scholarly journals Defoliation and dieback of Sitka spruce in Reykjavík, Iceland

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 15-28
Author(s):  
Juliane Kuckuk ◽  
Sibren van Manen ◽  
Ólafur Eggertsson ◽  
Edda Sigurdís Oddsdóttir ◽  
Jan Esper
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Elatobium Abietinum ◽  
One Year ◽  
Spruce Needles ◽  
Aphid Populations

The green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum is an important defoliating pest of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) in Iceland. A comparison of two urban Sitka stands in Reykjavík, from 2013-2017, reveals a distinct defoliation difference between trees located near a main road (94% defoliated) and several hundred meters away from heavy traffic (47%). Chemical analyses of the spruce needles demonstrate substantially higher nitrogen ratios in trees near traffic. Furthermore, the recently warming winter temperatures promoted larger overwintering aphid populations since 2003, as well as a shift of mass outbreaks from autumn to spring, accompanied by distinct growth suppressions one year after an aphid population spike in the post-2003 tree-ring data. The results of this study indicate that the mechanisms triggering Sitka spruce dieback in Reykjavík include a combination of increasing winter temperatures, more frequent and severe green spruce aphid outbreaks, as well as elevated N values in the needles of urban trees.

Climatic determinants of introduced Sitka spruce in Hiiumaa Island, Estonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-167
Author(s):  
Alar Läänelaid ◽  
Samuli Helama
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Winter Temperature ◽  
Moisture Regime ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Growth Variability ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Winter Temperatures

Tree-ring records of Sitka spruce growing in Hiiumaa (Estonia) were investigated to illustrate their growth variability and its climatic determinants. A chronology comprising ring-width series of eight big individuals from the Suuremõisa forest park was correlated with local climatic records. The growth variability of this species introduced to Hiiumaa was statistically explained profoundly by winter temperature and early-spring precipitation. Comparisons were also made with local tree-ring data of Norway spruce. Interestingly, both the native and non-native species responded positively to precipitation in June and negatively to precipitation in April. Previous studies have shown that the winter temperature response, demonstrated here for Sitka spruce, is found as Norway spruce growth responses in eastern Estonia, whereas in western Estonia the growth of the latter species is more clearly connected, similar to our findings, to early-summer precipitation. These findings indicate that while the both spruce species remain sensitive to spring/summer moisture regime, the growth of Sitka spruce may actually be less tolerate to winter temperatures, as evident here in western Estonia where the winters may likely be milder than in eastern Estonia. Common to Sitka spruce results from Hiiumaa, tree-ring data representing conspecific native populations from north-west North American sites indicated positive responses to mid-winter temperatures. Based on these results, low winter temperatures and early-summer droughts may both threaten the survival of the remnant individuals of this species in Hiiumaa.

Predicting the longitudinal modulus of elasticity of Sitka spruce from cellulose orientation and abundance

Holzforschung ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paul McLean ◽  
Robert Evans ◽  
John R. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Modulus Of Elasticity ◽  
Microfibril Angle ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Bending Tests ◽  
Wood Stiffness ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Longitudinal Modulus

Abstract Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is the most widely planted commercial tree species in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Because of the increasing use of this species for construction, the ability to predict wood stiffness is becoming more important. In this paper, a number of models are developed using data on cellulose abundance and orientation obtained from the SilviScan-3 system to predict the longitudinal modulus of elasticity (MOE) of small defect-free specimens. Longitudinal MOE was obtained from both bending tests and a sonic resonance technique. Overall, stronger relationships were found between the various measures of cellulose abundance and orientation and the dynamic MOE obtained from the sonic resonance measurements, rather than with the static MOE obtained from bending tests. There was only a moderate relationship between wood bulk density and dynamic MOE (R2=0.423), but this relationship was improved when density was divided by microfibril angle (R2=0.760). The best model for predicting both static and dynamic MOE involved the product of bulk density and the coefficient of variation in the azimuthal intensity profile (R2=0.725 and 0.862, respectively). The model parameters obtained for Sitka spruce differed from those obtained in earlier studies on Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus delegatensis, indicating that the model might require recalibration before it can be applied to different species.

Heritability of height growth in 10-year-old Sitka spruce

1985 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 729-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis C. Yeh ◽  
Sven Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Breeding Program ◽  
Progeny Test ◽  
Northwest Coast ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Family Selection ◽  
Sources Of Variation

Ten-year height growth for Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. was studied in a progeny test of 42 wind-pollinated families from seven stands on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. Although stand and family-within-stand effects were significant sources of variation, 79% of the phenotypic variance in 10-year height was associated with differences among trees within family plots. Estimates of heritability ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]) indicate that a combination of stand, family-within-stand, and progeny-within-family selection will be effective for a long-term breeding program to increase tree heights in Sitka spruce.Key words: Picea, heritability, quantitative.

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