scholarly journals Climate change experiment suggests divergent responses of tree seedlings in eastern North America’s Acadian Forest Region over the 21st century

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Robert Vaughn ◽  
Anthony R. Taylor ◽  
David A. MacLean ◽  
Loïc D'Orangeville ◽  
Michael B. Lavigne
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Drought Effect ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Acadian Forest

In this study, we conducted a controlled experiment to assess the growth and survival of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) seedlings in response to warming, drought, and elevated CO2, as projected under RCP 8.5 for North America’s Acadian Forest Region. In response to warming, only red spruce increased in height; however, this effect varied by CO2 and soil moisture treatments. Under the drought treatment, red spruce biomass was not affected, but mortality increased by two percent. With warming, increases in balsam fir height growth were only detected under certain soil moisture and CO2 conditions. Balsam fir biomass decreased by 24% under drought, while mortality increased by 5 percent. Warming did not improve red maple height growth, but it remained 7-50 times greater than that of the conifers and no mortality was observed. Overall, CO2 enrichment increased height growth of droughted seedlings relative to the ambient treatment, demonstrating an amelioration of the negative drought effect. Balsam fir was the least adapted to warming and drought, while red spruce displayed some positive responses. Although growth of red maple seedlings did not increase with warming, they exhibited greater absolute growth and survival, which suggests red maple may outperform both conifers under a warming climate.

The Acadian forest: Historical condition and human impacts

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Loo ◽  
N. Ives
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
The South ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Acadian Forest

The Acadian Forest Region comprises the three Maritime Provinces of Canada, each of which has a distinct history resulting in different patterns of land ownership, land use, and impacts on the forest. The region encompasses a high degree of physiographic and biological diversity, being situated where the warm, moist influence of the Gulf Stream from the south collides with the cold Labrador Current and the boreal forest gradually gives way to mostly deciduous forest. Natural forest types in the Acadian Forest Region include rich tolerant hardwood, similar to the deciduous forests to the south; spruce-fir forest, similar to boreal forest to the north; and an array of coniferous, deciduous, and mixed intermediate types. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) are considered characteristic of the Acadian Forest Region. Except for one quantitative study in one county of New Brunswick, and another study on Prince Edward Island, most knowledge of the historical forest condition has been gleaned from early descriptions by explorers, surveyors, and settlers of the Maritimes region. Although some regions have been affected much more than others, little, if any forested area has escaped human influence over the past four centuries. A general result of human activities has been a shift in successional status and age distribution, with increased frequency of relatively young, often even-aged, early successional forest types including balsam fir, white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Both the abundance and age of late-successional species such as sugar maple, red spruce, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière), yellow birch, cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) have declined. Key words: pre-European forest, Maritime Provinces, historical ecology, witness trees, Acadian forest types, natural disturbance

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.

Long-term outcome of precommercial thinning in northwestern New Brunswick: growth and yield of balsam fir and red spruce

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 592-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doug Pitt ◽  
Len Lanteigne
Keyword(s):  
Block Design ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Long Term Outcome ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Minimum Requirement

A study was established between 1959 and 1961 to study the long-term responses of balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.) to precommercial thinning. Three nominal spacings of 4 ft (1.2 m), 6 ft (1.8 m), and 8 ft (2.4 m) were compared with an unthinned control in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. At the time of thinning, natural regeneration averaged 16 years of age, 8 years after harvest. Although thinning had minimal effect on gross total volume production over a 42 to 44 year observation period, actual spacings between 2.1 and 2.5 m produced an average of 360 m3·ha–1gross merchantable volume (GMV), representing a 21% gain over unthinned stands. The same spacings produced quadratic mean diameters of 21 and 23 cm, respectively, compared with 18 cm in the unthinned stands. These size increases translated to individual stem volume gains of 33% and 62%, significantly reducing the age at which thinned stands would meet a specified minimum requirement for merchantability or habitat. The mean annual increment of GMV ranged from 6 m3·ha–1·year–1in unthinned stands, to more than 7 m3·ha·–1·year–1in the thinned stands, and had not yet culminated an average of 50 years postharvest.

