Tree growth at stand and individual scales in two dual-species mixture experiments in southern Washington State, USA

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1119-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather E. Erickson ◽  
Constance A. Harrington ◽  
David D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Competition For Light

Planting with mixtures of tree species rather than single species is often considered during reforestation because of the potential increased productivity and other benefits. We examined tree growth at the stand and individual tree scales in two experiments contrasting monocultures with a 1:1 mixture of tree species: (1) Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) with a conifer of similar shade tolerance (western white pine ( Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don)) and (2) Douglas-fir with a more shade-tolerant conifer (western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.)). There was no effect of mixture on growth or yield in the Douglas-fir – western white pine combination. In the Douglas-fir – western hemlock combination, yields in the mixture equaled those in Douglas-fir stands because of the enhanced performance of Douglas-fir in the mixture. For Douglas-fir, the height/diameter (h/d) ratio was significantly less in mixture, suggesting reduced competition for light when grown with western hemlock. In contrast, the h/d ratio for western hemlock was significantly greater in mixture, suggesting increased competition for light when grown with Douglas-fir. Neighborhood analyses showed that tree growth was directly related to initial size and inversely related to relative neighbor size and that the h/d ratio was positively related to relative neighbor size. In general, the size of a neighboring tree influenced growth more than species identity. Relationships between h/d ratios and growth rates suggest that growth differences between Douglas-fir and western hemlock in mixture will eventually increase.

Bedrock type significantly affects individual tree mortality for various conifers in the inland Northwest, U.S.A.

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A Moore ◽  
David A Hamilton Jr. ◽  
Yu Xiao ◽  
John Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Western Larch ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Inland Northwest

Individual tree mortality models for western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.), western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex. D. Don), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) were developed using data from permanent research plots located throughout the inland Northwest. The proposed linear logistic models included the following independent variables: diameter at breast height, basal area in larger trees, basal area per hectare, individual tree diameter increment, and a set of dummy variables for the six bedrock types, which were granite, basalt, metasedimentary, sedimentary, mixed – glacial till, and deep deposit. The results show that rock type significantly affects individual tree mortality for western white pine, Douglas-fir, and western redcedar, while grand fir, western hemlock, and western larch were not affected. Western white pine and Douglas-fir growing on meta sedimentary rocks exhibited greater mortality probabilities than on other rocks. Mortality probabilities for western hemlock were low across all rock types, including "nutrient-poor" rocks like metasedimentary types.

scholarly journals Multidecadal Growth of Western White Pine and Interior Douglas-Fir Following Site Preparation

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Cherico ◽  
Andrew S. Nelson ◽  
Teresa B. Jain ◽  
Russell T. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Growth Response ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Competition Control

Site preparation is used to favor seedling regeneration and establishment by enhancing growing conditions and increasing resource availability, yet few studies have compared different site preparation techniques on growth and yield of trees over multiple decades. We destructively sampled 34-year old trees of western white pine (Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don) and Interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco planted at two sites using a replicated experiment to test the effectiveness of different site preparation treatments: (1) no site preparation, (2) scalping, (3) bedding, and (4) bedding plus three years of competition control with herbicide. Growth and yield were compared among the treatments, and models of growth were developed for each species and treatment combination. The herbicide treatment was the only treatment that consistently improved growth and yield of both species resulting in 19%–30% gains in height, 43%–63% gains in diameter, and 31%–109% gains in stem volume by age 34. Height growth response to herbicide was sustained until age 14 for white pine and age 12 for Douglas-fir, while the diameter response was sustained until age 23 for white pine and 20 for Douglas-fir. The later peak in growth for white pine suggests a better response to treatment and that the species was able to maintain higher growth following crown closure. Both species exhibited a Type 2 growth response to herbicide, suggesting competition control resulted in sustained gains over time with associated age shifts of 8.5 and 9.7 years for white pine and 7.1 and 10.2 years for Douglas-fir, height and diameter, respectively. This compares to scalping and bedding which produced no detectable difference in growth compared to the control, and in some instances, reduced growth. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, moisture is most limiting. This is likely why trees showed the greatest response to competition control. Interestingly, this growth was sustained well beyond seedling establishment.

