scholarly journals Birch and conifer deadwood favour early establishment and shade tolerance in yellow birch juveniles growing in sugar maple dominated stands

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Bastien Lambert ◽  
Aitor Ameztegui ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Reduced Height

Small-seeded tree species such as yellow birch (YB, Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) require deadwood or mineral soil for their establishment. Although much research has been done comparing YB germination on leaf litter vs. exposed mineral soil, less is known about deadwood as a seedbed and how different seedbeds affect YB early growth along light availability and size gradients. We examine how three common seedbeds (deadwood, moss cover on deadwood, and mineral soil) affected establishment and growth, biomass partitioning, and morphological traits of YB juveniles growing in the understory of temperate mixed deciduous and coniferous forests in southern Quebec. A total of 274 YB were sampled in four sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) dominated northern hardwood stands where selective cuts had been applied 6 and 15 years prior to sampling. Over 75% of the YB found on deadwood were on material of birch and conifer origin, although these species made less than 40% of the basal area. YB juveniles growing on deadwood showed traits that improve survival in shade such as reduced height growth for tall plants, higher efficiency in resource capture, and multilayered crowns. Our results demonstrate the importance of deadwood of birch and conifer origin in maintaining an abundant, natural, spatially well-distributed, and multistoried regeneration of YB.

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

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-404 ◽  
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.

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

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1077-1085 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Relationships between Tree Vigor Indices and a Tree Classification System Based upon Apparent Stem Defects in Northern Hardwood Stands

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edouard Moreau ◽  
Steve Bédard ◽  
Guillaume Moreau ◽  
David Pothier
Keyword(s):  
Classification System ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Efficiency Index ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Many northern hardwood stands include several low-vigor trees as a result of past management. To restore these degraded stands, partial cuts are applied with partly validated tree classification systems that are based upon apparent stem defects. We sampled 214 sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and 84 yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) trees from six sites covering the northern hardwood forest zone of the Province of Quebec, Canada. We evaluated their vigor with a four-class system, and quantified the growth efficiency index and several indices that were based solely upon radial growth. The growth efficiency index increased non-significantly with increasing tree vigor class. The five-year basal area increment (BAI-1-5) was significantly different between the lowest and highest tree vigor classes. Yet, temporal changes in BAI-1-5 helped classify correctly only 16% of high-vigor trees that became poorly vigorous 8–10 years later. Overall, these results suggest that the tree classification system is weakly related to actual tree vigor and its application likely generates few significant gains in future stand vigor. Modifying and simplifying the tree vigor system must be considered to facilitate the tree marking process that is required to improve the vigor of degraded stands.

Allometric equations for young northern hardwoods: the importance of age-specific equations for estimating aboveground biomass

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah R. Fatemi ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Mary A. Arthur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Estimates of aboveground biomass and nutrient stocks are commonly derived using equations that describe tree dimensional relationships. Despite the widespread use of this approach, there is little information about whether equations specific to stand age are necessary for accurate biomass predictions. We developed equations for small trees (2–12 cm diameter) of six species in four young northern hardwood stands. We then compared our equations with equations used frequently in the literature that were developed in mature stands (Whittaker et al. 1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252). Our equations for yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) predicted 11%–120% greater stem wood for individual trees compared with the equations from Whittaker et al. and, on average, 50% greater aboveground yellow birch biomass in the four stands that we studied. Differences were less pronounced for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.); our equations predicted, on average, 9% greater aboveground stand biomass for sugar maple and 3% lower biomass for American beech compared with Whittaker et al. Our results suggest that stand age may be an important factor influencing the aboveground allometry and biomass of small yellow birch trees in these developing northern hardwood stands.

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.

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.

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

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-497 ◽  
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.

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 Height Development of Upper-Canopy Trees Within Even-Aged Adirondack Northern Hardwood Stands

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Nyland ◽  
David G. Ray ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Canopy Trees

Abstract Knowledge of the relative rates of height growth among species is necessary for predicting developmental patterns in even-aged northern hardwood stands. To quantify these relationships, we used stem analysis to reconstruct early height growth patterns of dominant and codominant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), and America beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) trees. We used three stands (aged 19, 24, and 29 years) established by shelterwood method cutting preceded by an understory herbicide treatment. We analyzed 10 trees of each species per stand. Height growth was similar across stands, allowing us to develop a single equation for each species. Our data show that yellow birch had the most rapid height growth up to approximately age 10. Both sugar maple and white ash grew more rapidly than yellow birch beyond that point. Beech consistently grew the slowest. White ash had a linear rate of height growth over the 29-year period, while the other species declined in their growth rates. By age 29, the heights of main canopy trees ranged from 38 ft for beech to 51 ft for white ash. Both yellow birch and sugar maple averaged 46 ft tall at that time. By age 29, the base of the live crown had reached 17, 20, 21, and 26 ft for beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, and white ash, respectively. Live–crown ratios of upper-canopy trees did not differ appreciably among species and remained at approximately 40% for the ages evaluated. These results suggest that eliminating advance regeneration changes the outcome of competition to favor species other than beech. North. J. Appl. For. 21(3):117–122.

Calcium and magnesium in wood of northern hardwood forest species: relations to site characteristics

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Arthur ◽  
T G Siccama ◽  
R D Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Improving estimates of the nutrient content of boles in forest ecosystems requires more information on how the chemistry of wood varies with characteristics of the tree and site. We examined Ca and Mg concentrations in wood at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Species examined were the dominant tree species of the northern hardwood forest and the spruce-fir forest. The concentrations of Ca and Mg, respectively, in lightwood of these species, mass weighted by elevation, were 661 and 145 µg/g for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), 664 and 140 µg/g for American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), 515 and 93 µg/g for yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), 525 and 70 µg/g for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), 555 and 118 µg/g for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and 393 and 101 µg/g for white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.). There were significant patterns in Ca and Mg concentrations with wood age. The size of the tree was not an important source of variation. Beech showed significantly greater concentrations of both Ca (30%) and Mg (33%) in trees growing in moist sites relative to drier sites; sugar maple and yellow birch were less sensitive to mesotopography. In addition to species differences in lightwood chemistry, Ca and Mg concentrations in wood decreased with increasing elevation, coinciding with a pattern of decreasing Ca and Mg in the forest floor. Differences in Ca and Mg concentration in lightwood accounted for by elevation ranged from 12 to 23% for Ca and 16 to 30% for Mg for the three northern hardwood species. At the ecosystem scale, the magnitude of the elevational effect on lightwood chemistry, weighted by species, amounts to 18% of lightwood Ca in the watershed and 24% of lightwood Mg but only 2% of aboveground biomass Ca and 7% of aboveground Mg.

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