Forest soil rehabilitation with tillage and wood waste enhances seedling establishment but not height after 8 years

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1894-1906 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bulmer ◽  
K. Venner ◽  
C. Prescott

We evaluated soil conditions of rehabilitated log landings in the Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone of British Columbia during the first 3 years after treatment and the growth of lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) on these log landings over 8 years. Rehabilitation treatments included combinations of tillage and the addition of either stockpiled topsoil or one of three organic amendments: hog fuel, sort-yard waste, and a wood waste – biosolids compost. The woody amendments were either applied as a surface mulch or incorporated into the soil after tillage. Tillage and addition of wood waste reduced soil bulk density and increased carbon content. Daytime soil temperatures in summer were lower under a hog fuel mulch than for the other treatments. The plots receiving hog fuel also had higher soil moisture content. One year after treatment, soil mechanical resistance for untreated soils, and those that were simply tilled, exceeded 2500 kPa for much of the growing season. Plots receiving wood waste had lower mechanical resistance. Use of wood waste in rehabilitation improved soil conditions and contributed to improved survival rates for planted lodgepole pine seedlings. Height growth after 8 years was not significantly affected by the treatments.

1979 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 102-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Blackmore ◽  
Wm. G. Corns

Perennial herbaceous vegetation, mainly marsh reed grass, (Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx) Beauv.), was sprayed with glyphosate on the day before planting one-year-old plugs of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) on cutover forest land north of Edson, Alberta. Spraying at 4.5 kg ai/ha, included spot and strip applications in June 1976, compared with unsprayed scalps and controls. At the same time, all treatments were repeated plus a 9 g, 22-8-2 fertilizer tablet for each seedling. Another experiment at the same site, begun on August 1, 1976, compared scalp, unfertilized control and glyphosate strip treatments, followed by planting of pine seedlings the day after spraying 4.5 kg ai/ha glyphosate. An adjacent experiment, also commenced on August 1, included dosages of 1.1 to 5.6 kg ai/ha with planting of pine seedlings in 4.5 kg/ha and in control plots in May 1977. August application of 2.2 kg/ha provided excellent initial vegetation control, as effective as the larger amounts applied at that time, and was superior during the first 12 months to 4.5 kg/ha applied in June. Twenty-six months after the spring planting new shoot growth of fertilized pine in the glyphosate strips was statistically significantly greater than that for all other treatments and growth in fertilized scalps was also very good. At the same time leader growth of spruce in fertilized scalps was significantly greater than that for other treatments but growth in glyphosate strips did not exceed that of unfertilized controls. Contrary to results of spring planting, there was marked injury and mortality of pine planted in August in glyphosate plots which had been sprayed on the preceding day. Seedlings planted in glyphosate-treated strips nine months after the August spraying exceeded the growth of control plants but not until the year after they were planted.


2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 681-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Blouin ◽  
M. G. Schmidt ◽  
C. E. Bulmer ◽  
M. Krzic

Forest landings are areas located adjacent to haul roads where harvested trees that were skidded from the cutblock are processed and loaded onto trucks. Soils on landings are often excessively compacted by heavy timber harvesting machinery and may take many years to recover from such disturbance. This study examined soil properties and tree growth on unrehabilitated landings (with and without natural regeneration) and adjacent naturally regenerated clearcuts in the central interior of British Columbia (BC), 23 yr after landing construction. Landings (both with and without natural regeneration) had less favorable conditions for tree growth than did clearcuts, including significantly greater surface soil bulk density and mechanical resistance (on some dates) and lower total porosity and concentrations of C and N. Landings without natural regeneration had the least favorable soil conditions, which may account for the lack of natural regeneration. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) growing on portions of the landings did not differ in height from those growing in adjacent clearcuts. Site index, as estimated using the growth intercept method, did not differ between naturally regenerated landings (21.7 m) and clearcuts (22.0 m), suggesting that the soils may be equally capable of supporting productive forests. Key words: Forest soil disturbance, soil mechanical resistance, soil productivity, soil water content, natural regeneration


1971 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 908-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Powell

AbstractOne hundred and sixty species of arthropods, representing 137 insects, 19 mites, and 4 spiders, were collected or reared from the cankers of the comandra blister rust, Cronartium comandrae Peck, on lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm., in southwestern Alberta. The insects damaged 40 to 60% of the cankers observed in any one year and reduced aeciospore production by 10%. Eleven orders of insects were represented, of which the Coleoptera (29 species), Lepidoptera (14), Diptera (21), and Hymenoptera (38) were the most important. Epuraea obliquus Hatch, Paracacoxenus guttatus Hardy and Wheeler, and a Mycodiplosis species appeared to be true mycetobionts. Several others which damaged the cankers, such as Pissodes schwarzi Hopk., Cylindrocopturus deleoni Buchanan, Ernobius sp., Corticaria sp., Bradysia spp., Dioryctria spp., Laspeyresia sp., Grapholitha sp. prob. caeruleana Wlshm., Eucordylea spp., Cinara spp., and Diapterobates principalis (Berlese) could be classied as mycetophiles. About half the species appeared to be mycetoxenes. New habitat or host information was obtained and several new species were collected. Several of the genera represented have been reported to occur on other pine stem rusts, which indicates that the rust cankers provide a suitable habitat for development.


