scholarly journals Validation and refinement of allometric equations for roots of northern hardwoods

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1777-1783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Mean Error

The allometric equations developed by Whittaker et al. (1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest have been used to estimate biomass and productivity in northern hardwood forest systems for over three decades. Few other species-specific allometric estimates of belowground biomass are available because of the difficulty in collecting the data, and such equations are rarely validated. Using previously unpublished data from Whittaker’s sampling effort, we extended the equations to predict the root crown and lateral root components for the three dominant species of the northern hardwood forest: American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt), and sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.). We also refined the allometric models by eliminating the use of very small trees for which the original data were unreliable. We validated these new models of the relationship of tree diameter to the mass of root crowns and lateral roots using root mass data collected from 12 northern hardwood stands of varying age in central New Hampshire. These models provide accurate estimates of lateral roots (<10 cm diameter) in northern hardwood stands >20 years old (mean error 24%–32%). For the younger stands that we studied, allometric equations substantially underestimated observed root biomass (mean error >60%), presumably due to remnant mature root systems from harvested trees supporting young root-sprouted trees.

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.

Effects of an intense ice storm on the structure of a northern hardwood forest

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1763-1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne G Rhoads ◽  
Steven P Hamburg ◽  
Timothy J Fahey ◽  
Thomas G Siccama ◽  
Elizabeth N Hane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Forest Damage ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Ice Storm ◽  
Beech Bark Disease ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Advance Regeneration

A major ice storm in January 1998 provided an opportunity to study the effects of a rare, intense disturbance on the structure of the northern hardwood forest canopy. Canopy damage was assessed using visual damage classes within watersheds of different ages at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) and changes in leaf area index in two of these watersheds. Ice thickness was measured, and ice loads of trees were estimated using regression equations. In the 60- to 120-year-old forests (mean basal area 26 m2·ha–1), damage was greatest in trees >30 cm diameter at breast height and at elevations above 600 m. Of the dominant tree species, beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) was the most damaged, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) was the most resistant, and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) was intermediate. Trees with advanced beech bark disease experienced heavier ice damage. Little damage occurred in the 14-year-old forest, while the 24- to 28-year-old forest experienced intense damage. In the young stands of this forest, damage was greatest between 600 and 750 m, in trees on steep slopes and near streams, and among pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.). Recovery of the canopy was tracked over three growing seasons, and root growth was monitored 1 year after the storm. Because of the high density of advance regeneration from beech bark disease and root sprouting potential in ice-damaged beech, HBEF will likely see an increase in beech abundance in older forests as a result of the storm. There will also be a more rapid change from pioneer species to mature northern hardwoods in the younger forests. These predictions illustrate the ability of rare disturbances to increase heterogeneity of forest structure and composition in this ecosystem, especially through interactions with other disturbances.

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.

scholarly journals In situ decomposition of northern hardwood tree boles: decay rates and nutrient dynamics in wood and bark

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1515-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris E. Johnson ◽  
Thomas G. Siccama ◽  
Ellen G. Denny ◽  
Mary Margaret Koppers ◽  
Daniel J. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Exponential Model ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Clear Cutting

The decomposition of coarse woody debris contributes to forest nutrient sustainability and carbon (C) balances, yet few field studies have been undertaken to investigate these relationships in northern hardwood forests. We used a paired-sample approach to study the decomposition of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), American beech (Fagus grandifolia Erhr.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) boles at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. Mass loss over 16 years followed a first-order exponential decay pattern with half-lives ranging from 4.9 to 9.4 years in bark and from 7.3 to 10.9 years in wood. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations increased significantly during decomposition, resulting in sharp decreases in C:N and C:P ratios. We did not, however, observe significant net increases in the amount of N or P stored in decomposing boles, as reported in some other studies. Calcium (Ca) concentration decreased by up to 50% in bark but more than doubled in wood of all species. The retention of Ca in decomposing wood helps maintain Ca pools in this base-poor ecosystem. Together, the exponential model for mass loss and a combined power-exponential model for changes in nutrient concentrations were able to simulate nutrient dynamics in decomposing boles after clear-cutting in an adjacent watershed.

Species enrichment in a transitional landscape, northern lower Michigan

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel M. Scheiner ◽  
Conrad A. Istock
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
The South ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Forest Diversity ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Group I

The hemlock – white pine – northern hardwood forest region of North America is a transition between the deciduous forests to the south and the boreal forests to the north. In a survey of vascular plant communities in northern lower Michigan we examined species diversity and landscape pattern. Surveying 47 sites we found 483 vascular plant species: 37 tree species, 67 shrub species, 4 vine species, and 375 herbaceous species; there was a mean of 74.3 ± 4.2 species per site. Mean Jaccard similarity among sites was 0.22 ± 0.01 and mosaic diversity, a measure of landscape complexity, was 3.01 ± 0.03. Using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, two distinct groups of communities were differentiated: group I consisted of communities on mesic upland to wet lowland sites dominated by sugar maple, beech, hemlock, cedar, tamarack, and spruce; group II consisted of communities on xeric to dry-mesic upland moraines and level plains dominated by pines, red oak, birch, and aspen. Each group encompassed a separate south to north transition. Contrary to continental trends, species richness was greatest in sites with the greatest percentage of northern species. The region is more species-rich than adjacent regions to the south and north. We present four hypotheses to explain this species enrichment. Key words: boreal forest, deciduous forest, diversity, hemlock – white pine – northern hardwood forest, transition zone.

Ecological Aspects of Forest Management Planning: A Northern Hardwood Forest Case Study

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise M. Tritton ◽  
Paul E. Sendak
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Crown Dieback

Abstract In a stand managed for timber production, increased crown dieback and mortality of trees generally signal a need for reevaluating site conditions, management objectives, and harvesting practices. In this paper, we describe a case study of a northern hardwood forest stand intended for timber production but showing crown dieback and mortality. Plans for a diameter-limit cut were confounded by the presence of diseased and poor quality trees (especially sugar maples), a history of high-grading, and fair to poor site characteristics for sugar maple growth over much of the area. After evaluating the site, we suggested a revised management plan including a shelterwood cut favoring regeneration of both yellow birch and sugar maple. Forest management decisions based on ecological and economic considerations can promote both the long-term health and productivity of forest stands. However, management for long-term health and productivity are not likely to be accomplished under current market conditions in much of New England. North. J. Appl. For. 12(3):121-126.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document