scholarly journals Growth and Wood Trait Relationships of Alnus glutinosa in Peatland Forest Stands With Contrasting Water Regimes

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Anadon-Rosell ◽  
Tobias Scharnweber ◽  
Georg von Arx ◽  
Richard L. Peters ◽  
Marko Smiljanić ◽  
...  

Human-driven peatland drainage has occurred in Europe for centuries, causing habitat degradation and leading to the emission of greenhouse gases. As such, in the last decades, there has been an increase in policies aiming at restoring these habitats through rewetting. Alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) is a widespread species in temperate forest peatlands with a seemingly high waterlogging tolerance. Yet, little is known about its specific response in growth and wood traits relevant for tree functioning when dealing with changing water table levels. In this study, we investigated the effects of rewetting and extreme flooding on alder growth and wood traits in a peatland forest in northern Germany. We took increment cores from several trees at a drained and a rewetted stand and analyzed changes in ring width, wood density, and xylem anatomical traits related to the hydraulic functioning, growth, and mechanical support for the period 1994–2018. This period included both the rewetting action and an extreme flooding event. We additionally used climate-growth and climate-density correlations to identify the stand-specific responses to climatic conditions. Our results showed that alder growth declined after an extreme flooding in the rewetted stand, whereas the opposite occurred in the drained stand. These changes were accompanied by changes in wood traits related to growth (i.e., number of vessels), but not in wood density and hydraulic-related traits. We found poor climate-growth and climate-density correlations, indicating that water table fluctuations have a stronger effect than climate on alder growth. Our results show detrimental effects on the growth of sudden water table changes leading to permanent waterlogging, but little implications for its wood density and hydraulic architecture. Rewetting actions should thus account for the loss of carbon allocation into wood and ensure suitable conditions for alder growth in temperate peatland forests.

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 817-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou Hong ◽  
Anders Fries ◽  
Harry X. Wu

To examine the efficiency of early selection for wood quality traits in the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) breeding program in Sweden, a total of 778 wood increment cores were sampled from 179 full-sib families in a single progeny trial at 40 years of age. Age trend of inheritance, age–age genetic correlation, and early selection efficiency for eight wood traits including annual ring width, wood density, microfibril angle (MFA), modulus of elasticity (i.e., wood stiffness; MOE), and fibre dimensions were studied. Heritabilities for the eight wood traits reached a plateau between age 5 years and age 15 years, with the highest heritability for radial fibre width and fibre coarseness (∼0.6) and the lowest heritability for ring width (∼0.2). Heritability reached about 0.4 for both wood density and MFA but only reached about 0.3 for MOE. Genetic correlation from early to reference age 30 years reached a very high level (>0.8) for all eight wood traits at age 5 years. Early selection was effective for wood quality traits in Scots pine, and selection at age 8 years is recommended for MOE in Scots pine.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Nakagawa ◽  
Megumi Hori ◽  
Mitsutoshi Umemura ◽  
Takuya Ishida

Abstract:Wood density and wood chemical traits are strong predictors of tree performance, carbon stock, and wood decomposition, which play important roles in ecosystem processes and carbon and nutrient cycling in forests. However, it remains unknown how root wood traits are related to stem wood traits. We examined the relationships of wood density and wood chemical traits (lignin and nitrogen concentrations, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) between the stems and coarse roots of 90 individuals representing 53 tropical tree species in Malaysian Borneo. We developed regression equations of each wood trait using the standardized major axis method. Each root wood trait was highly correlated with the corresponding stem wood trait, and most regression equations fitted well (R2 > 0.5). The lignin concentration of roots was significantly greater than that of stems. We conclude that root wood traits can be estimated from the corresponding stem wood traits in South-East Asian tropical trees. Further analysis of coarse root decomposability will provide more accurate estimates of carbon and nutrient fluxes in tropical forest ecosystems.


2013 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Tavares ◽  
José L. Louzada ◽  
Helena Pereira

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Finto Antony ◽  
Laurence R. Schimleck ◽  
Lewis Jordan ◽  
Benjamin Hornsby ◽  
Joseph Dahlen ◽  
...  

The use of clonal varieties in forestry offers great potential to improve growth traits (quantity) and wood properties (quality) of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Loblolly pine trees established via somatic embryogenesis (clones), full-sib zygotic crosses, and half-sib zygotic open-pollinated families were sampled to identify variation in growth and wood properties among and within clonal lines and zygotic controls. Increment cores 5 mm in diameter were collected at age 4 from a total of 2615 trees. Growth properties (diameter at 1.4 m and total tree height) and wood properties (whole-core density, latewood and earlywood density, and latewood percent) were measured for each tree sampled in the study. Overall, growth properties were better for full-sib seedling than for clonal lines, whereas wood density was higher for clonal lines than full-sib and open-pollinated seedlings. However, there were clonal lines with better growth and higher wood density. Clonal repeatability of both growth and wood properties across sampled sites and genetic correlations between growth and wood traits were determined, with higher repeatability observed for wood traits compared with growth traits. Significant genetic correlations were observed for tree height and wood properties, whereas weak correlations were observed for diameter and wood properties.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1518-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lenz ◽  
Michèle Bernier-Cardou ◽  
John MacKay ◽  
Jean Beaulieu

