Determinants of survival over 7 years for a natural cohort of sugar maple seedlings in a northern hardwood forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1112-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie L. Cleavitt ◽  
John J. Battles ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Joel D. Blum
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Mechanical Damage ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Regeneration Ecology ◽  
Causes Of Mortality

The regeneration ecology of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) has been impacted by acid rain leaching of base cations from the soils throughout much of its range. We tracked the survival and causes of death for a natural cohort of sugar maple seedlings across 22 sites in the Hubbard Brook Valley in New Hampshire, USA, where soil acidification has been documented. Survival over 7 years averaged 3.4%; however, significant differences in survival were observed among sites, which were classified into three main groups based on the shape of their survival curves. These site groups differed in position on the landscape, seedling nutrition and leaf size, and the prevalence of damage agents, but not in soil Ca. First-season mortality was high (71%), and the main damage agents were fungal infection (Rhizoctonia spp.) and caterpillar herbivory (Geometridae). Other principal causes of mortality in order of importance were winter injury, mechanical damage, and rodent (Myodes gapperi Vigors, 1830) tunneling, and all damage agents varied significantly in severity between years. This study highlights the importance of landscape-level variation in biotic factors for predicting sugar maple regeneration success. Predictions of sugar maple regeneration will require a better understanding of controls on initial seedling growth and the suite of biotic agents that damages seedlings.

Litter layers (Oie) as a calcium source of sugar maple seedlings in a northern hardwood forest

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 898-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Joel D. Blum
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Calcium Source ◽  
Calcium Supply ◽  
Internal Transport

The role of the Oie horizon in calcium supply of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedlings was evaluated. Forest floor Oie horizon was reciprocally transplanted on 1 m2 quadrats between a Ca-treated (W1) and a reference (W3) watershed, and sugar maple seeds were planted on the quadrats. The Oie horizon in W1 exhibited a greatly increased Ca:Sr molar ratio compared with the reference W3 (550 vs. 220), allowing distinction of this Ca source in seedling tissues. Foliage and fine roots of maple seedlings growing on quadrats in W3 with Oie transplanted from W1 exhibited Ca:Sr ratios intermediate between the Oie and underlying native soil horizons, demonstrating the role of Oie in seedling Ca nutrition. However, apparently strong and temporally changing discrimination of Ca and Sr in seedling uptake and internal transport confounded quantitative evaluation.

scholarly journals Effects of Mechanical Site Preparation on the Abundance and Diversity of Ground-Layer Vegetation in Adirondack Northern Hardwood Stands

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi A. Forrester ◽  
Kimberly K. Bohn
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Ground Layer ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Mechanical Site Preparation ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Fern Species

Abstract Forest management in northern hardwoods benefits from the use of site preparation treatments when the amount of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and fern species in the understory interferes with regeneration of more desirable species, e.g., sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall). We assessed the cover and diversity of herbaceous and woody species in the ground layer of three Adirondack northern hardwood stands before and 3 years after a mechanical site preparation that removed all trees less than 14 cm with a brush saw. The treatment significantly increased the cover of all species cumulatively, with herbaceous, shrub, and arborescent species increasing significantly more in treated plots than in untreated plots. Sugar maple cover increased more in treated plots than in untreated plots, although American beech did as well. Species richness increased significantly more in treated plots than in untreated plots, but differences in diversity and evenness were not significantly different because of treatment after 3 years. Multivariate analysis indicated only minor changes in the plant community composition. Results show that mechanical site preparation techniques are a viable option for promoting abundance and maintaining diversity of the ground-layer vegetation in northern hardwood forests.

Long-term impact of liming on growth and vigor of northern hardwoods

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley ◽  
Thomas J. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Crown Health ◽  
Lime Application ◽  
Species Specific

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is a keystone species in the northern hardwood forest, and decline episodes have negatively affected the growth and health of sugar maple in portions of its range over the past 50+ years. Crown health, growth, survival, and flower and seed production of sugar maple were negatively affected by a widespread decline event in the mid-1980s on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania. A long-term liming study was initiated in 1985 to evaluate responses to a one-time application of 22.4 Mg·ha–1 of dolomitic limestone in four northern hardwood stands. Over the 23-year period ending in 2008, sugar maple basal area increment (BAINC) increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in limed plots from 1995 through 2008, whereas American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected. For black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), the third principal overstory species, BAINC and survival were reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. Foliar Ca and Mg remained significantly higher in sugar maple foliage sampled 21 years after lime application, showing persistence of the lime effect. These results show long-term species-specific responses to lime application.

