A field experiment informs expected patterns of conifer regeneration after disturbance under changing climate conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1607-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica T. Rother ◽  
Thomas T. Veblen ◽  
Luke G. Furman
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Treatment Type

Climate change may inhibit tree regeneration following disturbances such as wildfire, altering post-disturbance vegetation trajectories. We implemented a field experiment to examine the effects of manipulations of temperature and water on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex P. Lawson & C. Lawson) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings planted in a low-elevation, recently disturbed setting of the Colorado Front Range. We implemented four treatments: warmed only (Wm), watered only (Wt), warmed and watered (WmWt), and control (Co). We found that measures of growth and survival varied significantly by treatment type. Average growth and survival was highest in the Wt plots, followed by the Co, WmWt, and Wm plots, respectively. This general trend was observed for both conifer species, although average growth and survival was generally higher in ponderosa pine than in Douglas-fir. Our findings suggest that warming temperatures and associated drought are likely to inhibit post-disturbance regeneration of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir in low-elevation forests of the Colorado Front Range and that future vegetation composition and structure may differ notably from historic patterns in some areas. Our findings are relevant to other forested ecosystems in which a warming climate may similarly inhibit regeneration by dominant tree species.

scholarly journals Douglas-Fir Tussock Moth- and Douglas-Fir Beetle-Caused Mortality in a Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-Fir Forest in the Colorado Front Range, USA

Forests ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 3131-3146 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Negrón ◽  
Ann Lynch ◽  
Willis Schaupp ◽  
Javier Mercado
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Tussock Moth

scholarly journals Root Volume and Growth of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-Fir Seedlings: A Summary of Eight Growing Seasons

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rose ◽  
D. L. Haase ◽  
F. Kroiher ◽  
T. Sabin
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Root Volume ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Early Results

Abstract This is the final summary of two studies on the relationship between root volume and seedling growth; early results were published previously. Survival, growth, and stem volume were determined for 2+0 ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings after 8 growing seasons. For each species, seedlings from three seedlots were assigned to one of three root-volume categories [<4.5 cm3 (RV1), 4.5-7 cm3 (RV2), and >7 cm3 (RV3) for ponderosa pine; <9 cm3 (RV1), 9-13 cm3 (RV2), and >13 cm3 (RV3) for Douglas-fir]. On a dry harsh ponderosa pine site on the eastern slopes of Mt. Hood in Oregon, where gopher and cattle damage decreased the number of seedlings, more seedlings in the highest root-volume category survived (70%) than in the smaller root-volume categories (62% and 50%). Douglas-fir on a good site in the Coast Range of Oregon showed significantly greater height and stem volume for the largest root-volume category, whereas annual shoot growth and survival did not differ. Root volume is one of several potentially useful criteria for predicting long-term growth and survival after outplanting. West. J. Appl. For. 12(3):69-73.

scholarly journals Differential Parasitism Between Two Suitable Cowbird Hosts

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Walsh ◽  
Ty A. Tuff ◽  
Alexander Cruz ◽  
Jameson F. Chace
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Host Nest ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Nest Placement ◽  
Differential Parasitism

Host choice by the brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an evolved response to host suitability, resulting in patterns of differential parasitism rates among species within a community. In the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the Colorado Front Range, we recorded that Western Wood-pewee (Contopus sordidulus) is infrequently parasitized (1%, n = 259 nests) by the Brown-headed Cowbird, whereas the Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus) is heavily parasitized (51%, n = 292). To account for differences in parasitism rates on these species we experimentally parasitized pewee nests with cowbird eggs, and we compared host aggression towards cowbird models, host nest attentiveness, nest placement, and egg-laying dates in these species. Pewees accepted cowbirds eggs and reacted more aggressively towards the cowbird model than the control model, were more attentive at their nest sites than vireos, and placed their nests higher and closer to the trunk than vireos. Egg-laying dates for vireos and cowbirds overlapped more than the egg-laying dates for pewees and cowbirds. We suggest that temporal asynchrony in host availability, coupled with differences in nest placement and behavior at the nest, help to account for the observed differences in parasitism rates between these two species.

Non-native plant invasions in managed and protected ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forests of the Colorado Front Range

2003 ◽  
Vol 177 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 515-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula J Fornwalt ◽  
Merrill R Kaufmann ◽  
Laurie S Huckaby ◽  
Jason M Stoker ◽  
Thomas J Stohlgren
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Native Plant

scholarly journals Twenty-Year Response of Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) to Treatment with Hexazinone in Northeastern Oregon

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-156
Author(s):  
Amanda Lindsay ◽  
Paul Oester ◽  
Elizabeth Cole
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Competing Vegetation ◽  
Plant Associations ◽  
Initial Control

Abstract Chemical control of competing vegetation with hexazinone is a common and effective silvicultural treatment for ensuring ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) plantation success on dry sites in the western United States, yet few studies document the effect for more than the first few years after planting. This study, re-evaluated 20 years after planting, followed ponderosa pine growth and survival when hexazinone was applied in broadcast and spot treatments for control of competing vegetation. We continued work from the first 5 years after establishment that identified early differences in ponderosa pine seedling survival and growth with treatment. Examination of 20-year trends indicated that individual tree volume and volume per hectare continued to diverge among treatments. The economic differences among treatments may increase as more surviving, faster-growing trees in the broadcast treatments reach higher-value products sooner. Initial control of competing vegetation increased the likelihood of seedling survival and increased tree size after 20 years. Results pertained to ponderosa pine of the Douglas-fir/spiraea (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca Beissn./Spiraea betulifolia Pall.) and Douglas-fir/common snowberry (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca Beissn./Symphoricarpos albus [L.] S. F. Blake) plant associations in northeastern Oregon, but they should apply to similar sites throughout much of the intermountain West.

