Tree-ring patterns in stems and root systems of black spruce (Picea mariana) caused by spruce budworms

Radial growth along the stems and root systems of black spruce trees (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) was examined to determine the effects of spruce budworm defoliation. A mixed conifer and pure black spruce stand located in the boreal zone of Quebec, Canada were sampled. Following defoliation, dendrochronological analyses revealed the percent growth reduction in the ring width at different stem heights and throughout the root system. Ring widths of black spruce were found to be reduced during the last three spruce budworm outbreaks. The reduction of the tree-ring width after spruce budworm outbreaks started first in the crown region and was followed by reduction at the stem base. For the whole root system, the ring-width index exhibited a decrease. The root system showed a high sensitivity to defoliation by spruce budworm. Inside the root system, the growth reduction after a spruce budworm outbreak was variable in each root branch. The growth decrease of the pure black spruce stand was less intensive than in the mixed stand.

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Impact of spruce budworm defoliation on the number of latewood tracheids in balsam fir and black spruce

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x95-219 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 25 (12) ◽

pp. 2029-2034 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Cornelia Krause ◽

Hubert Morin

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Ring Width ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

The Other ◽

Stem Length ◽

Image Analysis System ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Analysis System

The influence of spruce budworrn (Choristoneurafumiferana (Clem.)) defoliation was analysed at different stem heights by counting the number of latewood tracheids and measuring tree-ring width. The total height of the tree was divided into three different equal parts: the lower, the middle, and the upper sections of the total stem length. However, only the results of the lower and the upper sections will be presented in this paper. The reduction of ring widths started in the upper part for the living crown and continued downwards to the stem base (0 m) with a delay of 1–2 years. The number of latewood tracheids generally showed a reduction 1 year earlier than the ring widths, particularly in the crown, but also in the other parts of the stem. Considering this, we think that the reduction of the number of latewood tracheids may date the beginning of spruce budworm defoliation more accurately and present a better characterization of the first impact of spruce budworm than the measuring of the ring widths. This parameter will be particularly helpful (when expensive equipment, such as a densitometer or an image analysis system cannot be used) in detecting past outbreaks in the tree-ring records, especially when defoliation records are missing and when the reduction of the ring widths is not very pronounced.

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1300-year tree-ring width and density series based on living, dead and subfossil black spruce at tree-line in Subarctic Quebec, Canada

The Holocene ◽

10.1191/095968301674769686 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 333-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Lily Wang ◽

Serge Payette ◽

Yves Bégin

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Line ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Living Dead

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MAIDENiso: a mechanistic approach to the reconstruction of past climate from tree chronologies

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20535 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Etienne Boucher ◽

Ignacio Hermoso de Mendoza ◽

Fabio Gennaretti

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Ring Width ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Water Isotopes ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Inversion Algorithm ◽

Modeling And Analysis ◽

Mechanistic Approach ◽

Recent Addition

<p>The ecophysiological forest model MAIDENiso (Modeling and Analysis In + isotopes) uses a set of mechanistic rules to simulate the production, allocation and growth of virtual trees. MAIDENiso is adapted to the boreal tree species Picea mariana Mill. (Black spruce), but lacks a hydrological module adapted for boreal meteorological conditions. With the recent addition of a snow/ice module, MAIDENiso is now capable of realistically simulating snow cover and discharge in high latitude regions, while at the same time capturing climate-sensitive processes such as the enrichment of heavy water isotopes due to snow sublimation. The more realistic outputs of the model can be compared to tree ring records (ring widths and stable isotopes). This allows us to use an inversion algorithm (based on a Metropolis Hastings random walk) to estimate past hydroclimate conditions that are in line with physiological and hydrological processes of high boreal regions. We apply this methodology to a millennial chronology of tree ring width and cellulose isotopes from sub-fossil tree remains in North-Quebec, and produce an updated hydroclimate reconstruction of the last 1000 years in this region.</p><p>&#160;</p>

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Comparison of black spruce (Picea mariana) radial growth reduction in different soil moisture regimes during a spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) outbreak

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x2012-080 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 1410-1419 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Melissa E. Lacey ◽

Jeffery P. Dech

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Picea Mariana ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Moisture Regime ◽

Growth Reduction ◽

Soil Moisture Regime ◽

Moisture Regimes

The objective of this study was to determine if the stand‐level soil moisture regime had a significant effect on the reduction in black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) radial growth during the most recent spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) outbreak in the boreal forest region of northeastern Ontario. We collected a stratified random sample of co-dominant black spruce trees from three moisture regimes and compared the reduction of radial growth during a spruce budworm outbreak between dry, moist, and wet stands. We focused on the most recent outbreak from 1975–1987, which we dated by dendrochronological analysis of black spruce increment cores from the Romeo Malette Forest near Timmins, Ontario. Samples collected from dry and moist sites showed significantly greater maximum radial growth reduction than those from wet sites. Mean growth reduction over the entire outbreak was not significantly different among moisture regimes but followed the same trend. We found no evidence of spatial autocorrelation in the growth reduction response, suggesting that the moisture effect was not confounded by location.

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Timing of growth reductions in black spruce stem and branches during the 1970s spruce budworm outbreak1This article is one of a selection of papers from the 7th International Conference on Disturbance Dynamics in Boreal Forests.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x2012-048 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 1220-1227 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Cornelia Krause ◽

Boris Luszczynski ◽

Hubert Morin ◽

Sergio Rossi ◽

Pierre-Y. Plourde

Keyword(s):

Picea Mariana ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

First Year ◽

Growth Reduction ◽

Lower Stem ◽

Selection Of

Spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) defoliation is known to regularly produce radial growth decrease in black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) in the boreal forest of Quebec. Some studies have already shown that the first year of defoliation does not induce growth losses in the stem but could occur in other tree parts. We therefore examined the timing and duration of the growth reduction caused by the last outbreak in black spruce by also considering the branches. More than 79% of branches and 65% of stems exhibited a >40% growth decrease.The reduction was first registered in the upper part of the stem before being detected lower in the stem in 87% of the trees. Probabilities of growth reduction in the upper part of the stem were highest in 1976 and 1977. In the lower stem, the probabilities were highest in 1978. An interesting finding was that in 69% of the studied stands, the probability of growth reduction started earlier (1–2 years) in the branches than in the stem at 1.3 m. Branch analysis should be considered whenever questions arise in regard to the evolution of spruce budworm defoliation as well as the timing of observed growth reduction in black spruce.

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