scholarly journals Sugar Maple Height-Diameter and Age-Diameter Relationships in an Uneven-Aged Northern Hardwood Stand

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura S. Kenefic ◽  
Ralph D. Nyland
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Selection System ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Central New York ◽  
Growing Conditions

Abstract Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) height-diameter and age-diameter relationships are explored in a balanced uneven-aged northern hardwood stand in central New York. Results show that although both height and age vary considerably with diameter, these relationships can be described by statistically valid equations. The age-diameter relationship compares favorably to one reported by Tubbs (1977) for sugar maple in unmanaged (virgin) northern hardwoods, suggesting that periodic cuttings improved growing conditions in our stand. Deliberate attempts to control size-class distribution and tree spacing should continue to increase diameter growth rates and decrease the time needed to reach certain threshold tree sizes. Growth rates that can be reasonably expected in this and similarly structured stands are provided. Lastly, a wide range of heights and diameters are documented, confirming the structural complexity associated with the balanced selection system. An equation to predict sugar maple height from diameter is provided and may prove useful when assessing habitat or visual characteristics of complex uneven-aged stands. North. J. Appl. For. 16(1):43-47.

scholarly journals Height-Diameter Equations for Select New Hampshire Tree Species

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Fast ◽  
Mark J. Ducey
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Eastern Hemlock ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Bartlett Experimental Forest

Abstract Height-diameter equations are important in modeling forest structure and yield. Twenty-seven height-diameter equations were evaluated for eight tree species occurring in the northern hardwood forest of New Hampshire using permanent plot data from the Bartlett Experimental Forest. Selected models with associated coefficients are presented for American beech, eastern hemlock, paper birch, red maple, red spruce, sugar maple, white ash, yellow birch, and all 16 species combined.

A beech bark disease induced change in tree species composition influences forest floor acid–base chemistry

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 875-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Arthur ◽  
K.C. Weathers ◽  
G.M. Lovett ◽  
M.P. Weand ◽  
W.C. Eddy
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Beech Bark Disease ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Tree Species Composition

Beech bark disease (BBD) has demonstrable ecosystem consequences for eastern US forests stemming from American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) mortality, often leading to increased dominance by its competitor, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We hypothesized that this BBD-induced shift in tree species composition leads to changes in soil acid–base chemistry, mediated through differences in leaf litter chemistry of the two species. Using a sequence of plots representing the progression of the disease in the Catskill Mountains, NY, USA, we examined the influence of tree species composition shift on soil chemistry. The BBD impact on tree species composition was confounded by variability in substrate (or nonexchangeable soil) calcium (Ca). While substrate Ca explained much of the variation in acid–base chemistry, increasing BBD was associated with increasing forest floor exchangeable Ca, sum of base cations, base saturation, cation-exchange capacity, and decreasing hydrogen. An apparent threshold effect of substrate Ca on sugar maple litter Ca concentration suggests that underlying soil Ca availability may contribute to the spatial extent and timeframe of BBD-induced shifts in species composition. The species compositional shift is a mechanism contributing to a vegetation effect on soil acid–base status and may partially counteract soil acidification in this acid deposition impacted region.

A simple system for classifying sugar maple vigour and quality

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 900-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm J.L. Cecil-Cockwell ◽  
John P. Caspersen
Keyword(s):  
Classification System ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Commercial Logging

In northern hardwood forests, treemarkers are responsible for selecting the trees to be harvested during commercial logging operations. They often select trees based on the presence and severity of defects, information that is used to assign trees to two or more vigour classes (reflecting the risk of dying or declining in growth) and two or more quality classes (reflecting the potential for recovering valuable sawlogs). Using these classes can simplify the tree selection process, but some classification systems may include superfluous classes beyond what is required to explain the variation in tree value. In this paper, we present a parsimonious classification system for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees using formal classification analyses of empirical product recovery data. We also calculated the net value of trees in each class and assessed which defects affect tree value. Our results show that relatively few defects affect tree value, indicating that treemarkers should use a simpler classification system to describe the vigour and quality of trees. Specifically, we found that the best system contains just three classes: high vigour-high quality, low vigour-high quality, and low vigour-low quality. The use of this simple, easily implemented system would improve the ability of treemarkers to recognize the value of sugar maple trees when selecting the trees to be harvested during commercial logging operations.

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