Seed germination by Abies grandis, Pinus contorta var. contorta, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca, and Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii responded positively to light if unstratified but was not significantly affected by light when stratified. For Thuja plicata seeds, germination responded positively to light regardless of stratification pretreatment. Light appeared to reduce germination of stratified seeds of Abies amabilis, Abies lasiocarpa, Larix occidentalis, and Pinus monticola, although stratification conditions for these species were suboptimal. The germination rate of stratified seeds of all species and unstratified seeds of most species was increased by light. Results showed no significant relationship between germination response to light and shade-tolerance ranking or mean seed weight of the species. In six seed lots of Pinus contorta var. latifolia, however, we detected a weak negative correlation between mean seed weight and unstratified light responsivity measured after 1 week but a significant positive correlation when measured after 3 weeks. Very low light levels in closed-canopy forests or in the forest floor may prolong tree seed germination but are unlikely to constrain final germination levels after most seeds have been naturally stratified by moist, cool winter conditions. The importance of differences in the rate and timing of tree seed germination under natural conditions remains to be demonstrated. Key words: conifer biology, forest regeneration, light response, lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, seed germination, stratification.


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