Frequency of root grafting in naturally and artificially regenerated stands of Pinus banksiana: influence of site characteristics

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Tarroux ◽  
Annie DesRochers

We investigated the frequency of root grafting in naturally and artificially regenerated stands of jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in the western boreal forest of Quebec, Canada. Twelve 30–60 m2 plots were hydraulically excavated to determine effects of site characteristics on frequency and timing of root grafting. Naturally regenerated stands had grafted tree percentages similar to artificially regenerated stands (21%–71% across plots) but greater numbers of root grafts per tree (naturally regenerated, 0.73 graft·tree–1; artificially regenerated, 0.52 graft·tree–1). Mean percentages of grafted trees, number of grafts per tree, and the speed of graft formation were greater in sandy soils (61%, 0.71 graft·tree–1 and 2.43 years, respectively) compared with clay soils (44%, 0.54 graft·tree–1 and 2.97 years, respectively). Proximity of trees was a better predictor of root grafting than stand density, despite many root grafts being found with distant trees (>2 m) in artificially regenerated stands. Our results suggested that root grafts form early in stand development. Even if trees are initially separate entities, this relatively high level of root grafting produces stands where trees are extensively interconnected.

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Sharma ◽  
Zdeněk Vacek ◽  
Stanislav Vacek ◽  
Miloš Kučera

Height-to-diameter at breast height (DBH) ratio (HDR) is an important tree and stand stability measure. Several factors such as stand dynamics, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and silvicultural tending significantly affect HDR, and, therefore, in-depth investigation of HDR is essential for better understanding of ecological processes in a forest. A nonlinear mixed-effects HDR model applicable to several tree species was developed using the Czech national forest inventory data comprising 13,875 sample plots and 348,980 trees. The predictive performance of this model was evaluated using the independent dataset which was originated from 25,146 trees on 220 research sample plots. Among various tree- and stand-level variables describing tree size, site quality, stand development stage, stand density, inter-tree spacing, and competition evaluated, dominant height (HDOM), dominant diameter (DDOM), relative spacing index (RS), and DBH-to-quadratic mean DBH ratio (dq) were identified as the most important predictors of HDR variations. A random component describing sample plot-specific HDR variations was included through mixed-effects modelling, and dummy variables describing species-specific HDR variations and canopy layer-specific HDR variations were also included into the HDR model through dummy variable modelling. The mixed-effects HDR model explained 79% of HDR variations without any significant trends in the residuals. Simulation results showed that HDR for each canopy layer increased with increasing site quality and stand development stage (increased HDOM) and increasing competition (increased RS, decreased DDOM and dq). Testing the HDR model on the independent data revealed that more than 85% of HDR variations were described for each individual species (Norway spruce, Scots pine, European larch, and European beech) and group of species (fir species, oak species, birch and alder species) without significant trends in the prediction errors. The HDR can be predicted with a higher accuracy using the calibrated mixed-effects HDR model from measurements of its predictors that can be obtained from routine forest inventories. To improve the prediction accuracy, a model needs to be calibrated with the random effects estimated using one to four randomly selected trees of a particular species or group of species depending on the availability of their numbers per sample plot. The HDR model can be applied for stand stability assessment and stand density regulation. The HDR information is also useful for designing a stand density management diagram. Brief implications of the HDR model for designing silviculture strategies and forest management planning are presented in the article.


1964 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Vezina

The concept of stand density in relation to thinning is examined and its development over the years is discussed. Present difficulties of objectively measuring stand density are recognized and probable future trends towards the development of better formulae to express stand density are outlined. Researchers should continue to collect information on interrelationships among stand variables. Certain merits accrue from description of stand density in terms of variables, such as crown closure, that can be measured with some precision from aerial photographs. Conversely, valid estimates of crown closure which are often difficult to obtain by means of devices from the ground, could be predicted from stand density. Three stand variables, used as expressions of stand density, were tested in crown closure simple regressions in even-aged, unmanaged stands of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). These are: total number of trees, number of trees 4 inches and up, and basal area per acre. The strongest relationship found was the one where crown closure is compared with basal area; it was stronger for jack pine than for balsam fir. This was explained by differences in tolerance among the two species. The significance of these relationships for the stand development, and the feasibility of using height-and diameter-based indices as measures of growing stock in studies of yield are discussed.


