An overview of the vegetation and soils of the floodplain ecosystems of the Tanana River, interior Alaska

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Viereck ◽  
C.T. Dyrness ◽  
M.J. Foote
Keyword(s):  
Forest Succession ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Organic Layers ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Feather Mosses ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
Salt Affected Soils ◽  
Stochastic Events

The soils and vegetation of 12 stages of forest succession on the floodplain of the Tanana River are described. Succession begins with the invasion of newly deposited alluvium by willows (Salix spp.) and develops through a willow–alder (Alnustenuifolia Nutt.) stage to forest stands of balsam poplar (Populusbalsamifera L.), followed by white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), and finally black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.). The principal changes in substrate characteristics during the successional sequence are (i) change from sand to silt loam, (ii) increase in terrace height and distance from the water table, (iii) development of a forest floor, first of leaf litter and then live and dead feather mosses, (iv) burial of organic layers by flooding, and (v) the development of permafrost as soils are insulated by a thick organic layer. Soils and vegetation of six stands occurring in three successional stages used in the salt-affected soils study are described in detail: open willow stands (stage III), balsam poplar–alder stands (stage VI), and a mature white spruce stand (stage VIII). There is a general progression of plant species resulting from the modification of the environment by the developing vegetation and changes in soil characteristics. Life history and stochastic events are important in the early stages of succession, and biological controls such as facilitation and competition become more important in middle and late stages of succession.

Carbon balance of the taiga forest within Alaska: present and future

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Yarie ◽  
Sharon Billings
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Carbon Dynamics ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Century Model ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Taiga Forest ◽  
Paper Birch

Forest biomass, rates of production, and carbon dynamics are a function of climate, plant species present, and the structure of the soil organic and mineral layers. Inventory data from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Inventory Analysis Unit was used to develop estimates of the land area represented by the major overstory species at various age-classes. The CENTURY model was then used to develop an estimate of carbon dynamics throughout the age sequence of forest development for the major ecosystem types. The estimated boreal forest area in Alaska, based on USFS inventory data is 17 244 098 ha. The total aboveground biomass within the Alaska boreal forest was estimated to be 815 330 000 Mg. The CENTURY model estimated maximum net ecosystem production (NEP) at 137, 88, 152, 99, and 65 g·m–2·year–1 for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forest stands, respectively. These values were predicted at stand ages of 80, 60, 41, 68, and 100 years, respectively. The minimum values of NEP for aspen, paper birch, balsam poplar, white spruce, and black spruce were –171, –166, –240, –300, and –61 g·m–2·year–1 at the ages of 1, 1, 1, 1, and 12, respectively. NEP became positive at the ages of 14, 19, 16, 13, and 34 for aspen, birch, balsam poplar, white spruce, and black spruce ecosystems, respectively. A 5°C increase in mean annual temperature resulted in a higher amount of predicted production and decomposition in all ecosystems, resulting in an increase of NEP. We estimate that the current vegetation absorbs approximately 9.65 Tg of carbon per year within the boreal forest of the state. If there is a 5°C increase in the mean annual temperature with no change in precipitation we estimated that NEP for the boreal forest in Alaska would increase to 16.95 Tg of carbon per year.

FOREST COMMUNITIES IN NORTHWESTERN ALBERTA

1953 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Moss
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Peat Moss ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Natural Succession ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Feather Moss

