Growth trends in 10 species of trees in New England, 1950–1980

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1337-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Hornbeck ◽  
R. B. Smith ◽  
C. A. Federer
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
The Other ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
White Pine ◽  
The 1960S

Tree-ring measurements on increment cores collected from more than 5000 trees during a periodic survey of forest resources in New England indicate trends in regional basal-area increment by species for the period 1950–1980. Two species, red spruce and balsam fir, have had generally decreasing growth rates since the 1960s. Normal aging of the low-elevation, even-aged spruce–fir forest is a probable cause. Eight other species, including sugar maple, had constant or increasing growth throughout the period. White pine had considerably higher growth rates than the other species.

Historical trends in tree-ring growth and chemistry across an air-quality gradient in Wisconsin

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Frelich ◽  
J. G. Bockheim ◽  
J. E. Leide
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Past Century ◽  
White Pine ◽  
The Past ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The 1960S

Basal-area increment and chemical composition of xylem wood were measured in three old-growth (ca. 75–100 years) white pine (Pinusstrobus L.) and three sugar maple (Acersaccharum) Marsh.) stands across a pH and SO4 gradient in precipitation in Wisconsin. In 1986 the volume-weighted mean pH and SO4 content of precipitation ranged from 4.5 to 5.0 and from 21 to 11 kg • ha−1, respectively, from southeastern to northwestern Wisconsin. With one exception (a white pine site at Point Beach in eastern Wisconsin), basal-area increment increased from the 1890s until the 1950s (sugar maple) or 1970s (white pine), then levelled off. Growth efficiency, estimated as the ratio of basal area to exposed crown area or crown volume for the 1980–1985 period, was similar for sugar maple across the gradient; however, growth efficiency of white pine was lower at Point Beach than at the two northern Wisconsin sites. Lead concentrations in xylem wood of both species have increased with time, except at Crotte Creek in northwestern Wisconsin, and Pb concentrations in xylem wood of both species were significantly greater in southeastern than in northwestern Wisconsin. Sulfur concentrations in xylem wood of white pine have increased since the 1960s at Point Beach and at one site in north central Wisconsin; S concentrations are significantly greater for both species in southeastern than in northern Wisconsin. Concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K in xylem wood of sugar maple have decreased over the past century. Whereas xylem wood concentrations of Mn and Zn generally show no age-related trends, Fe and P concentrations have increased markedly at all sites, particularly during the past decade. Although additional research is needed to determine the potential of dendrochemistry in evaluating the consequences of environmental pollution, the age- and site-related trends in chemical composition of xylem wood of white pine and sugar maple appear to be related to vehicular emissions (Pb), air pollution (S), migration along ray paths during conversion of sapwood into heartwood (P, Fe, Ca, K, Mg), and possibly reallocation of nutrients from the labile soil pool to perennial tree tissues during stand development (Ca, K, Mg).

Selected Nova Scotia old-growth forests: Age, ecology, structure, scoring

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 632-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J Stewart ◽  
Peter D Neily ◽  
Eugene J Quigley ◽  
Lawrence K Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Old Growth

A study of four old-growth stands in Nova Scotia was conducted to document the ecological characteristics of these currently rare Acadian forest ecosystems. Stands were selected to represent the two dominant climax forest types, hemlock–red spruce–eastern white pine, and sugar maple–yellow birch–beech. Data include measurements of age structure, species composition, diameter distribution, basal area, height, coarse woody debris, snags, vertical structure, and canopy condition. All stands were determined to be uneven-aged. Old-growth reference ages calculated for the stands ranged from 164 to 214 years. All stands displayed broad diameter distributions that had peak basal area representation in the 40- to 50-cm diameter classes. Volumes of dead wood ranged from 111 to 148 m3/ha in the softwood stands and from 63 to 83m3/ha in the hardwood stands. Dead wood consisted of approximately one-third snags and two thirds downed coarse woody debris. Measurements from the stands were used to evaluate Nova Scotia's recently developed Old Forest Scoring System. Six stand attributes were rated for a maximum score of 100: stand age, primal value, number of large-diameter trees, length of large-diameter dead wood, canopy structure, and understorey structure. Based on the age attribute, three of the four stands were classed as Mature Old Growth and one was very close, indicating that all are in the shifting mosaic stage of late forest succession. The scores for all stands were relatively high, ranging from 75 to 85, as would be expected from some of the best old-growth stands in the province. Key words: old growth, climax, primal, late succession, uneven-aged, scoring, coarse woody debris, age structure, diameter, Acadian forest, northern hardwood, red spruce, eastern hemlock, white pine, sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech

Impact of Deer Browsing on Regeneration in Mixed Stands in Southern New England

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Kittredge ◽  
P. Mark S. Ashton
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Southern New England ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract Browsing preferences by white-tailed deer were evaluated for 6 tree species in northeastern Connecticut. Deer density averaged 23/mile². Deer exhibited no species-specific preferences for seedlings greater than 19 in. For seedlings less than 19 in., hemlock and black birch were preferred. Red maple, sugar maple, and white pine seedlings were avoided. Red oak seedlings were neither preferred nor avoided. A much higher proportion of seedlings greater than 19.7 in. in height was browsed, regardless of species. Browsing preferences for species in the smaller seedling class, combined with a lack of preference for species in the larger class may result in future stands with less diverse tree species composition. Deer densities in excess of 23/mile² may be incompatible with regeneration of diverse forests in southern New England. North. J. Appl. For. 12(3):115-120.