scholarly journals Influence of Ash Substrate Proximity on Growth and Survival of Planted Mixed-Conifer Seedlings

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. York ◽  
Zachary Thomas ◽  
Joseph Restaino
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Sugar Pine ◽  
Giant Sequoia ◽  
Height Gain

Abstract To address uncertainty in the performance of seedlings planted in and around postburn substrates, we systematically planted seedlings in the center of, on the edge of, and outside ash substrate footprints following burning of logging residue piles and monitored growth and survival for a decade. Five species (Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii], giant sequoia [Sequoiadendron giganteum], incense-cedar [Calocedrus decurrens], sugar pine [Pinus lambertiana], and ponderosa pine [Pinus ponderosa]) were planted in a regenerating mixed-conifer stand in the Sierra Nevada range of California. There was a positive effect of ash substrate proximity on growth that was immediate and persisted for 10 years for every species except incense-cedar. Seedlings planted in the centers of ash substrates consistently outgrew (in both height and basal diameter) seedlings that were planted either on the edges of or outside ash substrates. Douglas-fir had the greatest height gain (+47%), followed by giant sequoia (+28%), sugar pine (+23%), and ponderosa pine (+17%). Basal diameter differences were similar. No effect of ash proximity on survival was detected. Planting seedlings in the centers of ash substrates led to exceptionally larger trees by the time the stand had developed enough to apply a precommercial thin, a relevant milestone for managed stands.

BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE CHIPPING SPARROW IN PONDEROSA PINE FORESTS OF THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE

2004 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
HEATHER M. SWANSON ◽  
BREANNA KINNEY ◽  
ALEXANDER CRUZ
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests

scholarly journals Restoration Treatments Improve Overstory Tree Resistance Attributes and Growth in a Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-Fir Forest

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Justin S. Crotteau ◽  
Christopher R. Keyes
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Fuel Reduction ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Tree Resistance ◽  
Crown Length ◽  
Treatment Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overstory Tree

Research Highlights: This study provides much needed insight into the development of resistance to disturbance and growth dynamics of overstory trees in response to restoration-based fuel reduction, and will be useful to scientists and managers attempting to better grasp the relative merits of restoration treatment types. Background and Objectives: Restoration-based fuel reduction treatments are common in dry, fire-prone forests of the western United States. The primary objective of such treatments is to immediately reduce a stand’s crown fire hazard. However, the impact of these treatments on residual trees is relevant to assess their longevity and resistance to future disturbances. In this study, we evaluate the effects of restoration on retained overstory ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees in western Montana, where treatments were experimentally implemented 13 years prior as part of the national Fire and Fire Surrogate study. Materials and Methods: We examined tree attributes in response to the following replicated treatments: thin-only, burn-only, thin + burn, and a no-action control. We analyzed three different tree attributes that confer resistance to common disturbances: height-to-diameter ratio (resistance to wind), bark thickness (resistance to surface fire), and growth efficiency (resistance to bark beetles). Results: Our models suggest that thinning (with or without burning) alters tree attributes relative to the control in a manner that may increase tree resistance to wind and snow breakage, surface fire, and biotic agents such as bark beetles. Further analysis of annual growth of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir varied by treatment type: thinning-based restoration (thin-only and thin + burn) increased diameter growth for both species, crown length and width in ponderosa pine, and crown length in Douglas-fir relative to unthinned treatments. Burning (burn-only and thin + burn) did not significantly affect tree growth relative to unburned treatments. Conclusions: While low-severity prescribed burning treatments are often used for restoration and have various ecosystem benefits, this study demonstrates that thinning (alone or in addition to burning) produces more measureable, beneficial results to overstory tree disturbance resistance metrics and growth.

Diversity and host specificity of ectomycorrhizal fungi retrieved from three adjacent forest sites by five host species

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 1053-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
H B Massicotte ◽  
R Molina ◽  
L E Tackaberry ◽  
J E Smith ◽  
M P Amaranthus
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Abies Grandis ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Fungal Propagules ◽  
Arbutus Menziesii

Seedlings of Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl. (grand fir), Lithocarpus densiflora (Hook. & Arn.) Rehd. (tanoak), Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. (ponderosa pine), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco (Douglas-fir), and Arbutus menziesii Pursh (madrone) were planted in mixture and monoculture in soil collected from three adjacent forest sites in southwestern Oregon (a clearcut area, a 25-year-old Douglas-fir plantation, and a mature 90- to 160-year-old Douglas-fir - pine forest) to determine the effect of host tree diversity on retrieval of ectomycorrhizal morphotypes. In this greenhouse bioassay, 18 morphotypes of mycorrhizae were recognized overall from all soils with a total of 55 host-fungus combinations: 14 types with ponderosa pine, 14 with Douglas-fir, 10 with tanoak, 10 with grand fir, and 7 for madrone. Four genus-specific morphotypes were retrieved (three on ponderosa pine and one on Douglas-fir), even in mixture situations, demonstrating selectivity of some fungal propagules by their respective host. Five types were detected on all hosts, but not necessarily in soils from all sites. The remaining nine types were associated with two, three, or four hosts, which indicates a wide potential for interspecific hyphal linkages between trees. More morphotypes were retrieved from the monoculture treatments compared with the mixture treatments, although the differences were not significant. Several examples of acropetal replacement of one fungus by another (interpreted as succession) were recorded on all hosts during the course of the experiment. These results illustrate the importance of different host species in maintaining ectomycorrhizal fungus diversity, especially fungi with restricted host range, and the strong potential for fungal linkages between trees in forest ecosystems.Key words: fungal succession, fungal communities, compatibility, Arbutus menziesii, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Abies grandis, Lithocarpus densiflora.

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