CONTACT AND RESIDUAL EFFECT OF LOW-VOLUME DOSAGES OF PHOSPHAMIDON TO CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE) ON TWO SPECIES OF CONIFERS

1972 ◽  
Vol 104 (7) ◽  
pp. 1051-1054
Author(s):  
J. F. Stewart ◽  
N. R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Residual Effect ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Picea Rubens ◽  
Fourth Instar ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Low Volume

AbstractA series of low-volume spray treatments were conducted to study the contact and residual effect of two concentrations of the insecticide phosphamidon to fourth instar spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), on balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill, and red spruce, Picea rubens Sarg. Treatment of sprayed larvae on sprayed trees, unsprayed larvae on sprayed trees, and sprayed larvae on unsprayed trees, resulted in two principal conclusions: (a) Higher concentrations of phosphamidon (1% versus 0.5% active) accelerated mortality in all instances and (b) no statistical difference (P = 0.1%) was found in the final mortalities between treatments in which only the foliage was treated and where both larvae and foliage were treated with phosphamidon.

A study of fungal endophytes of needles of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red spruce (Picea rubens) in New Brunswick, Canada, using culture and electron microscope techniques

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (12) ◽  
pp. 3513-3516 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Johnson ◽  
Norman J. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Picea Rubens ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Intercellular Spaces ◽  
Parenchyma Cells ◽  
Spruce Needles ◽  
Petiole Segment

Endophytic fungi were isolated from the interiors of surface-sterilized needles of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red spruce (Picea rubens) in New Brunswick, Canada. Four different fungi were isolated frequently. One species, designated X-W, was isolated exlusively from the petiole segment of red spruce needles. There was no difference in the variety of species isolated from fir needles from two sites, but a difference in frequency of species did exist. Micrographs of the interior of balsam fir needles showed hyphae occupying intercellular spaces and adhering to the outer walls of parenchyma cells. No penetration of cells by either fungus was observed.

scholarly journals Mortality Patterns Following Spruce Budworm Infestation in Unprotected Spruce-Fir Forests in Maine

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale S. Solomon ◽  
Lianjun Zhang ◽  
Thomas B. Brann ◽  
David S. Larrick
Keyword(s):  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Function ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Cumulative Mortality ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Composition Classes ◽  
Annual Mortality

Abstract Cumulative and annual mortality of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] were examined over a 10 yr period to follow the mortality patterns in unprotected spruce-fir forests in northern Maine. Different mortality patterns were determined based on stand composition classes and merchantability classes. In general, balsam fir was more vulnerable to budworm attack, and reached 92–100% basal area mortality and 84–97% stem density mortality 12 yr after the start of the outbreak. Red spruce, in contrast, had approximately 32–59% basal area mortality and 30–66% stem density mortality during the same time period. Balsam fir mortality started 1 to 2 yr before spruce, while spruce mortality continued 2 to 3 yr after fir mortality was completed. Higher mortality was found in smaller trees than sawtimber-sized trees. Stands with hardwood components (30–70% in basal area) had the lowest mortality rate for both species. Furthermore, Schnute growth function (Schnute 1981) was used to characterize the cumulative mortality trajectories after the defoliation of spruce and fir by stand composition classes. The models estimated the time when annual mortality achieved maximum, the cumulative mortality at that time, and the asymptotic mortality over a long time period after the start of the attack. The information can provide guidelines for predicting protection strategies and scheduling salvage harvests.

Chlorophyll fluorescence response of red spruce and balsam fir to a watershed calcium fertilization experiment in New Hampshire

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1518-1522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Physiological Effect ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Fluorescence Measurements

Decreases in soil exchangeable calcium (Ca) due to acid deposition have been linked with declines of forest species in the northeastern United States, particularly red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.). In 2005, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were taken on red spruce and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees growing on two watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire. One watershed had been fertilized with CaSiO3 in 1999 to replace the soil Ca losses of the past 50 years, and the other was a reference watershed. In March, there were no differences in any chlorophyll fluorescence parameter between sites or species. In August, however, dark-adapted ratios of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were significantly greater (p = 0.05) in the Ca-treated watershed for both spruce and fir, and spruce values were significantly greater than fir. No differences were found in the light-adapted fluorescence parameters. These results suggest that both spruce and fir respond to increases in Ca availability, even though fir does not exhibit the decline symptoms seen in spruce. It is unclear what physiological effect is responsible for the observed differences in Fv/Fm. The Fv/Fm values appear to respond to differences in Ca availability in forest tree species; thus, the ratio has the potential to be used in these two watersheds at HBEF to determine if other forest species are also responding to Ca additions.