Effects of chronic ammonium sulfate treatment on basal area increment in red spruce and sugar maple at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 862-869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Alexander Elvir ◽  
G Bruce Wiersma ◽  
Alan S White ◽  
Ivan J Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Sulfate ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Internal Stresses ◽  
Ice Storm ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Growth Allocation

Responses in basal area increment (BAI) of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) to chronic ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) treatment were examined at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine. The Bear Brook Watershed is a pair-watershed forest ecosystem study with West Bear watershed treated with (NH4)2SO4 at a rate of 1800 equiv.·ha–1·year–1 since 1989, while East Bear watershed serves as a reference. Following 10 years of treatment, BAI was significantly higher for sugar maple trees growing in the treated watershed, with yearly increases relative to the reference watershed ranging from 13% in 1999 to 104% in 1996. The increase in sugar maple radial growth was attributed to a fertilization effect from the (NH4)2SO4 treatment. A reduction in BAI in sugar maple growing in the treated watershed observed in 1998 and 1999 was attributed to internal stresses and growth allocation to crown recovery after the severe 1998 ice storm. Red spruce showed no BAI growth responses to the treatment. Lower foliar Mg and Ca concentrations in red spruce in the treated watershed and lower soil responses to N enrichment in treated softwood stands compared with treated hardwood stands could explain the lack of BAI response in red spruce.

scholarly journals Influence of Soil Site Class on Growth and Decay of Northern White-Cedar and Two Associates in Maine

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip V. Hofmeyer ◽  
Robert S. Seymour ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic
Keyword(s):  
Light Exposure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
White Cedar ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Northern White Cedar ◽  
Mineral Soils

Abstract Basal area growth of outwardly sound northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) was compared with that of balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) across site and light exposure class gradients on 60 sites throughout northern Maine. Once adjusted for sapwood area, northern white-cedar basal area growth was not strongly affected by site or light exposure class; growth was similar to that of red spruce but generally lower than that of balsam fir. Site index did not differ appreciably among soil drainage classes for red spruce and northern white-cedar, although small sample size limited analysis on upland site classes. Incidence of central decay was higher in northern white-cedar than balsam fir, which was higher than red spruce. Incidence of decay in outwardly sound northern white-cedar and balsam fir was highest on well-drained mineral soils, and mean proportion of basal area decayed at breast height increased in outwardly sound northern white-cedar as drainage improved from poorly drained to well-drained soils. These data suggest that northern white-cedar on lowland organic and poorly drained mineral soils in Maine have less decay, similar basal area growth, and similar site index relative to upland northern white-cedar communities.

scholarly journals Mortality Patterns Following Spruce Budworm Infestation in Unprotected Spruce-Fir Forests in Maine

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale S. Solomon ◽  
Lianjun Zhang ◽  
Thomas B. Brann ◽  
David S. Larrick
Keyword(s):  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Function ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Cumulative Mortality ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Composition Classes ◽  
Annual Mortality

Abstract Cumulative and annual mortality of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] were examined over a 10 yr period to follow the mortality patterns in unprotected spruce-fir forests in northern Maine. Different mortality patterns were determined based on stand composition classes and merchantability classes. In general, balsam fir was more vulnerable to budworm attack, and reached 92–100% basal area mortality and 84–97% stem density mortality 12 yr after the start of the outbreak. Red spruce, in contrast, had approximately 32–59% basal area mortality and 30–66% stem density mortality during the same time period. Balsam fir mortality started 1 to 2 yr before spruce, while spruce mortality continued 2 to 3 yr after fir mortality was completed. Higher mortality was found in smaller trees than sawtimber-sized trees. Stands with hardwood components (30–70% in basal area) had the lowest mortality rate for both species. Furthermore, Schnute growth function (Schnute 1981) was used to characterize the cumulative mortality trajectories after the defoliation of spruce and fir by stand composition classes. The models estimated the time when annual mortality achieved maximum, the cumulative mortality at that time, and the asymptotic mortality over a long time period after the start of the attack. The information can provide guidelines for predicting protection strategies and scheduling salvage harvests.

