Growth and morphological responses of yellow birch, sugar maple, and beech seedlings growing under a natural light gradient

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1007-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Stem Length ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Morphological Response ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Light Gradient ◽  
Morphological Responses

Height and lateral growth, biomass distribution, leaf morphology, and crown architecture were studied in yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) seedlings growing under 1-50% of above-canopy light in a sugar maple stand, in Quebec. All three species showed increasing growth with increasing light, but growth of yellow birch was higher and more responsive than that of sugar maple and beech. All three species showed typical sun-shade morphological responses, such as decreasing specific leaf area and leaf area ratio, and increasing leaf area index, with increasing light availability. Sugar maple was morphologically more plastic than the other species. It showed variations in biomass allocation to leaves and branches, a decrease in branch length to seedling height ratio, and a marked increase in the ratio of leaf area to stem length. Although our results clearly demonstrate the ability of these three species to modify several of their morphological features in response to variations in light, they do not show a clear relationship between species shade tolerance and morphological response to light variations. We suggest that species-specific developmental patterns may act as important constraints to morphological acclimation to light variation.

Leaf- and plant-level carbon gain in yellow birch, sugar maple, and beech seedlings from contrasting forest light environments

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
David W Hilbert ◽  
Ernest Lo ◽  
Zhang M Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Leaf Level ◽  
Plant Level

Leaf-level photosynthetic-light response and plant-level daily carbon gain were estimated for seedlings of moderately shade-tolerant yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) growing in gaps and under a closed canopy in a sugar maple stand at Duchesnay, Que. All three species had a higher photosynthetic capacity (Amax) in the gaps than in shade, but yellow birch and beech responded more markedly than sugar maple to the increase in light availability. The high degree of plasticity observed in beech suggests that the prediction that photosynthetic plasticity should decrease with increasing shade tolerance may not hold when comparisons are made among a few late-successional species. Unit-area daily carbon gain (CA) was significantly higher in the gaps than in shade for all three species, but no significant difference was observed between light environments for plant-level carbon gain (CW). In shade, we found no difference of CA and CW among species. In gaps, beech had a significantly higher CA than sugar maple but similar to that of birch, and birch had a significantly higher CW than maple but similar to that of beech. Sugar maple consistently had lower carbon gains than yellow birch and beech but is nevertheless the dominant species at our study site. These results indicate that although plant-level carbon gain is presumably more closely related to growth and survival of a species than leaf-level photosynthesis, it is still many steps removed from the ecological success of a species.

scholarly journals Height Development of Upper-Canopy Trees Within Even-Aged Adirondack Northern Hardwood Stands

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Nyland ◽  
David G. Ray ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
White Ash ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Canopy Trees

Abstract Knowledge of the relative rates of height growth among species is necessary for predicting developmental patterns in even-aged northern hardwood stands. To quantify these relationships, we used stem analysis to reconstruct early height growth patterns of dominant and codominant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), and America beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) trees. We used three stands (aged 19, 24, and 29 years) established by shelterwood method cutting preceded by an understory herbicide treatment. We analyzed 10 trees of each species per stand. Height growth was similar across stands, allowing us to develop a single equation for each species. Our data show that yellow birch had the most rapid height growth up to approximately age 10. Both sugar maple and white ash grew more rapidly than yellow birch beyond that point. Beech consistently grew the slowest. White ash had a linear rate of height growth over the 29-year period, while the other species declined in their growth rates. By age 29, the heights of main canopy trees ranged from 38 ft for beech to 51 ft for white ash. Both yellow birch and sugar maple averaged 46 ft tall at that time. By age 29, the base of the live crown had reached 17, 20, 21, and 26 ft for beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, and white ash, respectively. Live–crown ratios of upper-canopy trees did not differ appreciably among species and remained at approximately 40% for the ages evaluated. These results suggest that eliminating advance regeneration changes the outcome of competition to favor species other than beech. North. J. Appl. For. 21(3):117–122.

Calcium and magnesium in wood of northern hardwood forest species: relations to site characteristics

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Arthur ◽  
T G Siccama ◽  
R D Yanai
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Improving estimates of the nutrient content of boles in forest ecosystems requires more information on how the chemistry of wood varies with characteristics of the tree and site. We examined Ca and Mg concentrations in wood at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Species examined were the dominant tree species of the northern hardwood forest and the spruce-fir forest. The concentrations of Ca and Mg, respectively, in lightwood of these species, mass weighted by elevation, were 661 and 145 µg/g for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), 664 and 140 µg/g for American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), 515 and 93 µg/g for yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), 525 and 70 µg/g for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), 555 and 118 µg/g for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and 393 and 101 µg/g for white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.). There were significant patterns in Ca and Mg concentrations with wood age. The size of the tree was not an important source of variation. Beech showed significantly greater concentrations of both Ca (30%) and Mg (33%) in trees growing in moist sites relative to drier sites; sugar maple and yellow birch were less sensitive to mesotopography. In addition to species differences in lightwood chemistry, Ca and Mg concentrations in wood decreased with increasing elevation, coinciding with a pattern of decreasing Ca and Mg in the forest floor. Differences in Ca and Mg concentration in lightwood accounted for by elevation ranged from 12 to 23% for Ca and 16 to 30% for Mg for the three northern hardwood species. At the ecosystem scale, the magnitude of the elevational effect on lightwood chemistry, weighted by species, amounts to 18% of lightwood Ca in the watershed and 24% of lightwood Mg but only 2% of aboveground biomass Ca and 7% of aboveground Mg.