Spruce, tamarack (larch), balsam fir, pine, and poplar communities of the region are described in terms of floristic composition and ecological relationships. The white spruce (Picea glauca) association is regarded as the climax type of the region. Of four phases or faciations presented by the white spruce association, the feather moss faciation appears to be the climax to which the other faciations tend to develop. Two black spruce (Picea mariana) communities are recognized, the black spruce – feather moss association and the black spruce–peat moss association. Of these, the former is characterized by "feather mosses" such as Hylocomium splendens and has developed on relatively level terrain without much peat formation, whereas the latter has a Sphagnum floor and has arisen in definite depressions through acid bog stages with the production of considerable peat. The black spruce – bog moss community is interpreted as subclimax, with natural succession to the black spruce – feather moss association. The tamarack (Larix laricina) community has many features in common with the black spruce – peat moss association but differs markedly, not only in its dominant species, but because of its development from a Drepano-cladus–Carex–Betula bog under persisting wet conditions. Succession to black spruce commonly occurs. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) is relatively rare in the region and usually grows in mixed stands with white spruce, paper birch, aspen, and balsam poplar. Two divisions of the pine association are recognized, the jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and the lodgepole pine (P. contorta var. latifolia) consociations. For each of these, two phases are described, the pine – feather moss faciation on the more shaded sites and the pine–heath faciation on the more open and drier areas. Knowledge of the ranges of these two pines in northern Alberta and concerning hybrids between the species is extended. The poplar association, classified as aspen (Populus tremuloides) and balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) consociations, is considered in relation to other vegetation, especially prairie grassland and white spruce. Encroachment of aspen poplar upon native grassland is counteracted by various factors, notably burning. Natural succession of poplar and pine to white spruce is impeded chiefly by forest fires. Some attention is given to phytogeographical problems of this transition region.

Late-Glacial Vegetation Associated with Caribou and Mastodon in Central Indiana

1982 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Whitehead ◽  
Stephen T. Jackson ◽  
Mark C. Sheehan ◽  
Barbara W. Leyden
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stochastic Events ◽  
Age Studies

AbstractThe Christensen Mastodon Site, located in central Indiana, contains a rich assemblage of vertebrates (including mastodon, caribou, and giant beaver), invertebrates, and plant macrofossilsin situin lake and bog sediments of late-glacial age. Studies of pollen and plant macrofossils suggest the existence of open, white spruce-dominated boreal forests from > 14,000 yr B.P. to ca. 13,000 yr B.P. The regional decline of spruce, local occurrence of black spruce, white spruce, and larch, immigration of many hardwood taxa (e.g., ash, oak, elm), and the initiation of bog development are recorded beginning about 13,000 yr B.P. Recent reconstructions of late-glacial and early postglacial vegetational changes provide a context for understanding the disappearance of mastodons. The dramatic and rapid restriction of boreal forests along the retreating ice margin from 11,000 to 9000 yr B.P. may have caused a substantial reduction of mastodon populations. A diminished population would be more susceptible to small-scale, stochastic events such as short-term extremes of weather, outbreaks of disease, or predation pressure from paleoindian hunters.

Vegetation, soils, and forest productivity in selected forest types in interior Alaska

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie A. Viereck ◽  
C. T. Dyrness ◽  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
M. Joan Foote
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Standing Crop ◽  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Forest Productivity ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Annual Productivity

Vegetation, forest productivity, and soils of 23 forest stands in the taiga of interior Alaska are described. The stands are arranged on an environmental gradient from an aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.) stand on a dry, steep south-facing bluff, to open black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stands underlain by permafrost on north-facing slopes. The coldest site is a mixed white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) and black spruce woodland at the treeline. Mesic upland sites are represented by successional stands of paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.) and aspen, and highly productive stands of white spruce. Several floodplain stands represent the successional sequence from productive balsam poplar (Populusbalsamifera L.) and white spruce to black spruce stands underlain by permafrost on the older terraces. The environmental gradient is described by using two soil factors: soil moisture and annual accumulated soil degree days (SDD), which range from 2217 SDD for the warmest aspen stand to 480 SDD for the coldest permafrost-dominated black spruce site. Soils vary from Alfie Cryochrepts on most of the mesic sites to Histic Pergelic Cryochrepts on the colder sites underlain by permafrost. A typical soil profile is described for each major forest type. A black spruce stand on permafrost has the lowest tree standing crop (15806 g•m−2) and annual productivity (56 g•m−2•year−1) whereas a mature white spruce stand has the largest tree standing crop (24 577 g•m−2) and an annual productivity of 540 g•m−2•year−1, but the successional balsam poplar stand on flood plain alluvium has the highest annual tree increment (952 g•m−2•year−1). The study supports the hypothesis that black spruce is a nutrient poor, unproductive forest type and that its low productivity is primarily the result of low soil temperature and high soil moisture.