2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim J. Blok ◽  
Jan G. Lamers ◽  
Aad J. Termorshuizen ◽  
Gerrit J. Bollen

A new method for the control of soilborne plant pathogens was tested for its efficacy in two field experiments during two years. Plots were amended with fresh broccoli or grass (3.4 to 4.0 kg fresh weight m-2) or left nonamended, and covered with an airtight plastic cover (0.135 mm thick) or left noncovered. In plots amended with broccoli or grass and covered with plastic sheeting, anaerobic and strongly reducing soil conditions developed quickly, as indicated by rapid depletion of oxygen and a decrease in redox potential values to as low as -200 mV. After 15 weeks, survival of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi, Rhizoctonia solani, and Verticillium dahliae in inoculum samples buried 15 cm deep was strongly reduced in amended, covered plots in both experiments. The pathogens were not or hardly inactivated in amended, noncovered soil or nonamended, covered soil. The latter indicates that thermal inactivation due to increased soil temperatures under the plastic cover was not involved in pathogen inactivation. The results show the potential for this approach to control various soilborne pathogens and that it may serve as an alternative to chemical soil disinfestation for high-value crops under conditions where other alternatives, such as solarization or soil flooding, are not effective or not feasible.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
S M Bradbury

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) seedlings, originating from seed in three southwestern Alberta cut blocks, were sampled to identify their ectomycorrhizal associates. Fourteen ectomycorrhizal taxa were identified, 10 were common to all three cut blocks, and 12 to two cut blocks. Individual seedlings were colonized by two fungal associates on average and never had more than six fungal associates at one sampling time. Total percent colonization of seedling roots was greater than 50% one year after seed germination and greater than 90% two years after seed germination. Species richness increased throughout the course of the study; however, all but two ectomycorrhizal taxa were found in mature forests nearby. Typical late-stage ectomycorrhizal fungi colonized regenerating lodgepole pine seedlings in the absence of refuge host plants; therefore, either these fungi remained viable in situ between harvesting and regeneration or they migrated back into the cut block once revegetation was initiated.Key words: lodgepole pine seedlings, ectomycorrhiza, percent relative abundance, Alberta cut blocks.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1917-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Bayne ◽  
Bruce Nielsen

Forest managers are continually seeking methods of extracting more timber from the land base while maintaining appropriate wildlife habitat. A 7-year before–after control–impact (BACI) experiment was conducted in 60-year-old lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) to determine the effects of thinning on forest birds. One year of pretreatment data was compared with 6 years of posttreatment data. Using linear trend analysis corrected for detection error, we found that Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina (Bechstein, 1798)), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758)), and Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766)) increased over time in thinned stands and declined in control stands. Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum Brewster, 1895), Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus (Pallas, 1811)), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus (Linnaeus, 1766)), and Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius (Wilson, 1810)) decreased in control and thinned stands but declined more in controls. Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius (J. F. Gemlin, 1789)) and White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera Gemlin, 1789) increased in control stands relative to thinned areas, where they were stable or declined. A significant interaction between treatment and year was observed for 24 species when year was categorical. Of these, species more likely found in control stands were Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus (J.R. Forster, 1772)), Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa Lichtenstein, 1823), and Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus (W.M. Baird & S.F. Baird, 1843)), whereas Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus (Linnaeus, 1766)), Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina (A. Wilson, 1811)), and Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus (Vieillot, 1808)) were more likely in thinned stands. Total bird abundance was higher in thinned stands, which is consistent with 83% of thinning studies in western coniferous forests. Thinning can be a useful tool for achieving wildlife management goals and increasing timber yields.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hueso-González ◽  
J.F. Martínez-Murillo ◽  
J.D. Ruiz-Sinoga