Allometric equations for young northern hardwoods: the importance of age-specific equations for estimating aboveground biomass

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah R. Fatemi ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Mary A. Arthur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Estimates of aboveground biomass and nutrient stocks are commonly derived using equations that describe tree dimensional relationships. Despite the widespread use of this approach, there is little information about whether equations specific to stand age are necessary for accurate biomass predictions. We developed equations for small trees (2–12 cm diameter) of six species in four young northern hardwood stands. We then compared our equations with equations used frequently in the literature that were developed in mature stands (Whittaker et al. 1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252). Our equations for yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) predicted 11%–120% greater stem wood for individual trees compared with the equations from Whittaker et al. and, on average, 50% greater aboveground yellow birch biomass in the four stands that we studied. Differences were less pronounced for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.); our equations predicted, on average, 9% greater aboveground stand biomass for sugar maple and 3% lower biomass for American beech compared with Whittaker et al. Our results suggest that stand age may be an important factor influencing the aboveground allometry and biomass of small yellow birch trees in these developing northern hardwood stands.

scholarly journals Tolerant hardwood natural regeneration 15 years after various silvicultural treatments on an industrial freehold of northwestern New Brunswick

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (04) ◽  
pp. 512-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Béland ◽  
Bruno Chicoine
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Selection Cutting

We examined applicability of various partial cutting systems in order to regenerate tolerant hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccarhum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) on northern New Brunswick J.D. Irving Ltd. freehold land. Sampling of 1065 one-m2 plots in 31 stands managed by selection cutting, shelterwood method and strip or patch cutting and in six control stands allowed a 15-year retrospective study of natural regeneration in stands of low residual densities and with minimal soil disturbance and no control of competing vegetation. Beech regeneration was most abundant in the patch cuts, yellow birch in shelterwood stands and sugar maple in the selection system areas. Results suggest that initial stand conditions influence the composition of the regeneration more than the prescribed treatment. At the stand scale (a few hectares), sugar maple recruitment was positively influenced by its proportion in the initial stand, and negatively by the cover of herbs and shrubs. Yellow birch regeneration was mainly affected by shrub competition. At the plot (1 m2) scale, mineral soil and decayed wood substrates and ground-level transmitted light were determinant factors for yellow birch regeneration. Beech-dominated stands were likely to regenerate to beech. A dense beech sucker understory was promoted in harvested patches. Areas with dense understory of American beech, shrubs, or herbs require site preparation to reduce interference either before or at the time of partial cutting. Shelterwood seed cutting and selection cutting should leave a residual of 12 m2/ha and 17 m2/ha respectively in seed trees uniformly distributed.

scholarly journals Light Quality Environment and Photomorphological Responses of Young Olive Trees

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 369
Author(s):  
Federico J. Ladux ◽  
Eduardo R. Trentacoste ◽  
Peter S. Searles ◽  
M. Cecilia Rousseaux
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Light Quality ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Cultivar Differences ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Canopy Development ◽  
Morphological Responses ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
G Ratio

Tree densities have increased greatly in olive orchards over the last few decades. In many annual crop species, increased density reduces the horizontal red/far-red (R/FR) and blue/green (B/G) ratios during canopy development even before direct shading occurs, and such changes are known to alter plant morphology. This study with olive trees evaluated: (1) whether the leaf area index (LAI) of neighboring trees modifies the light quality environment prior to a tree being directly shaded and (2) the potential morphological responses of three olive cultivars to changes in light quality. Increasing LAI using different spatial arrangements of potted, three-year-old trees reduced the horizontal R/FR ratio more than that of the B/G ratio. Cultivar-specific responses to low R/FR ratio were observed for individual leaf area and aboveground/belowground biomass ratio using laterally positioned FR mirrors or green fences. No statistically significant responses were detected in response to green vegetation fences that reduced both horizontal R/FR and B/G ratios, but a cluster analysis grouped together the overall morphological responses to both FR mirrors and green fences. These results in olive trees suggest that cultivar differences in response to light quality may be relevant for understanding adaptation to dense orchards and identifying cultivars best suited to them.

