scholarly journals Climate Effect on Ponderosa Pine Radial Growth Varies with Tree Density and Shrub Removal

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaelyn Finley ◽  
Jianwei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Climate Effect ◽  
Moisture Availability

With increasing temperatures and projected changes in moisture availability for the Mediterranean climate of northern California, empirical evidence of the long-term responses of forests to climate are important for managing these ecosystems. We can assess forest treatment strategies to improve climate resilience by examining past responses to climate for both managed and unmanaged plantations. Using an experimental, long-term density and shrub removal study of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) on a poor-quality site with low water-holding capacity and high runoff of the North Coastal mountain range in California, we examined the relationships between radial growth and climate for these trees over a common interval of 1977–2011. Resistance indices, defined here as the ratio between current year radial growth and the performance of the four previous years, were correlated to climatic variables during the same years. We found that all treatments’ radial growth benefited from seasonal spring moisture availability during the current growing year. Conversely, high spring and early summer temperatures had detrimental effects on growth. High-density treatments with manzanita understories were sensitive to summer droughts while lower densities and treatments with full shrub removal were not. The explanatory power of the climate regression models was generally more consistent for the same shrub treatments across the four different densities. The resistance indices for the lower density and complete shrub removal treatment groups were less dependent on previous years’ climatic conditions. We conclude that, for ponderosa pine plantations with significant manzanita encroachment, understory removal and heavy thinning treatments increase subsequent growth for remaining trees and decrease sensitivity to climate.

scholarly journals Root Volume and Growth of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-Fir Seedlings: A Summary of Eight Growing Seasons

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rose ◽  
D. L. Haase ◽  
F. Kroiher ◽  
T. Sabin
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Root Volume ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Early Results

Abstract This is the final summary of two studies on the relationship between root volume and seedling growth; early results were published previously. Survival, growth, and stem volume were determined for 2+0 ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings after 8 growing seasons. For each species, seedlings from three seedlots were assigned to one of three root-volume categories [<4.5 cm3 (RV1), 4.5-7 cm3 (RV2), and >7 cm3 (RV3) for ponderosa pine; <9 cm3 (RV1), 9-13 cm3 (RV2), and >13 cm3 (RV3) for Douglas-fir]. On a dry harsh ponderosa pine site on the eastern slopes of Mt. Hood in Oregon, where gopher and cattle damage decreased the number of seedlings, more seedlings in the highest root-volume category survived (70%) than in the smaller root-volume categories (62% and 50%). Douglas-fir on a good site in the Coast Range of Oregon showed significantly greater height and stem volume for the largest root-volume category, whereas annual shoot growth and survival did not differ. Root volume is one of several potentially useful criteria for predicting long-term growth and survival after outplanting. West. J. Appl. For. 12(3):69-73.

STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN PRIMARY LENTICELS OF NORWAY SPRUCE OVER THE SEASONS

IAWA Journal ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Rosner ◽  
Birgit Kartusch
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Wall Thickening ◽  
Intercellular Spaces ◽  
Phase 3

Seasonal production of lenticel tissues was compared between Norway spruce trees (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) from a mountain site (1200 m), where they are autochthonous, and seven allochthonous lowland sites (250–600 m).The periodic changes of lenticel structure were grouped into four stages, based on the degree of their opening: phase 1 - winter dormancy; phase 2 - beginning of meristem activity in spring; phase 3 - production of non-suberised filling tissue in early summer, which causes the disruption of the closing layer formed in the previous growing season; and phase 4 - differentiation of a new closing layer in late summer. Structural changes in lenticels of P. abies may be interpreted as a long-term reaction to climatic conditions, balancing transpiration and respiration. During the most active period of wood production, lenticels were found in their most permeable phase, phase 3. The production of a new closing layer takes place when summer temperatures reach maximum values, and when demand for effective regulation of transpiration is high. During phase 4 transpiration is successfully controlled because differentiating cells of the new closing layer are already suberised, although not in their final rounded shape, and therefore have small intercellular spaces. High annual variability in stratification of lenticel tissues, such as the proportion between closing layer and filling tissue, wall thickening and size of intercellular spaces, also indicates possible long-term regulation mechanisms for transpiration.