Expected decrease in diameter growth of even-aged red spruce

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Anthony Federer ◽  
James W. Hornbeck
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Stand Basal Area

Weibull functions provide close least square fits to tables for stand basal area and density versus age in even-aged, second-growth red spruce as reported by W. H. Meyer (USDA Tech. Bull. No. 142. 1929). The annual mean radial and basal area increments of the trees can be calculated from the two Weibull functions. For a stand following Meyer's tables and reaching breast height in 1915, mean tree basal area increment increases steadily to a maximum in the early 1960's and then declines; mean radial increment is constant from 1925 to 1955 and then declines rapidly. This behavior matches very closely the results from 3001 red spruce increment cores in New England and New York, which suggests that forest aging is an important cause of decreasing red spruce diameter growth.

KORSCHELTELLUS GRACILIS (GROTE): A PEST OF RED SPRUCE AND BALSAM FIR ROOTS (LEPIDOPTERA: HEPIALIDAE)

1991 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Wagner ◽  
Donald R. Tobi ◽  
William E. Wallner ◽  
Bruce L. Parker
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Below Ground

AbstractKorscheltellus gracilis (Grote) is a pest of red spruce and balsam fir roots in the forests of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. The larvae feed below ground on woody and non-woody plant tissues for 2 years before maturing. It was found at 18 localities across New England and Nova Scotia during the summers of 1987 and 1988. On Whiteface Mt., New York, and Mt. Moosilauke, New Hampshire, larvae were absent to uncommon at low (500 m) and high (1300 m) altitudes, but common to abundant in red spruce – balsam fir associations at 700, 900, and 1100 m. During September 1987, larval populations were estimated at 56 000 and 312 000 per hectare in soils at 900 m on Whiteface and Moosilauke, respectively. Dense populations occurred locally, e.g. 27 larvae were recovered from a single 0.25-m2 soil pit at 900 m on Moosilauke. By June 1988, larval numbers on Whiteface and Moosilauke had declined by 51% and 72%, respectively. Seedlings and mature trees of both spruce and fir were damaged by larval feeding on bark and cambium. Seedlings were girdled; mature trees had wounds paralleling the root axes.

The Acadian forest: Historical condition and human impacts

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Loo ◽  
N. Ives
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
The South ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Acadian Forest

The Acadian Forest Region comprises the three Maritime Provinces of Canada, each of which has a distinct history resulting in different patterns of land ownership, land use, and impacts on the forest. The region encompasses a high degree of physiographic and biological diversity, being situated where the warm, moist influence of the Gulf Stream from the south collides with the cold Labrador Current and the boreal forest gradually gives way to mostly deciduous forest. Natural forest types in the Acadian Forest Region include rich tolerant hardwood, similar to the deciduous forests to the south; spruce-fir forest, similar to boreal forest to the north; and an array of coniferous, deciduous, and mixed intermediate types. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) are considered characteristic of the Acadian Forest Region. Except for one quantitative study in one county of New Brunswick, and another study on Prince Edward Island, most knowledge of the historical forest condition has been gleaned from early descriptions by explorers, surveyors, and settlers of the Maritimes region. Although some regions have been affected much more than others, little, if any forested area has escaped human influence over the past four centuries. A general result of human activities has been a shift in successional status and age distribution, with increased frequency of relatively young, often even-aged, early successional forest types including balsam fir, white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Both the abundance and age of late-successional species such as sugar maple, red spruce, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière), yellow birch, cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) have declined. Key words: pre-European forest, Maritime Provinces, historical ecology, witness trees, Acadian forest types, natural disturbance

scholarly journals White Pine Weevil Response to Oak Overstory Girdling—Results from a 16-Year-Old Study

1992 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Katovich ◽  
Frank S. Morse
Keyword(s):  
Growth Response ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Partial Removal ◽  
Pine Weevil ◽  
Pine Weevils ◽  
Canopy Removal ◽  
Release Study ◽  
White Pine Weevil

Abstract A white pine release study initiated in 1973 on the Black River State Forest in central Wisconsin was evaluated in 1990. The study compared growth response and number and frequency of white pine weevil attacks of understory white pine under different canopy removal treatments. In addition, annual measurements of leader diameter and length growth for each treatment are reported for the period 1974-1979. The treatments were girdling of overstory hardwoods, predominantly oak, to produce 0, 30, 50, and 70 ft² of basal area/ac (BA) overstory and an ungirdled control of approximately 100-120 ft² BA. In 1990, white pine in the 0 and 30 ft² BA treatment blocks were taller and were larger in dbh than the other treatments. However, there were significantly more trees attacked by white pine weevils in the 0 and 30 ft² BA treatments (P = 0.05). In both treatments, within 4 years of over-story removal or partial removal, mean leader diameter was sufficiently large to support weevil larvae. The 50 ft² BA treatment was intermediate in growth and number of trees attacked by weevils. In 1990, the 50 ft² BA treatment had the greatest number of unattacked dominant, codominant, and intermediate white pine per acre. Maintaining 30-50 ft² BA appeared to be an appropriate compromise between increased growth while mitigating weevil damage. North. J. Appl. For. 9(2):51-54.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document