1994 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 788-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Hills ◽  
D. M. Morris ◽  
C. Bowling

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) is one of the most important commercial species in northwestern Ontario and is the principal host of one of the most serious stem rusts, western gall rust (WGR) caused by Endocronartium harknessii (J.P. Moore) Y. Hirat. In 1986 a trial was established to determine, in part, effects of precommercial thinning on the distribution and occurrence of WGR in jack pine. A 9 year-old aerially seeded jack pine stand was thinned to square spacings of 1 m, 1.5 m, 2 m, 2.5 m, 3 m and a control. Fifth-year results indicated that a significant quadratic trend (p = 0.014) existed between spacing and stem gall infection rate. The incidence of WGR (stem galls) increased as stand density decreased to a maximum at 1.5 m spacing, and then declined to roughly the infection rate of the control at the lowest density (3 m). A significant relationship (0.084) between crown class and the rate of branch gall infection rate was also detected. The branch gall infection rate decreased from 6.2% year−1 for dominant trees to 2.8% year−1 for trees categorized as suppressed. Based on these results, pre-commercial thinning operations should target those trees with main stem galls and/or numerous branch galls, regardless of size and crown position, and then focus on the removal of suppressed trees to meet the desired density target. This strategy should not only enhance growth of the remaining trees, but also reduce WGR inoculum levels and reduce future WGR-related mortality. Key words: jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), western gall rust (Endocronartium harknessii (J.R Moore) Y. Hirat.), pre-commercial thinning, white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck.)


Soil Science ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. WILDE ◽  
J. G. IYER ◽  
CH. TANZER ◽  
W. L. TRAUTMANN ◽  
K. G. WATTERSTON

2005 ◽  
Vol 156 (12) ◽  
pp. 456-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansheinrich Bachofen ◽  
Andreas Zingg

Stand structures and stand stability in unmanaged Norway spruce forests in the Swiss mountains may decline and their protective function against natural hazards will thus be put at risk. They are being subjected to thinning operations to improve stability and, in the long-term, to transform them into mountain selection forests. On pairs of research plots – thinned and not thinned – we will closely follow the stand development. Preliminary results indicate that the best variables to describe the effectiveness of the applied treatment to the stand structures are the h/d ratio,the spatial distribution and the stand density index.


1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan S. Wilson ◽  
Robert S. Seymour ◽  
Douglas A. Maguire

Abstract A stand-density management diagram is presented for use in northeastern red spruce and balsam fir forests. The diagram was derived from an extensive archived data set collected during the 1970s from fully stocked stands throughout northern Maine and a more recent study of precommercially thinned stands. The negative exponential relationship between mean stemwood volume per tree and stand density, commonly known as the "self-thinning rule, "was formulated to define a biological maximum stand density. The maximum size-density equation can be used to calculate the relative density of any stand and is accurate for thinned and unthinned natural stands as well as plantations. Equations for estimating quadratic mean diameter and stand top height are also derived for unthinned natural stands only. Data used to fit the self-thinning line are substantially above the A-lines on the familiar northeastern stocking guides, suggesting that these guides underestimate maximum density and thus overpredict self-thinning. Examples illustrate how to use the diagram to predict stand development under commercial and precommercial thinning scenarios, as well as natural stand development without thinning. Relevant site index and volume equations are included in an appendix. North. J. Appl. For. 16(1):48-56.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 2566-2578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Schneider ◽  
Frank Berninger ◽  
Chhun-Huor Ung ◽  
Pierre Y. Bernier ◽  
D. Edwin Swift ◽  
...  

Allometric equations for estimating foliage biomass, sapwood area, and branch basal area from tree diameters and crown lengths for jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in eastern Canada were calibrated using mixed models. A first model is presented that relates branch foliage biomass to branch diameter and relative position within the crown. These results show that a branch’s foliage biomass is inversely proportional to its depth within the crown. At the tree level, foliage biomass was found to be proportional to crown length and to vary with stem age and slenderness. Pipe model parameters (sapwood area and branch basal area to foliage biomass) were also calculated. The sapwood area to foliage biomass parameter is proportional to stand density, whereas branch basal area to foliage biomass is constant. The tree-level allometeric models were calibrated using a mixed-effects seemingly unrelated regression to account for between-model correlations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1360-1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
R C Godfree ◽  
R O Tinnin ◽  
R B Forbes

We investigated the importance of lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum Nutt.) in determining the height to crown top (HCT), height to crown base (HCB), and live crown ratio (LCR) of 2025 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana (Grev. & Balf.) Engelm.) growing over a 24-km2 study site in central Oregon. We compared the effects of infection and associated witches' brooms with those of site topography, soil type, shrub cover, stand density, and the abundance of mature ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. Laws. & C. Laws). using multiple regression and path analysis. The density of dominant-size P. contorta was consistently the most important factor influencing HCT, HCB, and LCR across the study site. In dense stands, trees tended to have elevated crown bases due to self-pruning and, hence, lower values of LCR. Dwarf mistletoe and related witches' brooms uniquely explained 6.9% of the variance in LCR, which was close to that of dominant P. contorta (7.1%) and more than that of soil type (3.0%), but explained only 2.6% of the variance in HCB, which was less than that of dominant P. contorta (6.5%) and soil type (4.6%). Regression models suggest that heavily infected trees should be 18% shorter and have crown bases 37% lower than uninfected trees, while moderately infected trees should have an LCR over 20% larger than that of uninfected and heavily infected trees. We also found that the largest 25 heavily infected trees sampled were approximately 19% shorter and 11–13% smaller in diameter than the largest 25 uninfected trees. The results suggest that dwarf mistletoe can be an important factor in determining the crown dimensions of P. contorta but that these effects may be interpreted only in the context of site characteristics and stand structure.


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