Eleven-year growth response of young conifers to biosolids or nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on northern Vancouver Island

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy E Prescott ◽  
Leandra L Blevins
Keyword(s):  
Growth Response ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Stand Volume ◽  
Municipal Biosolids ◽  
Type 3

To test the hypothesis that fertilization with municipal biosolids causes a larger long-term tree growth response than fertilization with conventional chemical fertilizers, we measured the height and diameter of planted western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and amabilis fir (Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) 11 years after fertilization with biosolids or nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. There were four replicate plots of each tree species and treatment combination. The stand volume in cedar plots doubled in response to both treatments; in treated hemlock and fir plots, the stand volume was about triple that in control plots. There was little difference in tree response between biosolids-amended and fertilized plots. A type 3 response (growth rates remain elevated relative to those in the control) was evident for hemlock and fir. Biosolids appear to be as effective as chemical fertilizers in promoting conifer growth on these nutrient-poor sites, but their effect is neither greater nor more prolonged.

Response of Gaultheria shallon and Epilobium angustifolium to large additions of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 502-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer N Bennett ◽  
Brent M Lapthorne ◽  
Leandra L Blevins ◽  
Cindy E Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Gaultheria Shallon ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
N Application ◽  
Epilobium Angustifolium ◽  
Conifer Seedling

A study was established in coastal British Columbia to determine if repeated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization negatively influences the reestablishment of salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) on cleared and burned cedar–hemlock (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don – Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forests. Fertilizers were applied for 3 years, and the biomass of ground vegetation and conifer seedling survival and growth were measured. Salal biomass decreased with high levels of N application (1000 kg N/ha), but not when 400 kg P/ha was added with 1000 kg N/ha. The addition of 500 kg N/ha, with or without P, stimulated salal growth. The biomass of fireweed (Epilobium angusti folium L.) increased with the addition of N + P but not with N alone. In the high N and N + P treatments, conifer seedling survival and heights were reduced. These results confirm earlier reports that salal responds negatively to high N applications and that this negative response can be alleviated with simultaneous additions of P. The response of fireweed to N + P, but not to N alone, suggests that the abundance of this species is more indicative of P than N availability.

scholarly journals Long-Term Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics in Waters Discharging from Forestry-Drained and Undrained Boreal Peatlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 232 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Nieminen ◽  
Sakari Sarkkola ◽  
Eliza Maher Hasselquist ◽  
Tapani Sallantaus
Keyword(s):  
Quality Data ◽  
Phosphorus Concentration ◽  
Tree Stand ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Stand Volume ◽  
Temperature Sum ◽  
Nitrogen Concentrations

AbstractContradictory results for the long-term evolution of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in waters discharging from drained peatland forests need reconciliation. We gathered long-term (10–29 years) water quality data from 29 forested catchments, 18 forestry-drained and 11 undrained peatlands. Trend analysis of the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration data indicated variable trends from clearly decreasing to considerably increasing temporal trends. While the variations in phosphorus concentration trends over time did not correlate with any of our explanatory factors, trends in nitrogen concentrations correlated positively with tree stand volume in the catchments and temperature sum. A positive correlation of increasing nitrogen concentrations with temperature sum raises concerns of the future evolution of nitrogen dynamics under a warming climate. Furthermore, the correlation with tree stand volume is troublesome due to the generally accepted policy to tackle the climate crisis by enhancing tree growth. However, future research is still needed to assess which are the actual processes related to stand volume and temperature sum that contribute to increasing TN concentrations.

scholarly journals Simulating the Impact of Long-Term Fertilization on Basic Soil Productivity in a Rainfed Winter Wheat System

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1544
Author(s):  
Ting Wang ◽  
Ningping Ding ◽  
Lili Li ◽  
Xiaodong Lyu ◽  
Qiang Chai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Fertilization Experiment ◽  
Combined Application ◽  
The Impact