In semiarid conditions, re-vegetation programs are associated with a high level of sapling mortality. For the proper management of Mediterranean forest environments, alternative low cost afforestation methods that ensure the survival of seedlings and have minimal environmental impact are needed. One way to improve soil conditions is to apply organic amendments to the soil. This study assessed the effects of two types of organic mulching on the afforestation success of a degraded Mediterranean semiarid area. The soil treatments tested were: i) afforestation in soil amended with straw mulch (10 Mg ha-1); ii) afforestation in soil amended with mulch containing chipped branches of Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) (10 Mg ha-1); iii) control plots with no amendments were used and considered as afforested in natural conditions. The afforestation plan was performed following the same species and pattern of plantation in each plot. We hypothesized that in the context of dry-Mediterranean climatic conditions the use of organic amendments would enhance plant establishment and ensure successful afforestation. The results showed that afforestation success increased when soils were amended with straw and pine tree mulch. The amendments had no effect on soil organic carbon. However, both treatments showed an increase in the average soil water content respect to the control conditions. Thus, the available water content in soils amended with mulch was higher than in the control during most of the duration of the experiment, and, consequently, there was less water stress following afforestation. This was well related with the increment in sapling survival rates founded in straw and pine mulch treatments.


Author(s):  
Sharon Eversman

The fires of 1988 in Yellowstone National Park burned 1.1 million acres (1719.4 square miles) within the park boundaries, about 44.5% of the park. Six per cent of the area burned was meadow­grassland and 94% was forests. Most of the forested areas that burned were dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud), with smaller tracts of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco)), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.). The burns were mosaic in nature, leaving different sizes of areas severely burned, moderately burned and unburned, and adjacent patches of mostly ground fires, mostly canopy fires, both ground and canopy fires or unburned stands (Rothermel et al., 1994). Many park projects have documented recovery of vascular plants, especially lodgepole pine and the understory perennials (Anderson & Romme, 1991; Baskin, 1999; Foster, et al, 1999; Reed, et al ,1999; Tomback, et al, 2001; Turner et al, 1994, 1997). The conclusions were that lodgepole pine has regenerated itself, as expected, from seed sources in adjacent unburned patches. Herbaceous and shrubby understory regeneration has depended primarily on the plants that were present at the study sites before the fires, with regrowth from surviving underground parts as well as from nearby seed sources. This study investigates the initial return of non-vascular vegetation, lichens and mosses, all of which were presumably destroyed when their substrates were burned. None of the other Yellowstone studies included cryptogam observations. Studies concentrating on recolonizing cryptogamic crusts, including mosses, algae and lichens, on dryland soil after fires, have occurred in Utah (Johansen, et al, 1984) and Australia (Eldridge & Bradstock, 1994). Algae tended to return before lichens and mosses, especially during wet years, and after five years the lichens and mosses were recovering but not yet to pre-burn cover. Researchers have found that, on limestone, two lichen species colonized after four years. Thomas, et al. (1994) found that Ceratodon purpureus appeared to be insensitive to pH differences of burned peat surfaces and readily colonized ashed surfaces within one year after fire; Polytrichum piliferum was dominant after three years.


2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (02) ◽  
pp. 148-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Richard Dempster

Variable and sometimes high levels of mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) planted in western Alberta have raised awareness of the need to forecast and ameliorate risks to reforestation success. Mortality and health of regeneration during the 12 years following harvest were monitored and evaluated in relation to climate, site and silvicultural treatments. Results suggest that physiological stress related to evapotranspiration is the most prevalent cause of overall juvenile mortality and susceptibility to Armillaria root disease in planted pine. Mortality and disease not only increase at higher rates of drying during the growing season, but an opposite effect is also demonstrated whereby they decrease with increasing spring temperatures. Mechanical site preparation aimed at countering mortality and disease of planted stock with improved soil conditions appears to have good potential for ameliorating adverse climatic effects in juvenile stands.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-63
Author(s):  
Anatoly V. Zhigunov ◽  
Оlesia Y. Butenko

Abstract The aim of our study was to compare the growth rates of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) with those of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) in plantations. The experimental plots were established in 1988, 1989 and 1994 in the southern part of the Leningrad region. In 2014, the condition of the plants on those plots was examined and their linear parameters were measured. The comparison of Scots pine with lodgepole pine of the same age growing in similar soil conditions has shown that Scots pine has only an insignificant advantage over lodgepole pine in the growth rate. In the mixes of Norway spruce and lodgepole pine, Norway spruce considerably suppresses the growth of lodgepole pine. Lodgepole pine has successfully adapted to the climatic conditions of the Leningrad region of Russia, which is easy to see from the well-preserved plantations and their annual bearing. No significant damage because of either diseases or insect pests has been revealed. It is for the first time that the volume yield of lodgepole pine was determined in 20-to 26-year-old experimental plantations in the Leningrad region of Russia.


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