Woody debris and tree regeneration dynamics following severe wildfires in Arizona ponderosa pine forests

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Roccaforte ◽  
Peter Z. Fulé ◽  
W. Walker Chancellor ◽  
Daniel C. Laughlin
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Regeneration Dynamics ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests

Severe forest fires worldwide leave behind large quantities of dead woody debris and regenerating trees that can affect future ecosystem trajectories. We studied a chronosequence of severe fires in Arizona, USA, spanning 1 to 18 years after burning to investigate postfire woody debris and regeneration dynamics. Snag densities varied over time, with predominantly recent snags in recent fires and broken or fallen snags in older fires. Coarse woody debris peaked at > 60 Mg/ha in the time period 6–12 years after fire, a value higher than previously reported in postfire fuel assessments in this region. However, debris loadings on fires older than 12 years were within the range of recommended management values (11.2–44.8 Mg/ha). Overstory and regeneration were most commonly dominated by sprouting deciduous species. Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) overstory and regeneration were completely lacking in 50% and 57% of the sites, respectively, indicating that many sites were likely to experience extended periods as shrublands or grasslands rather than returning rapidly to pine forest. More time is needed to see whether these patterns will remain stable, but there are substantial obstacles to pine forest recovery: competition with sprouting species and (or) grasses, lack of seed sources, and the forecast of warmer, drier climatic conditions for coming decades.

scholarly journals Convergence of Evidence Supports a Chuska Mountains Origin for the Plaza Tree of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-346
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Guiterman ◽  
Christopher H. Baisan ◽  
Nathan B. English ◽  
Jay Quade ◽  
Jeffrey S. Dean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Strontium Isotopes ◽  
Chaco Canyon ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
The West ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Great House ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The iconic Plaza Tree of Pueblo Bonito is widely believed to have been a majestic pine standing in the west courtyard of the monumental great house during the peak of the Chaco Phenomenon (AD 850–1140). The ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) log was discovered in 1924, and since then, it has been included in “birth” and “life” narratives of Pueblo Bonito, although these ideas have not been rigorously tested. We evaluate three potential growth origins of the tree (JPB-99): Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, or a distant mountain range. Based on converging lines of evidence—documentary records, strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr), and tree-ring provenance testing—we present a new origin for the Plaza Tree. It did not grow in Pueblo Bonito or even nearby in Chaco Canyon. Rather, JPB-99 originated from the Chuska Mountains, over 50 km west of Chaco Canyon. The tree was likely carried to Pueblo Bonito sometime between AD 1100 and 1130, although why it was left in the west courtyard, what it meant, and how it might have been used remain mysteries. The origin of the Plaza Tree of Pueblo Bonito underscores deep cultural and material ties between the Chaco Canyon great houses and the Chuska landscape.

Ten-year responses of ponderosa pine plantations to repeated vegetation and nutrient control along an environmental gradient

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1027-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F Powers ◽  
Phillip E Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Xylem Water Potential ◽  
Potential Productivity ◽  
Vegetation Control ◽  
Moisture Availability

Factorial combinations of vegetation, nutrient, and insect control treatments were applied repeatedly to three contrasting California plantations of Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. Ten-year findings show that potential productivity is far greater than previously believed. Stem volume gains were linked directly with increases in crown volume. Insect problems were negligible. Vegetation control increased tree growth profoundly on xeric sites but less so on the most mesic. Where soil was both droughty and infertile, growth responses traced primarily to improved soil moisture availability and secondarily to better nutrition. The most fertile site also was droughty, and trees responded only to improved moisture availability. Water was less limiting on the most productive site. There, both fertilizers and herbicides triggered similar, substantive growth increases. Drought from both plant competition and climate reduced stomatal conductance, xylem water potential, and net assimilation rates. Assimilation rates increased linearly with site index, but treatment differences were not apparent once drought had peaked. Fertilization improved water-use efficiency where water stress was not extreme. Advantages in water availability to pines from vegetation control will dissipate as tree crowns close and transpiration rises.

