Patterns of rhizosphere carbon flux in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis) saplings

Research Highlights: In central Ontario, large quantities of non-industrial wood ash (NIWA) are generated and could be used as a forest soil amendment to counteract soil acidification and base cation depletion caused by decades of acid deposition. Background and Objectives: The properties and biogeochemical responses of NIWA have not been thoroughly explored, and field experiments must be conducted before NIWA can be regulated as a forest soil amendment in Ontario. Materials and Methods: In this study, soil chemistry and sugar maple (Acer saccharum, Marsh.) seedling growth and chemistry were measured in an acidic sugar bush over twelve months following a NIWA field experiment. Plots (2 m by 2 m) were established with sugar maple, white pine (Pinus strobus L.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) NIWA treatments applied at rates of 6 Mg ha−1 along with untreated control plots. Results: Ash chemistry varied significantly among species and yellow birch ash generally had much higher metal concentrations compared with other species. Following ash application, significant increases in soil pH and calcium and magnesium concentrations were observed, however the level of response varied by treatment. Foliar concentrations of base cations in sugar maple seedlings significantly increased in ash treatments and there was no significant treatment effect on foliar metal concentrations or seedling growth. In roots and shoots, concentrations of several metals (manganese, aluminum, iron, boron, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, copper, lead, chromium, and nickel) increased after ash application, however response was most pronounced in yellow birch ash. Conclusions: These results suggest that application of NIWA can counteract the lasting effects of acid rain by increasing soil pH and base cation concentrations, as well as increasing sugar maple seedling foliar nutrient concentrations, but ashes from species with high metal contents may also increase metal availability to vegetation, at least in the short-term.

Download Full-text

Crown openness as influenced by tree and site characteristics for yellow birch, sugar maple, and eastern hemlock

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-177 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 488-497 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Marie-Lou Lefrançois ◽

Marilou Beaudet ◽

Christian Messier

Keyword(s):

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Forest Canopy ◽

Light Transmission ◽

Eastern Hemlock ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Mature Trees ◽

Regional Variability ◽

Site Characteristics

Crown openness (CO) of mature trees influences light transmission within the forest canopy. However, in modeling, this variable is often considered constant within species, and its potential regional variability is ignored. The objective of this study was to evaluate if CO values of yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), and eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) vary according to the following factors: (i) species, (ii) regional actual evapotranspiration (AET), (iii) tree size (i.e., diameter at breast height, DBH), and (iv) angle of transmission from zenith. To achieve this, CO was evaluated for 136 yellow birches, 109 sugar maples, and 68 hemlocks from different regions of western Quebec, southern Ontario, and northern Michigan. Results showed that all of the studied factors affected CO. While dominant trees can intercept light laterally as well as vertically, smaller trees are more efficient at intercepting light vertically. Increasing AET is associated with more open crowns. Given its importance in light transmission in the understory, a better understanding of how CO varies between individuals, species, and regions is needed.

Download Full-text

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

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x99-220 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 390-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

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.

Download Full-text

Effect of branch position and light availability on shoot growth of understory sugar maple and yellow birch saplings

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b00-084 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (8) ◽

pp. 1077-1085 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Julie Goulet ◽

Christian Messier ◽

Eero Nikinmaa

Keyword(s):

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Shoot Growth ◽

Position Effect ◽

Light Availability ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Vigour Index

Phenotypic plasticity enables tree saplings to change their morphology according to their environment to grow toward a better light micro-habitat. Therefore, processes of crown development could be expected to vary as a function of light. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effects of position and light availability on shoot growth within the crowns of understory saplings of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton.); (ii) develop a new vigour index for shoots; and (iii) evaluate the possible factors relating to branch mortality in the crown of sugar maple saplings. The results revealed that there is a clear branch position effect on shoot growth in the crown for yellow birch saplings and that it is partly related to the presence of two types of shoots. Dead branches were located at the bottom of the crown of sugar maple saplings; they were smaller in size, had wider angles and had lower indexes of vigour than live branches found nearby. Preliminary results obtained on the vigour index indicate that it is a potentially useful tool for predicting the growth and vigour status of a branch.Key words: shoot growth, branch position, light availability, branch mortality, sugar maple, yellow birch.

Download Full-text

THE CONSTITUTION OF A HEMICELLULOSE FROM SUGAR MAPLE (ACER SACCHARUM)

Canadian Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1139/v59-122 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 893-898 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

T. E. Timell

Keyword(s):

Acer Saccharum ◽

Galacturonic Acid ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Glucuronic Acid ◽

Linear Chain ◽

European Beech ◽

Partial Hydrolysis ◽

White Birch ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Hydrolysis Of

Partial hydrolysis of the main hemicellulose constituent of sugar maple (Acersaccharum) has yielded D-xylose, D-galacturonic acid, 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid, and 2-O-(4-O-methyl-α-D-glucosyluronic acid)-D-xylose. Hydrolysis of the fully methylated polysaccharide gave a mixture of 2-O- and 3-O-methyl-D-xylose, 2,3-di-O-methyl-D-xylose, 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-xylose, and 2-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-α-D-glucosyluronic acid)-3-O-methyl-D-xylose in a mole ratio of 3:111:1:12. The number-average degrees of polymerization of the native and the methylated polysaccharide were 205 and 149, respectively. These data indicate that the hemicellulose is composed of a linear chain of 1,4-linked β-D-xylose residues and that on the average every tenth residue of the chain carries a terminal 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid residue attached through its C2. The structure of the polysaccharide is similar to that of the main hemicellulose component of European beech, white birch, and yellow birch.

