Late-glacial and postglacial vegetation history at Bear Cove Bog, northeast Vancouver Island, British Columbia

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 3172-3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Hebda
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Pteridium Aquilinum ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Blanket Bog

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.

The phytogeography of Oxalis oregana in British Columbia

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1561-1563
Author(s):  
R. T. Ogilvie ◽  
R. J. Hebda ◽  
Hans L. Roemer
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Native People ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Queen Charlotte Islands ◽  
Polystichum Munitum

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Root Rot ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Giant Sequoia ◽  
Phellinus Weirii

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.

A 14,000 year vegetation history of a hypermaritime island on the outer Pacific coast of Canada based on fossil pollen, spores and conifer stomata

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Lacourse ◽  
J. Michelle Delepine ◽  
Elizabeth H. Hoffman ◽  
Rolf W. Mathewes
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
Local Species

AbstractPollen and conifer stomata analyses of lake sediments from Hippa Island on the north coast of British Columbia were used to reconstruct the vegetation history of this small hypermaritime island. Between 14,000 and 13,230 cal yr BP, the island supported diverse herb–shrub communities dominated by Cyperaceae, Artemisia and Salix. Pinus contorta and Picea sitchensis stomata indicate that these conifers were present among the herb–shrub communities, likely as scattered individuals. Transition to open P. contorta woodland by 13,000 cal yr BP was followed by increases in Alnus viridis, Alnus rubra and P. sitchensis. After 12,000 cal yr BP, Pinus-dominated communities were replaced by dense P. sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla forest with Lysichiton americanus and fern understory. Thuja plicata stomata indicate that this species was present by 8700 cal yr BP, but the pollen record suggests that its populations did not expand to dominate regional rainforests, along with Tsuga and Picea, until after 6600 cal yr BP. Conifer stomata indicate that species may be locally present for hundreds to thousands of years before pollen exceed thresholds routinely used to infer local species arrival. When combined, pollen and conifer stomata can provide a more accurate record of paleovegetation than either when used alone.

Postglacial vegetation history of Mitkof Island, Alexander Archipelago, southeastern Alaska

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Ager ◽  
Paul E. Carrara ◽  
Jane L. Smith ◽  
Victoria Anne ◽  
Joni Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
History Of

An AMS radiocarbon-dated pollen record from a peat deposit on Mitkof Island, southeastern Alaska provides a vegetation history spanning ∼12,900 cal yr BP to the present. Late Wisconsin glaciers covered the entire island; deglaciation occurred > 15,400 cal yr BP. The earliest known vegetation to develop on the island (∼12,900 cal yr BP) was pine woodland (Pinus contorta) with alder (Alnus), sedges (Cyperaceae) and ferns (Polypodiaceae type). By ∼12,240 cal yr BP, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) began to colonize the island while pine woodland declined. By ∼11,200 cal yr BP, mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) began to spread across the island. Sitka spruce-mountain hemlock forests dominated the lowland landscapes of the island until ∼10,180 cal yr BP, when western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) began to colonize, and soon became the dominant tree species. Rising percentages of pine, sedge, and sphagnum after ∼7100 cal yr BP may reflect an expansion of peat bog habitats as regional climate began to shift to cooler, wetter conditions. A decline in alders at that time suggests that coastal forests had spread into the island's uplands, replacing large areas of alder thickets. Cedars (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, Thuja plicata) appeared on Mitkof Island during the late Holocene.

Origin, development, and dynamics of coastal temperate conifer rainforests of southern Vancouver Island, Canada

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
K J Brown ◽  
R J Hebda
Keyword(s):  
Late Glacial ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
Forested Ecosystems ◽  
Increasing Precipitation ◽  
Early Late

Pollen and charcoal from East Sooke Fen, Pixie Lake, and Whyac Lake were used to reconstruct the post glacial vegetation, climate, and fire-disturbance history across a precipitation gradient on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. An open Pinus woodland covered the landscape in the early late-glacial interval. Fires were absent under a cool and dry climate. Closed mixed conifer forests of Pinus, Picea, Abies, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg., and Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carrière replaced the Pinus biogeochron in the late late-glacial interval. Fires became more common even though climate was cool and moist. Open Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco forests expanded westward during the warm dry early Holocene, though closed Picea and Tsuga heterophylla forests grew in the wettest part of the area at Whyac Lake. Modern precipitation gradients likely originated at this time. Fires occurred in forested ecosystems, although East Sooke Fen at the driest end of the gradient experienced less fire. The middle and late Holocene was characterized by increasing precipitation and decreasing temperature, respectively. Quercus garryana Dougl. stands spread westward during the mid-Holocene. Extant closed Tsuga heterophylla and Cupressaceae (Thuja plicata Donn. ex D. Don) forests arose in the wetter part of the gradient, whereas Pseudotsuga forests occupied drier eastern areas. During this interval, fires were rare in wet western regions but apparently more common in dry eastern regions.

Growth and nutrition of three conifer species across site gradients of north coastal British Columbia

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
A Banner ◽  
J Shaw
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Foliar N ◽  
Lower Productivity ◽  
Growth And Nutrition ◽  
Coastal British Columbia

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.

scholarly journals British Columbia Vegetation and Climate History with Focus on 6 ka BP

2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Hebda
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Climate History ◽  
The North ◽  
Vegetation And Climate

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.

Deglacial landforms and Holocene vegetation trajectories in the northern interior cedar-hemlock forests of British Columbia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Girard Gavin ◽  
Ariana White ◽  
Paul Sanborn ◽  
Richard Hebda
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Lower Terrace ◽  
Closed Canopy

The northern Rocky Mountain Trench of eastern British Columbia is a broad valley mantled by glaciolacustrine terraces supporting a complex mix of mesic-temperate (“interior wetbelt”) forests that are strongly affected by terrain and substrate. Neither the geomorphic history during early-Holocene deglaciation nor the vegetation history of the origin of the Tsuga heterophylla and Thuja plicata populations in the interior wetbelt forest is well understood. Sediment cores were obtained from two lakes, 10 km apart and occupying different terraces (83 m elevational difference) and compared to existing fire-history and paleoclimate reconstructions. Radiocarbon dates and a mapped terrain classification indicate the upper terrace formed as a lacustrine and glaciofluvial kame terrace hundreds of years prior to a lower terrace formed by glaciolacustrine sediments of a proglacial lake. The minimum limiting ages of these terraces correlate with dated jökulhlaup deposits of the Fraser River. The upper site’s first detectable pollen at > 11.0 ka was dominated by light-seeded pioneer taxa (Poaceae, Artemisia, and Populus) followed by a peak in Pinus and finally dominance by Betula at 10.2 ka. Pollen data suggest an earlier invasion of T. heterophylla than previously understood. Wetlands on extensive poorly drained glaciolacustrine soils promoted the persistence of boreal taxa and open forests (e.g., Picea mariana) while the better-drained upper kame terrace promoted development of closed-canopy shade-tolerant taxa. Invasion and expansion of mesic cedar-hemlock taxa progressed since at least the middle Holocene but was highly constrained by edaphic controls.

Distribution of leaf orientations in six conifer species

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Leaf Angle ◽  
Conifer Species ◽  
Abies Grandis

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.

Palynology and paleoecology of postglacial sediments in an anoxic basin, Saanich Inlet, British Columbia

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda E. Heusser
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Alnus Rubra ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
Saanich Inlet ◽  
Anoxic Basin

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.

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