Western juniper and ponderosa pine ecotonal climate–growth relationships across landscape gradients in southern Oregon

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 3021-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Knutson ◽  
David A. Pyke
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Annual Growth ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
Western Juniper ◽  
Tree Ring Data

Forecasts of climate change for the Pacific northwestern United States predict warmer temperatures, increased winter precipitation, and drier summers. Prediction of forest growth responses to these climate fluctuations requires identification of climatic variables limiting tree growth, particularly at limits of tree species distributions. We addressed this problem at the pine–woodland ecotone using tree-ring data for western juniper ( Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis Hook.) and ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Loud.) from southern Oregon. Annual growth chronologies for 1950–2000 were developed for each species at 17 locations. Correlation and linear regression of climate–growth relationships revealed that radial growth in both species is highly dependent on October–June precipitation events that recharge growing season soil water. Mean annual radial growth for the nine driest years suggests that annual growth in both species is more sensitive to drought at lower elevations and sites with steeper slopes and sandy or rocky soils. Future increases in winter precipitation could increase productivity in both species at the pine–woodland ecotone. Growth responses, however, will also likely vary across landscape features, and our findings suggest that heightened sensitivity to future drought periods and increased temperatures in the two species will predominantly occur at lower elevation sites with poor water-holding capacities.

scholarly journals Ponderosa Pine Growth Response to Soil Strength in the Volcanic Ash Soils of Central Oregon

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Parker ◽  
Douglas A. Maguire ◽  
David D. Marshall ◽  
Pat Cochran
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Soil Strength ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
Volcanic Ash Soils

Abstract Mechanical harvesting and associated logging activities have the capacity to compact soil across large portions of harvest units, but the influences of compaction on long-term site productivity are not well understood. Previous research in central Oregon has shown that volcanic ash soils compact readily under both compression and vibration loads, resulting in long-term alteration in soil density and a decline in tree growth. In this study, soil strength (SS) and tree growth were assessed in areas subject to repeated timber harvesting with the objective of quantifying the relationship between ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) growth and SS. Two thinning treatments (felled only versus felled and skidded) in 70- to 80-year-old ponderosa pine stands were replicated at three sites in 1991. Subsequent 5-year growth in diameter, height, and volume of residual trees were assessed with respect to SS measured by a recording penetrometer. Felled and skidded plots had 44% higher SS values than felled-only plots (P = 0.05). Although no treatment effect on growth was detected at the plot level, diameter, height, and volume growth of individual trees within plots declined significantly as average SS within a 30-ft zone of influence increased from approximately 800 to 2,500 kPa. Results show the potential use of SS measurements for monitoring impacts of harvesting operations on tree growth.

scholarly journals Dendroclimatic Assessment of Ponderosa Pine Radial Growth along Elevational Transects in Western Montana, U.S.A.

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan E. Montpellier ◽  
Peter T. Soulé ◽  
Paul A. Knapp ◽  
Justin T. Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Differential Growth ◽  
Climate Conditions

Ponderosa pine (PP) is the most common and widely distributed pine species in the western United States, spanning from southern Canada to the United States–Mexico border. PP can be found growing between sea level and 3000 meters elevation making them an ideal species to assess the effects of changing climatic conditions at a variety of elevations. Here we compare PP standardized and raw growth responses to climate conditions along an elevational transect spanning 1000 meters in western Montana, U.S.A., a region that experienced a 20th century warming trend and is expected to incur much warmer (3.1–4.5 °C) and slightly drier summers (~0.3 cm decrease per month) by the end on the 21st century. Specifically, we assess if there are climate/growth differences based on relative (i.e., site-specific) and absolute (i.e., combined sites) elevation between groups of trees growing in different elevational classes. We find that values of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) in July are most strongly related to radial growth and that within-site elevation differences are a poor predictor of the response of PP to either wet or dry climatic conditions (i.e., years with above or below average July PDSI values). These results suggest that any generalization that stands of PP occurring at their elevational margins are most vulnerable to changing climatic may not be operative at these sites in western Montana. Our results show that when using standardized ring widths, PP growing at the lowest and highest elevations within western Montana exhibit differential growth during extreme climatological conditions with lower-elevation trees outperforming higher-elevation trees during dry years and vice versa during wet years.

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