Download Full-text

Adaptations of the photosynthetic apparatus of sun- and shade-grown yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.)

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b70-249 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 48 (9) ◽

pp. 1681-1688 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

K. T. Logan

Keyword(s):

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Dark Respiration ◽

Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Photosynthetic Rates ◽

Light Intensities ◽

Young Leaves ◽

Sun And Shade

Rates of apparent photosynthesis and dark respiration of 4-year-old yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) seedlings, grown in full light and shade (13% of full light), were measured with an infrared gas analyzer. Measurements were made periodically throughout the growing season, using either attached branches or entire seedlings. Effects of light intensities from 0 to 4500 ft-c on photosynthetic rates were studied, and comparisons made between young and old leaves and between photosynthetic rates in normal (300 p.p.m.) and saturating (1245 p.p.m.) CO2 concentration.The photosynthetic apparatus of yellow birch was found to adapt poorly to shaded conditions. In saturating light, the rate of apparent photosynthesis of young leaves of shade-grown seedlings was only half that of sun-grown seedlings; for old leaves the reduction was even greater. As a result, shade-grown seedlings had a lower photosynthetic capacity in saturating light despite their larger leaf area. In low light intensities, leaves of sun- and shade-grown seedlings had nearly the same rates of apparent photosynthesis. Rates of respiration of shade-grown seedlings were one-half those of sun-grown seedlings.When seedlings were exposed to light intensities comparable to those in which they were grown, their photosynthetic rates correlated with their dry matter production.When the CO2 concentration was raised to 1245 p.p.m., photosynthetic rates of leaves of sun- and shade-grown seedlings increased by the same relative amount. It is concluded that the poor adaptation of yellow birch to shade results from a reduction in content of carboxylating enzymes rather than changes in chlorophyll content or resistance to CO2 diffusion. Adaptations of yellow birch are contrasted with those of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.).

Download Full-text

YELLOW BIRCH REGENERATION ON SCARIFIED SEEDBEDS UNDER SMALL CANOPY OPENINGS

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc42350-4 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 350-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

R. J. Hatcher

Keyword(s):

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Deer Browsing

Four years after establishment, an experiment in regenerating yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) on prepared seedbeds under one-tenth and one-quarter acre circular canopy openings created by cutting and girdling trees in a deteriorated tolerant hardwood stand indicates that all combinations of method and size resulted in satisfactory birch stocking. Yellow birch outgrew its principal competitor sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), underbrush competition has not jeopardized good birch survival, and deer browsing has been low.En vue d'étudier la régénération du bouleau jaune (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) sur des lits de germination préparés, des trouées de forme circulaire de 1/10 et 1/4 d'acre ont été pratiquées à l'aide de coupe et annelage dans un peuplement détérioré de feuillus tolérants. Quatre ans après le début de l'expérience le taux de germination du bouleau jaune était jugé satisfaisant pour toutes les combinaisons de méthodes employées et de dimensions des trouées. Le bouleau jaune a surpassé en croissance son principal compétiteur l'érable à sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.), sa survivance n'a jamais été mise en péril par la competition de la strate arbustive et l'intensité du broutage par le chevreuil a été bas.

Download Full-text

Predicting volumes by log grades in standing sugar maple and yellow birch trees in southern Quebec, Canada

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x09-108 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (10) ◽

pp. 1928-1938 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Mathieu Fortin ◽

François Guillemette ◽

Steve Bédard

Keyword(s):

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Cross Validation ◽

Information Criteria ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Grade Classification ◽

Hardwood Trees ◽

Birch Trees

Modelling volumes by log grades in standing hardwood trees is often hindered by the nature of the response variable. In this paper, we used a two-part conditional model to account for the excess of zero responses for some log grades. Moreover, this approach was used as a framework to compare three different tree classifications in their ability to predict volumes by log grades in standing yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees. A tree grade classification was compared with two preharvest tree classifications based on mortality risk assessment. A cross-validation was also carried out to evaluate the two parts of the model. The results showed that the two-part conditional approach was efficient in this case study. Compared with a general model, the three classifications improved the maximum likelihood. According to the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria, the tree grade classification was the “best” one. All three classifications proved to be better able to distinguish log grade occurrence than log grade volume. Although it implies additional cost, the implementation of the tree grade classification into the preharvest inventories would improve the prediction of volumes by log grades for yellow birch and sugar maple trees.

Download Full-text