There is a growing interest in predicting wood quality from tree morphology traits, which can be measured using remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR, to enhance forest inventory for operational planning. In this study, we investigated the correlation structure between these two categories of traits in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) using canonical and multiple regression analyses with the objective of identifying key morphology variables that are predictive of wood quality. For 495 trees from a 30-year-old plantation, we obtained measurements of tree height and dimensions of the living crown, as well as the number and diameter of live branches at selected whorls. Wood traits were assessed from wood cores with SilviScan technology. Morphological traits explained almost 29% of the overall variation observed in wood traits. However, the magnitude of the correlations and the ability of crown morphological traits to predict wood traits differed widely among the latter. Average ring width and radial cell diameter, both related to increment, were well correlated with tree morphology, whereas traits related to subcellular structure, for instance, microfibril angle, were poorly correlated. These results could guide the choice of wood traits to improve inventory techniques aiming to optimize the forest product value chain.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos González-Cásares ◽  
Marín Pompa-García ◽  
Alejandro Venegas-González

ABSTRACTOngoing climate change is expected to alter forests by affecting forest productivity, with implications for the ecological functions of these systems. Despite its great dendrochronological potential, little research has been conducted into the use of wood density as a proxy for determining sensitivity to climate variability in Mexico. The response of Abies durangensis Martínez, in terms of wood density and growth ring width, to monthly climatic values (mean temperature, accumulated precipitation and the drought index SPEI) was analyzed through correlation analysis. Abies durangensis presents a high response, in terms of radial growth, to climatic conditions. Tree-ring widths are more sensitive to hydroclimatic variables, whereas wood density values are more sensitive to temperature. In particular, mean (MeanD) and minimum (MND) wood density values are more sensitive to climate than maximum (MXD). We found very marked spatial variations that indicate that A. durangensis responds differently to drought conditions depending on the indices of density.


Holzforschung ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Denne ◽  
C. M. Cahalan ◽  
D. P. Aebischer

Summary To assess the likely effects of silvicultural treatment on the wood quality of Nothofagus nervosa grown in the UK, and the possibilities of independent selection within seed origins for density and growth rate, ring width and wood density were analysed from pith to bark of 19 trees. Variations in vessel lumen size, vessel number mm−2, and total lumen area mm−2 were analysed in ten trees. Since density increased by only 0.005g cm−3 per mm increase in ring width, silvicultural practices such as initial spacing and thinning are not likely to have a substantial effect on the wood density of rauli. Similarly, variation in density with cambial age was significant but relatively minor in the 40- and 60-year old trees of the present sample, suggesting that the rotation length is unlikely to have any practical influence on the density of rauli. Considerable between-tree differences in density were found which did not correspond to differences in ring width, suggesting it should be feasible to select independently for density and growth rate. These differences in density were associated with differences in both vessel lumen size and vessel number mm−2


1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Robertson

Circular statistics are used to analyse directional data inherent in X-ray densitometric data that pertain to cross-sectional discs sampled from balsam fir wave forest trees at Spirity Cove, Newfoundland. The analysis concentrates on directionality of centroids of mean wood density, bole eccentricity, and tree-ring width in eight directions from the pith. The results show that the centroid of mean wood density, bole cross sections, and mean tree-ring width are significantly directional and correspond closely with the mean vector wind direction.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Bartiška ◽  
Jan Frouz

<p>Subsurface processes are often omitted in catchment studies here we presented artificial catchment as a new tool to study and budget these processes on catchment level.</p><p>Falcon is and artificial  catchment that build in Sokolov post mining sites Catchment consist from four separate micro catchments (pools) each ) 0.25ha in area and 2m in depth which are hydrologically isolated  and filled by post mining overburden. Two fields were levelled while in two was wave like surface was produced to mimic situation after heaping.  Leveled micro catchments were planted by alder (Alnus glutinosa).</p><p>Catchment allow to study meteorological variables, surface and subsurface runoff,  and other key ecosystem parameters (water table depth chemical composition of pore water, soil respiration, gas exchange between ecosystem and surrounding atmosphere using eddy tower etc.). First result show large erosion on waves then on levelled sites however large proportion of material eroded from flat site leave the site while in wave like surface most of it is trapped in depression between waves. Subsurface runoff form large proportion of total runoff in wavy sites than in flat sites. Stable water table established quickly in both types of catchments} few months after catchment establishment. Flat sites show higher initial diversity of plants.</p>


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