Basic soil productivity (BSP) is the ability of a soil, in its normal environment to support plant growth. However, the assessment of BSP remains controversial. The aim of this study is to quantify and analyze the trends of BSP in winter wheat seasons using the decision support system for agrotechnologie transfer (DSSAT) model under a long-term fertilization experiment in the dark loessal soil region of the Loess Plateau of China. In addition, we evaluated the contribution percentage of BSP to yield and its influencing factors. A long-term fertilization experiment with a winter wheat/spring maize rotation was established in 1979 in a field of the Gaoping Agronomy Farm, Pingliang, Gansu, China, including six treatments: (1) no fertilizer as a control (CK), (2) chemical nitrogen fertilizer input annually (N), (3) chemical nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer input annually (NP), (4) straw return and chemical nitrogen fertilizer input annually plus phosphorus fertilizer added every second year (SNP), (5) manure input annually (M), and (6) M plus N and P fertilizers added annually (MNP). The application of the DSSAT-CERES-Wheat model showed a satisfactory performance with good Wilmott d-index (0.78~0.95) and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) (7.03%~18.72%) values for the tested genetic parameters of winter wheat. After the 26-years experiment, the yield by BSP of winter wheat under the M and MNP treatment significantly increased, at the rate of 2.7% and 3.82% a year, respectively, whereas that of CK and N treatments significantly decreased, at the rate of 0.23% and 3.03%. Moreover, the average contribution percentage of BSP to yield was 47.0%, 39.4%, 56.3%, 50.0%, and 61.9% in N, NP, SNP, M, and MNP treatments, respectively. In addition, soil organic carbon contents were the main controls of BSP under the different fertilization conditions in the dark loessial soil area. As a result, the combined application of organic fertilizer or straw and chemical fertilizer can be an effective form of fertilization management to greatly enrich basic soil productivity, continually promote the contribution percentage of BSP, and ultimately increase crop yield.

Sphagnum invasion after clear-cutting and excavator mounding in a hypermaritime forest of British Columbia

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1730-1746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taro Asada ◽  
Barry G Warner ◽  
Allen Banner
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Lower Productivity ◽  
Sphagnum Girgensohnii ◽  
Thuja Plicata Donn

Sphagnum invasion 8 years after an experimental clear-cut and mounding field trial was examined in a mesic western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) – western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forest on the outer north coast of British Columbia. Sphagnum invasion was prominent in wet hollows in the mounded blocks. Pioneer species, Sphagnum pacificum Flatb. and Sphagnum angustifolium (C. Jens. ex Russ.) C. Jens., were common despite being minor components in the precut forest. Sphagnum girgensohnii Russ., a species of forests, showed expanding colonies and contained some Sphagnum capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw. Comparisons of vertical growth and decomposition rates of Sphagnum in the experimental field site and in a nearby natural peatland suggest that peat accumulation potential in the Sphagnum colonies in the mounded blocks is similar to that in the natural peatland. These observations suggest that open peatland-type plant communities become established and paludification processes are beginning. Mounding may be an effective strategy for silvicultural management to improve tree growth in the short term but may initiate paludification and negatively impact forest productivity in the long term in hypermaritime lower productivity forests.

Old-Growth Douglas-Fir and Western Hemlock: A 36-Year Record of Growth and Mortality

1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean S. DeBell ◽  
Jerry F. Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Stand Volume

Abstract Growth and mortality were measured at 6-year intervals in a 1,180-acre old-growth stand in southwestern Washington. Principal tree species were Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), western redcedar (Thuja plicata), and western white pine (Pinus monticola). They composed 59, 27, 6, 6, and 1%, respectively, of the total cubic volume (13,290 ft³) in 1947. Gross volume growth averaged 94 ft³ per acre per year, and mortality averaged 86 ft³ per acre per year. Net growth was therefore minimal, and total stand volume remained nearly constant for 36 years. Douglas-fir, which accounted for only one-third of the gross growth and nearly one-half of the mortality, is losing dominance to western hemlock, which provided nearly one-half the gross growth and only 28% of the mortality. Pacific silver fir increased in importance in the lower canopy and composed 60% of the in-growth. Thus, although net gain in timber volume was nil, substantial changes occurred in stand characteristics during the 1947-1983 period. West. J. Appl. For. 2(4):111-114, October 1987.

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