Decennial growth and mortality following uniform partial cutting in yellow birch – conifer stands

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Prévost ◽  
Daniel Dumais
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Tree Survival

Estimating residual tree survival and growth is crucial for evaluating the overall merit of partial harvesting. In this case study, we present the effects of different cutting intensities (0%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of merchantable (diameter at breast height ≥ 9.1 cm) basal area (BA)) on the response of residual trees in two mixed yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) – conifer stands in eastern Quebec, Canada. Primarily aimed at promoting regeneration establishment, the experiment was conducted in two sites 90 km apart (Armagh and Duchesnay), each one containing four replicates of treatments in a randomized block design. Mortality after cutting decreased with increasing BA removal, but losses were two to three times higher at Armagh (62–138 stems/ha) than at Duchesnay (22–88 stems/ha). Loss of conifer stems involved primarily balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) under natural conditions (control), whereas fir and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) were equally affected in partial cuts. Red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) were lost regardless of treatment. As a whole, growth in merchantable BA increased with cutting intensity. Uniform partial cuts produced good BA growth response from conifers at Armagh (0.27–0.28 m2·ha−1·year−1) and from hardwoods at Duchesnay (0.16–0.25 m2·ha−1·year−1), whereas BA growth was negligible for both species groups in the control. We examine the role of species composition and stand structure before cutting in the response of residual trees.

Effect of cutting intensity on microenvironmental conditions and regeneration dynamics in yellow birch – conifer stands

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Prévost
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Randomized Block Design

This paper presents the 5 year results of different cutting intensities (removal of 0%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 100% of the basal area) applied in two mixed yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) – conifer stands of eastern Quebec, Canada. Two sites 90 km apart were used: Armagh and Duchesnay. Each site had four replicates of the treatments in a randomized block design. The effect on light availability was similar in the two sites: the 0%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 100% cuts transmitting a mean of 5%, 21%, 26%, 30%, and 94% of full light, respectively, during the first summer. Soil temperature increased only in the 100% cut (4−5 °C, maximum daily temperature). Soil disturbance during harvest was higher at Duchesnay than at Armagh, which clearly improved seedbed receptivity, particularly to yellow birch. After 5 years, treated areas contained 21 000 to 48 300 seedlings/ha at Duchesnay compared with 5500 – 10 500 seedlings/ha at Armagh. Significant losses of coniferous advance growth were observed at both sites, but a subsequent seedling recruitment occurred only at Duchesnay. Red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.) showed superior establishment in the 60% cut (4400 seedlings/ha) than under other cutting intensities (1600–2100 seedlings/ha), whereas balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) responded well to all partial cutting treatments. At both sites, pin cherry ( Prunus pensylvanica L.f.) was the main competing species in the 100% cut, whereas densities of the preestablished mountain maple ( Acer spicatum Lamb.) and striped maple ( Acer pensylvanicum L.) either remained the same or increased in the partial cuts.

scholarly journals Comparative growth trends of five northern hardwood and montane tree species reveal divergent trajectories and response to climate

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 743-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M. Kosiba ◽  
Paul G. Schaberg ◽  
Shelly A. Rayback ◽  
Gary J. Hawley
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Heat Index ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Yellow Birch

In the northeastern United States, tree declines associated with acid deposition induced calcium depletion have been documented, notably for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). There is conflicting evidence concerning whether co-occurring tree species capitalized on these declines or suffered similar growth reductions and on how growth has fluctuated relative to environmental variables. We examined five species along three elevational transects on Mt. Mansfield, Vermont: sugar maple, red spruce, red maple (Acer rubrum L.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.). We found baseline differences in growth. Red maple and yellow birch had the highest growth, sugar maple and red spruce had intermediate growth, and balsam fir had the lowest growth. While some year-to-year declines were associated with specific stress events, protracted patterns such as recent increases in red spruce and red maple growth were correlated with increased temperature and cooling degree days (heat index). For most species and elevations, there was a positive association between temperature and growth but a negative association with growth in the following year. Based on our comparisons, for some species, growth at Mt. Mansfield aligns with regional trends and suggests that patterns assessed here may be indicative of the broader region.

scholarly journals Effects of Oak Decline on Species Composition in a Northern Arkansas Forest

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Heitzman
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Oak ◽  
Oak Decline ◽  
Northern Red Oak ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Oak

Abstract Since 1999, widespread and locally severe oak decline and mortality have occurred throughout the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. A contributing factor in the decline and mortality is an outbreak of the red oak borer [Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)]. In northern Arkansas, a 2,150 ac mature oak forest severely affected by decline was selected as a case study to describe changes in species composition and stand structure and to assess regeneration potential of oaks and non-oak species. Mortality reduced total overstory basal area from 105 to 57 ft2/ac, and overstory density decreased from 156 to 89 trees/ac. Most dead and dying trees were northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and black oak (Q. velutina Lam.). Basal area and density of overstory red oaks were reduced from 51 to 11 ft2/ac and from 60 to 11 trees/ac, respectively. These trees died regardless of dbh class. Mortality was less common in white oak (Q. alba L.) and was generally limited to smaller trees. Understory trees and taller seedlings were predominantly red maple (Acer rubrum L.), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.), and black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.). Oaks less than 3 ft tall were abundant, but taller oak seedlings and saplings were uncommon. Tree mortality increased the proportion of white oak and hickories (Carya spp.) in the overstory, and stimulated a regeneration response of mostly non-oak species. South. J. Appl. For. 27(4):264–268.