Crown openness as influenced by tree and site characteristics for yellow birch, sugar maple, and eastern hemlock

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Lou Lefrançois ◽  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Light Transmission ◽  
Eastern Hemlock ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Site Characteristics

Crown openness (CO) of mature trees influences light transmission within the forest canopy. However, in modeling, this variable is often considered constant within species, and its potential regional variability is ignored. The objective of this study was to evaluate if CO values of yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), and eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) vary according to the following factors: (i) species, (ii) regional actual evapotranspiration (AET), (iii) tree size (i.e., diameter at breast height, DBH), and (iv) angle of transmission from zenith. To achieve this, CO was evaluated for 136 yellow birches, 109 sugar maples, and 68 hemlocks from different regions of western Quebec, southern Ontario, and northern Michigan. Results showed that all of the studied factors affected CO. While dominant trees can intercept light laterally as well as vertically, smaller trees are more efficient at intercepting light vertically. Increasing AET is associated with more open crowns. Given its importance in light transmission in the understory, a better understanding of how CO varies between individuals, species, and regions is needed.

scholarly journals Leaf area index change in ice-storm-damaged sugar maple stands

2001 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Olthof ◽  
Douglas J. King ◽  
R. A. Lautenschlager
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Forest Damage ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Short Time Interval ◽  
Ice Storm ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Understory Vegetation Cover

Changes in Leaf Area Index (LAI) between the summers of 1999 and 2000 were measured using the TRAC optical instrument in sugar maple stands damaged by the 1998 ice storm. Changes were determined to be significant if they were greater than the 95% bounds of the instrument precision. They were evaluated in relation to 1998 canopy damage estimates, 1999 stand treatments (lime, fertilizer, lime + fertilizer, herbicide, none), and 1999 understory vegetation cover. Results show that LAI change is significantly related to overstory damage, and understory abundance in the 0–7-m height range. Plot treatments were not related to these LAI changes, possibly due to the short time interval between application and LAI measurement. Keywords: forest damage, ice storm, leaf area index, optical instruments, TRAC

scholarly journals Competition, Climate, and Size Effects on Radial Growth in an Old-Growth Hemlock Forest

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth W. Bigelow ◽  
James R. Runkle ◽  
Evan M. Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Radial Growth ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Eastern Hemlock ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Climatic Indices

Research Highlights: We applied neighborhood and dendro-ecological methods in a stand with a 33-year record of forest dynamics, finding that growth will decrease for several species under predicted climate trends. Background and Objectives: Conventional tree-ring analysis removes the influence of competition and size on growth, precluding assessment of the relative influence of these factors. An old-growth eastern hemlock forest in east–central New York was mapped in 1978 and was measured at eight-year intervals since then. Our objective was to use these data to examine the influence of climate, neighborhood, and tree size on radial growth. Materials and Methods: We evaluated an array of climatic indices to find which ones had the strongest influence on radial growth from increment cores of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We used the strongest climatic indices in combination with neighborhood and target-tree size information to create growth models for the three tree species. Results: Size accounted for 2% to 21% of observed growth; the shade-tolerant sugar maple and eastern hemlock grew fastest when large, but the mid-tolerant yellow birch grew fastest when small. Competition accounted for 9% to 21% of growth; conifers had a weaker competitive effect than deciduous trees, and eastern hemlock was less sensitive to competition than sugar maple and yellow birch. Climate accounted for only 2% of growth variation; eastern hemlock showed a positive response to warming climate trends, but yellow birch and sugar maple showed negative responses. Conclusions: Predicted climate trends are likely to result in decreased growth of sugar maple and yellow birch, and the sensitivity of these species to competition suggests the effect will be exacerbated when they grow in crowded conditions.

Daminozide reduces mean weight of potato tubers but fails to increase uniformity

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
IA Rogers ◽  
BW Philp ◽  
TK Twigden
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Stem Length ◽  
Tuber Weight ◽  
Potato Tubers ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Market Requirement

At 3 sites in South Australia daminozide reduced mean potato tuber weight by 9-13% (P<0.05). Total yield of potatoes was reduced by 6-11%, although the effect was significant (P< 0.01) at only 1 site (Purnong Landing, reduction 11%). There were no effects of daminozide on tuber number, uniformity of tuber weight, specific gravity of tubers (at 1 site) or yield of ware grade tubers (80-350 g fresh weight). However, daminozide increased yield of grades (90-130 g) by 40% and decreased yield of grades (260-350 g) by 32% (P<0.05). In achieving these results, rates of 0.85, 1.7, 3.4 and 6.8 kg a.i. ha-l of daminozide were about equally effective. We conclude that, unless there is a market requirement for tubers of 90-130 g in weight, daminozide should not be used for the cultivars Sebago, Exton and Coliban if haulms are killed by herbicide or disease from 15 to 30 days before natural plant senescence. Stem length and leaf area index were reduced early in the season by daminozide, but late in the season leaf area index was increased.

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