Nutrient supply and belowground interaction alter responses to CO2 elevation in black spruce and white spruce

2020 ◽  
Vol 472 ◽  
pp. 118271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing-Lai Dang ◽  
Jacob Marfo ◽  
Fengguo Du ◽  
Md. Shah Newaz
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Co2 Elevation

Bud and crown architecture of white spruce and black spruce

Trees ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Colin W. G. Templeton
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Crown Architecture

Root rot damage in naturally regenerated stands of spruce and balsam fir in Ontario

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Root Rot ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Root Decay ◽  
Forest Region

In an 11-year study in northern Ontario, root rot damage was heaviest in balsam fir, intermediate in black spruce, and least in white spruce. As a result of root rot, 16, 11, and 6%, respectively, of dominant or codominant trees of the three species were killed or experienced premature windfall. Butt rot, which resulted from the upward extension of root rot into the boles of living trees, led to a scaled cull of 17, 12, and 10%, respectively, of gross merchantable volume of the remaining living trees in the three species. The total volume of wood lost to rot was, therefore, 33, 23, and 16%, respectively. Of 1108 living dominant and codominant balsam fir, 1243 black spruce, and 501 white spruce in 165 stands, 87, 68, and 63%, respectively, exhibited some degree of advanced root decay. Losses resulting from root rot increased with tree age. Significant amounts of root decay and stain (>30% of root volume) first occurred at 60 years of age in balsam fir and 80 years in black spruce and white spruce. For the three species together, the proportion of trees that were dead and windfallen as a result of root rot increased from an average of 3% at 41–50 years to 13% at 71–80 years and 26% at 101–110 years. The root rot index, based on the number of dead and windfallen trees and estimated loss of merchantable volume, also increased, from an average of 17 at 41–50 years to 40 at 71–80 years and 53 at 101–110 years. Death and windfall of balsam fir and black spruce were more common in northwestern Ontario than in northeastern Ontario. Damage to balsam fir was greater in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Forest region than in the Boreal Forest region. In all three tree species, the degree of root rot (decay and stain) was highly correlated with the number of dead and windfallen trees, stand age, and root decay at ground level (as a percentage of basal area) for a 10-tree sample.

A SEX ATTRACTANT FOR THE SPRUCE SEED MOTH, CYDIA STROBILELLA (L.), AND THE EFFECT OF LURE DOSAGE AND TRAP HEIGHT ON CAPTURE OF MALE MOTHS

1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (8) ◽  
pp. 691-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.G. Grant ◽  
W.H. Fogal ◽  
R.J. West ◽  
K.N. Slessor ◽  
G.E. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Sex Attractant ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Field Screening ◽  
Rubber Septa ◽  
Trap Height

AbstractElectroantennogram (EAG) responses from male Cydia strobilella (L.) indicated that (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate (E8-12:Ac) was the most stimulating of the dodecenyl and tetradecenyl compounds assayed. Field-screening tests, which included compounds previously reported as attractive, demonstrated that only E8-12:Ac was effective. The optimum trap dosage was 0.3–3 μg on red rubber septa. Catches of males were greater when traps were hung in the upper crown of either white spruce or black spruce.

Effect of forest harvesting and slash piling on microbial biomass and respiration in Newfoundland boreal forests

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin T Moroni ◽  
Paul Q Carter ◽  
Dean W Strickland ◽  
Franz Makeschin ◽  
Don-Roger Parkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Fungal Biomass ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Total Microbial Biomass ◽  
Organic Layers ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Fumigation Extraction

Clearcutting Newfoundland boreal forests significantly reduced organic layer fungal and total microbial biomass in clearcut areas with and without slash cover, compared with forested plots. However, aerobically incubated respiration rates were highest in organic layers from clearcut areas under slash, intermediate under forests, and lowest from clearcut areas without slash. Key words: Carbon, ergosterol, fumigation–extraction, fungal biomass, harvest slash, nitrogen

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