Succession forestière après feu dans la sapinière à bouleau jaune du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Québec

1997 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 702-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Archambault ◽  
Jacques Morissette ◽  
Michèle Bernier-Cardou
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Hardwood Species

Forest successions following a forest fire that occurred in 1932 were studied on mesic sites of the boreal mixedwood forest of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. Physiographic, soil and vegetation data were collected in 28 ecosystems distributed on a topographic gradient. The vegetation composition of the main canopy, 64 years after the fire, varied according to topographic situation. The proportion of tolerant hardwood species (yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.)) increased toward upper slopes whereas it was the opposite for coniferous species (white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.)), as their proportion increased toward lower slopes. Intolerant hardwood species (white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)) were abundant in all ecosystems. The distribution pattern of regeneration density and stocking of tolerant hardwoods and conifers was similar to that of the main canopy. The majority of commercial species, including tolerant species, established rapidly after the fire. Only eastern white cedar (Thuya occidentalis L.), which is a species typical of late succession, did not grow back. Ten years after the fire, 78% of the sampled dominant trees were established. Competition caused by mountain maple (Acer spicatum Lam.) did not seem to be as important after fire compared with the situation after clearcutting. Results showed that after the elimination of intolerant species, the vegetation composition should evolve toward the potential vegetation (climax) of the toposequence, that is, the sugar maple - yellow birch type on upper slopes, the balsam fir - yellow birch type on midslopes and the balsam fir - yellow birch - cedar type on lower slopes. Key words: succession, fire, yellow birch, balsam fir, mountain maple.

scholarly journals Tolerant hardwood natural regeneration 15 years after various silvicultural treatments on an industrial freehold of northwestern New Brunswick

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (04) ◽  
pp. 512-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Béland ◽  
Bruno Chicoine
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Selection Cutting

We examined applicability of various partial cutting systems in order to regenerate tolerant hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccarhum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) on northern New Brunswick J.D. Irving Ltd. freehold land. Sampling of 1065 one-m2 plots in 31 stands managed by selection cutting, shelterwood method and strip or patch cutting and in six control stands allowed a 15-year retrospective study of natural regeneration in stands of low residual densities and with minimal soil disturbance and no control of competing vegetation. Beech regeneration was most abundant in the patch cuts, yellow birch in shelterwood stands and sugar maple in the selection system areas. Results suggest that initial stand conditions influence the composition of the regeneration more than the prescribed treatment. At the stand scale (a few hectares), sugar maple recruitment was positively influenced by its proportion in the initial stand, and negatively by the cover of herbs and shrubs. Yellow birch regeneration was mainly affected by shrub competition. At the plot (1 m2) scale, mineral soil and decayed wood substrates and ground-level transmitted light were determinant factors for yellow birch regeneration. Beech-dominated stands were likely to regenerate to beech. A dense beech sucker understory was promoted in harvested patches. Areas with dense understory of American beech, shrubs, or herbs require site preparation to reduce interference either before or at the time of partial cutting. Shelterwood seed cutting and selection cutting should leave a residual of 12 m2/ha and 17 m2/ha respectively in seed trees uniformly distributed.

scholarly journals Stand Structure and Composition 32 Years after Precommercial Thinning Treatments in a Mixed Northern Conifer Stand in Central Maine

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron R. Weiskittel ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic ◽  
Rongxia Li ◽  
John Brissette
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Stand Attributes ◽  
And Control

Abstract The effects of four precommercial thinning (PCT) treatments on an even-aged northern conifer stand in Maine were investigated by examining stand structure and composition 32 years after treatment. Replicated treatments applied in 1976 included: (1) control (no PCT), (2) row thinning (rowthin; 5-ft-wide row removal with 3-ft-wide residual strips), (3) row thinning with crop tree release (rowthin+CTR; 5-ft-wide row removal with crop tree release at 8-ft intervals in 3-ft-wide residual strips), and (4) crop tree release (CTR; release of selected crop trees at 8×8-ft intervals). PCT plots had more large trees and fewer small trees than the control in 2008. There were no other significant differences between the rowthin and control. The rowthin+CTR and CTR treatments had lower total and hardwood basal area (BA) and higher merchantable conifer BA than the control. CTR also resulted in more red spruce (Picea rubens [Sarg.]) and less balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.]) than the other treatments. Although stand structures for rowthin+CTR and CTR were similar, the percentage of spruce in CTR was greater. Although the less-intensive rowthin+CTR treatment may provide many of the same benefits as CTR, the latter would be the preferred treatment if increasing the spruce component of a stand is an objective. Overall, early thinning treatments were found to have long-term effects on key stand attributes, even more than 30 years after treatment in areas with mixed species composition and moderate site potential.