Impacts of soil compaction and tree stump removal on soil properties and outplanted seedlings in northern Idaho, USA

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah S. Page-Dumroese ◽  
Alan E. Harvey ◽  
Martin F. Jurgensen ◽  
Michael P. Amaranthus
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Total N ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Northern Idaho ◽  
Site Disturbance

Intensive timber harvesting and site preparation are becoming more common as demand for timber-based products increases. On some harvested sites in the western United Staes of America and Canada, stump removal is used to ameliorate root disease problems. Soil compaction and nutrient loss could become a problem on some sites after harvesting, site preparation, or stump removal. In a non-replicated, randomized block experiment, two levels of soil compaction (none and severe) and a stump extraction treatment were examined on an ash-cap soil in northern Idaho. These treatments were planted with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Beissn.] Franco) and western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings. Soil compaction increased post-harvest bulk density 15–20% to a depth of 30 cm. Stump removal decreased surface soil bulk density, but it increased at the 30- to 45-cm depth to levels equal to the soil compaction treatment. One year after outplanting, seedling top weights were similar among treatments, but root volume was significantly reduced in the soil compaction treatment. Soil compaction and stump removal treatments also reduced the numbers and morphological types of ectomycorrhizae and non-ectomycorrhizal short roots on Douglas-fir. Western white pine seedlings had reduced numbers of non-ectomycorrhizal short roots in the same treatments. Three years after outplanting, stump removal resulted in smaller root collar diameters and less total N content for both seedling species. Severe site disturbance, with associated soil compaction and mixing, may decrease productivity of ash-cap sites by reducing pore space and root and ectomycorrhizal activity. Managers must weigh short-term benefits of intensive site disturbance with possible long-term loss of soil productivity. Key words: Bulk density, compaction, ectomycorrhizae, stumping, site preparation, Douglas-fir, western white pine

Tree species selection revisited for plantations in the Interior Cedar Hemlock zone of southern British Columbia

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (03) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Vyse ◽  
Michelle R. Cleary ◽  
Ian R. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Larix Occidentalis ◽  
Western Larch ◽  
Western White Pine

We provide results from two trials comparing performance of species of known provenance planted on logged sites in the southern Interior Cedar Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone of southern British Columbia 20 and 26 years after establishment. The commonly used plantation species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), interior spruce (a naturally occurring hybrid between Picea glauca and P. engelmannii) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), survived as well as, but grew more slowly than, western larch (Larix occidentalis), western white pine (Pinus monticola) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and faster than western redcedar (Thuja plicata). Site index values were generally higher than published values for similar sites. Numerous pests affected all species in the trials. Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) caused heavy mortality in lodgepole pine in part of one trial, and Armillaria root disease caused widespread damage to western larch and Douglas-fir in the other trial. Western white pine from local seed sources were severely damaged by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) in both trials but a rust-resistant seed source used in one trial survived better. Frost damage reduced survival and growth of Douglas-fir in one trial and may have affected western white pine. Survival of two planted broadleaves (Betula papyrifera) and a hybrid of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and black poplar (Populus nigra) was severely reduced by drought. The results support ongoing efforts to broaden the number of species used in British Columbia reforestation programs.

RELATION BETWEEN CONE PRODUCTION AND DIAMETER INCREMENT OF DOUGLAS FIR (PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII (MIRB.) FRANCO), GRAND FIR (ABIES GRANDIS (DOUGL.) LINDL.), AND WESTERN WHITE PINE (PINUS MONTICOLA DOUGL.)

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1553-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eis ◽  
E. H. Garman ◽  
L. F. Ebell
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Cone Production ◽  
Diameter Increment ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Cone Development

Cone count records for a 28-year period on 80 Douglas fir, 14 grand fir, and 9 western white pine were statistically analyzed with the annual diameter increment to evaluate the relationship between cone and wood production. The width of annual rings was depressed only during the years of cone production, suggesting that carbohydrates used in cone development were supplied from current photosynthesis rather than from stored reserve. The initiation of reproductive buds did not appear to be dependent on the level of carbohydrates in a tree and the role of carbohydrates was probably only that of nutrition during cone development. Maturing cones did not exhibit any inhibitory effect on initiation of new flowering buds. Different species may require a different combination of climatic factors for initiation of flowering buds.

scholarly journals Assessing Potential Risks of White Pine Blister Rust on Western White Pine from Increased Cultivation of Currants

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Muir ◽  
Richard S. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Commercial Cultivation ◽  
Forest Practices ◽  
Western White Pine