Harvesting and slash piling affects soil respiration, soil temperature, and soil moisture regimes in Newfoundland boreal forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Moroni ◽  
P. Q. Carter ◽  
D. A.J. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
A Minor

The effect of harvesting and slash piling on soil respiration, temperature and moisture was examined in a balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and a black spruce (Picea marinara) forest located in western Newfoundland, Canada, 2 mo to 2.5 yr following harvesting. Within 4 mo of harvesting, soil temperature, moisture, and soil respiration rates were affected by harvesting and slash piling. Clearcut areas without slash (CC-S) had significantly lower soil respiration rates than uncut forests (F). However, clearcut areas with slash cover (CC+S) had significantly higher soil respiration rates than CC-S. When harvested areas with and without slash were combined, harvesting decreased soil respiration in the black spruce forest but had no effect on soil respiration in the balsam fir forest. Harvesting increased soil temperatures at 10 cm, however CC+S temperatures were cooler than CC-S temperatures. Harvested areas tended to dry faster than F, although soil moisture levels at >3.5 cm were not significantly depleted. However, there was evidence of soil drying at <3.5 cm. Soil temperature (at 10 cm) at the time of measurement was most strongly correlated to rates of soil respiration. Temporal variability and treatment effects (harvesting and slash piling) played a minor role in explaining soil respiration rates when variations in soil respiration were adjusted for 10-cm soil temperature,. Soil moisture levels (3.5-9.5 cm depth), which did not vary widely, also played a minor role in explaining soil respiration rates.Key words: Clearcut, Abies balsamea, Picea marinara, carbon dioxide, greenhouse gas

scholarly journals Étude rétrospective de l'accroissement en diamètre du sapin baumier (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) et de l'épinette rouge (Picea rubens Sarg.) en peuplements mixtes après une coupe a diamètre limite

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 791-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Fortin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Model ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Picea Rubens ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Significant Variable ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Harvesting Time

Diameter growth at breast height of 341 balsam fir and red spruce stems has been reproduced over a time lapse of 50 years following a diameter limit cutting. The available information has been analyzed with a statistical model in which the effects of time, species (two levels), ecological type (three levels) and diameter at harvesting have been tested. Results indicate that balsam fir saplings have higher diameter growths than red spruce saplings, but only in the case of better ecological types. The differences between both species are smaller for stems having a merchantable diameter (dbh > 9.0 cm) at harvesting time. On poor ecological station, red spruce diameter growth is more important than for balsam fir and this, whatever the diameter at harvesting time. On the other hand, as indicated by this analysis, stem diameter at the time of silvicultural treatment constitutes a significant variable in the prediction of diameter growth for red spruce stems, while the effect of this variable is less identifiable for balsam fir. Even if significant, the growth differences between the two species are small. The competition created by the balsam fir regeneration on red spruce saplings is definitely not the cause of the depletion of red spruce in second growth stands.. Key words: red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), diameter growth, partial cut, mixed stands, linear model, mixed model

A stand density management diagram for balsam fir in New Brunswick

2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 700-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Penner ◽  
D E Swift ◽  
R. Gagnon ◽  
J. Brissette
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Quadratic Mean ◽  
Stand Management ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Quadratic Mean Diameter ◽  
Stand Density Management

A stand management density diagram (SDMD) is presented for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forests in New Brunswick. The SDMD incorporates a maximum size density line, as well as quadratic mean diameter and top height isolines. Several mortality functions are evaluated. The resultant SDMD should be a useful tool for projecting early stand development and determining the timing and intensity of thinnings. Key words: Acadian Forest Region, mortality curves

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