Ectomycorrhizal mushroom response to partial cutting in a western hemlock - western redcedar forest

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
P Kroeger
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
Significant Block

We examined epigeous ectomycorrhizal mushroom richness and productivity after partial cutting in a western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) - western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don in Lamb.) forest of northwestern British Columbia. Mushrooms were collected throughout the fruiting season (July to October) for 3 years, starting 5 years after partial cutting, from plots with mesic soil conditions and residual basal areas ranging from 23 to 69 m2/ha for western hemlock and 0 to 26 m2/ha for western redcedar. Partial cutting had no apparent effect on mushroom phenology over the 3 years. Significant block interactions demonstrated that reductions in basal area of western hemlock could lead to positive, neutral, and negative responses in mushroom richness, biomass, and number of fruiting bodies. These responses were related to stand structure and the potential differences in tree vigour after partial cutting. In addition, there was weak evidence that western redcedar, a host for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza, had a negative effect on average taxon richness. The study demonstrated that partial-cutting systems could allow some timber removal without necessarily reducing ectomycorrhizal mushroom communities.

scholarly journals Variation Among Full-Sib Progenies of Red Maple in Growth, Autumn Leaf Color, and Leafhopper Injury

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Townsend ◽  
M.S. McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Color Intensity ◽  
Leaf Color ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Autumn Leaf

Abstract Controlled pollinations made between selected parents of red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and seedling progenies were planted in a randomized block design along with trees of the cultivars ‘October Glory,’ ‘Autumn Flame,’ and ‘Red Sunset’. Tree height, autumn color, and leafhopper (Empoasca fabae (Harris)) injury were evaluated over an eight-year period. Differences among progenies and cultivars in leafhopper injury and in the time and quality of peak autumn leaf color were statistically significant for all years. These traits were significantly influenced by the female and/or male parent used to create the progeny. The timing of peak color was also influenced by a significant interaction between male and female parents. Growth rate and color intensity of the same progenies were generally consistent across years, whereas correlation for leafhopper damage was weak between years. Clonal selections from the best progenies have been made and are being evaluated for possible release to the nursery industry.

scholarly journals Seed Rain and Seedling Establishment of Picea glauca and Abies balsamea after Partial Cutting in Plantations and Natural Stands

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Gagné ◽  
Luc Sirois ◽  
Luc Lavoie
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Incident Light ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Rotten Wood ◽  
Natural Stands

This study documents the conditions associated to white spruce and balsam fir regeneration after partial cutting. Measurements were collected 9 to 30 years after partial cutting in 12 natural fir stands and 5 white spruce plantations. We estimated seed input, measured light reaching the undergrowth, recorded seedlings (<150 cm) and their age on 6 different seedling establishment substrates: mineral soil, moss, rotten wood, litterfall, herbaceous and dead wood. Partial cutting generally favours the establishment and growth of seedlings. The number of fir and spruce seedlings is always greater in natural stands than in plantations, a trend likely associated with the reduced abundance of preferential establishment substrate in the latter. White spruce significantly prefers rotten wood while fir settles on all types of substrates that cover at least 10% of the forest floor. There is a strong relationship between light intensity and the median height of spruce seedlings, but this relationship is non-significant for fir. Seedlings of both species can survive at incident light intensities as low as 3%, but an intensity of 15% or more seems to offer the best growth conditions. The conditions for successful forest regeneration proposed in this study should be applied when the goal is to establish a new stand prior to clear cutting or to convert stand structure.

Beyond oak regeneration: modelling mesophytic sapling density drivers along topographic, edaphic, and stand-structural gradients in mature oak-dominated forests of Appalachian Ohio

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 1215-1227
Author(s):  
Don C. Radcliffe ◽  
Stephen N. Matthews ◽  
David M. Hix
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Sapling Density

Shade-tolerant mesophytic tree species tend to dominate the understories of present-day oak–hickory and mixed-hardwood forests in the eastern United States. We quantified the sapling density associations with abiotic and biotic variables for three important mesophytic species: red maple (Acer rubrum L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in southeastern Ohio. In this study, we sampled 165 permanent plots in oak-dominated, topographically diverse, mature (>90 years old), second-growth forests following a time span of 21–25 years (1993–1995 and 2016–2018) between samples on the Athens and Marietta units of the Wayne National Forest. Our models showed that sugar maple was strongly associated with high pH soils and red maple was strongly associated with low pH soils. Additionally, red maple was associated with upper slope positions and older stands, while American beech was associated with lower slopes, northeasterly aspects, and northeast-facing upper slopes. Basal area of competing species, solum depth, and management unit were not significantly related to sapling density for our focal species. American beech sapling density doubled between the two sampling periods, while densities of both maple species declined by half. Our results will help scientists and managers by providing insight into potential future composition of currently oak-dominated forests in areas without active management intervention.

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