Introductions of white pine blister rust (WPBR, causal fungus: Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fischer) to eastern and western North America before 1915 caused such extensive damage that western white pine (Pinus monticola D. Don) was essentially abandoned as a manageable forest tree species for over 60 years. Recent results from WPBR resistance selection and breeding programs, and from field trials of tree spacing, pruning and bark excision treatments have supported efforts to increase establishment and to intensively manage western white pine. Western white pine is a desirable component in many forested areas because of its faster growth and much higher value compared to many other associated tree species. It also has a low susceptibility to armillaria root disease caused by Armillaria ostoyae (Romagnesi) Herink and laminated root rot, caused by Phellinus weirii (Murr.) Gilb. Some regulations, e.g., Forest Practices Code of British Columbia (BC) Act, require anyone who harvests timber on provincial forestland and uses western white pine for reforestation to either plant genetically resistant western white pine stock or prune susceptible young trees for protection. Risks of increased WPBR associated with increased commercial cultivation of gooseberries and currants (Ribes L.) have yet to be determined. However, major threats appear to include 1) increase in local amounts of spores for nearby infection of pines; and 2) possible introductions or development of new, virulent races of C. ribicola, particularly from eastern to Pacific northwestern North America. In view of these possible threats, we recommend that existing regulations and legislation should be amended, or possibly new measures enacted, to permit propagation and commercial cultivation only of varieties of Ribes that are immune or highly resistant to WPBR.

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.

Insights into herbivore distribution and abundance: oviposition preferences of western hemlock and phantom hemlock loopers

2011 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Steinbauer ◽  
Allan L. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
Oviposition Preferences ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Hemlock Looper

AbstractKnowledge of the factors affecting host selection by herbivorous insects is essential to predictions of their distribution and abundance over landscapes. In the laboratory, we studied the oviposition preferences of two eruptive loopers (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) native to western Canada (western hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa (Hulst), and phantom hemlock looper, Nepytia phantasmaria (Strecker)) for different species and condition of hosts. When offered a choice, phantom hemlock loopers laid nearly three times as many eggs on western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. (Pinaceae) as on either western redcedar, Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don (Cupressaceae) or western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don (Pinaceae). Western hemlock loopers were less specific, laying equal numbers of eggs on western hemlock and western redcedar, though fewer eggs were deposited on western white pine when compared with western hemlock. When offered western hemlock trees grown under different nutrient and shading regimes, phantom hemlock loopers preferred to oviposit on high nutrient hosts, irrespective of shading; western hemlock loopers exhibited a preference for high-nutrient hosts only if they were grown without shading. These patterns of host preference can be combined with information regarding forest composition to help quantify the conditional probability of western and phantom hemlock looper distibution and abundance.

Western white pine development in relation to biophysical characteristics across different spatial scales in the Coeur d'Alene River basin in northern Idaho, U.S.A.

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1109-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa B Jain ◽  
Russell T Graham ◽  
Penelope Morgan
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Pinus Monticola ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Coeur D'alene ◽  
Biophysical Factors ◽  
Western White Pine ◽  
Northern Idaho

Many studies have assessed tree development beneath canopies in forest ecosystems, but results are seldom placed within the context of broad-scale biophysical factors. Mapped landscape characteristics for three watersheds, located within the Coeur d'Alene River basin in northern Idaho, were integrated to create a spatial hierarchy reflecting biophysical factors that influence western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) development under a range of canopy openings. The hierarchy included canopy opening, landtype, geological feature, and weathering. Interactions and individual-scale contributions were identified using stepwise log–linear regression. The resulting models explained 68% of the variation for estimating western white pine basal diameter and 64% for estimating height. Interactions among spatial scales explained up to 13% of this variation and better described vegetation response than any single spatial scale. A hierarchical approach based on biophysical attributes is an excellent method for studying plant and environment interactions.

scholarly journals Entwicklung klimasensitiver Wachstumsfunktionen für das Szenariomodell «Massimo»

2015 ◽  
Vol 166 (6) ◽  
pp. 389-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Rohner ◽  
Esther Thürig
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Climate Effects ◽  
Growth Functions ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Scenario Model

Development of climate-dependent growth functions for the scenario model “Massimo” Tree growth is substantially influenced by climatic factors. In the face of climate change, climate effects should therefore be included in estimations of Switzerland's future forest productivity. In order to include climate effects in the growth functions of the “Massimo” model, which is typically applied to project forest resources in Switzerland, we statistically modelled climate effects on tree growth representatively for Switzerland by simultaneously considering further growth-influencing factors. First, we used tree ring data to evaluate how climate variables should be defined. This analyses showed that for modelling multi-year tree growth we should use averages of whole-year variables. Second, we fitted nonlinear mixed-effects models separately for the main tree species to individual-tree growth data from the Swiss National Forest Inventory. In these models, we combined climate variables defined according to the results of the tree ring study with various further variables that characterize sites, stands and individual trees. The quantified effects were generally plausible and explained convincingly the physiological differences between the species. The statistical growth models for the main tree species will now be included in the forest scenario model “Massimo”. This will allow for founded analyses of scenarios which assume changing climatic conditions.

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