scholarly journals Multidecadal Growth of Western White Pine and Interior Douglas-Fir Following Site Preparation

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Cherico ◽  
Andrew S. Nelson ◽  
Teresa B. Jain ◽  
Russell T. Graham

Site preparation is used to favor seedling regeneration and establishment by enhancing growing conditions and increasing resource availability, yet few studies have compared different site preparation techniques on growth and yield of trees over multiple decades. We destructively sampled 34-year old trees of western white pine (Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don) and Interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco planted at two sites using a replicated experiment to test the effectiveness of different site preparation treatments: (1) no site preparation, (2) scalping, (3) bedding, and (4) bedding plus three years of competition control with herbicide. Growth and yield were compared among the treatments, and models of growth were developed for each species and treatment combination. The herbicide treatment was the only treatment that consistently improved growth and yield of both species resulting in 19%–30% gains in height, 43%–63% gains in diameter, and 31%–109% gains in stem volume by age 34. Height growth response to herbicide was sustained until age 14 for white pine and age 12 for Douglas-fir, while the diameter response was sustained until age 23 for white pine and 20 for Douglas-fir. The later peak in growth for white pine suggests a better response to treatment and that the species was able to maintain higher growth following crown closure. Both species exhibited a Type 2 growth response to herbicide, suggesting competition control resulted in sustained gains over time with associated age shifts of 8.5 and 9.7 years for white pine and 7.1 and 10.2 years for Douglas-fir, height and diameter, respectively. This compares to scalping and bedding which produced no detectable difference in growth compared to the control, and in some instances, reduced growth. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, moisture is most limiting. This is likely why trees showed the greatest response to competition control. Interestingly, this growth was sustained well beyond seedling establishment.

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah S. Page-Dumroese ◽  
Alan E. Harvey ◽  
Martin F. Jurgensen ◽  
Michael P. Amaranthus

Intensive timber harvesting and site preparation are becoming more common as demand for timber-based products increases. On some harvested sites in the western United Staes of America and Canada, stump removal is used to ameliorate root disease problems. Soil compaction and nutrient loss could become a problem on some sites after harvesting, site preparation, or stump removal. In a non-replicated, randomized block experiment, two levels of soil compaction (none and severe) and a stump extraction treatment were examined on an ash-cap soil in northern Idaho. These treatments were planted with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Beissn.] Franco) and western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings. Soil compaction increased post-harvest bulk density 15–20% to a depth of 30 cm. Stump removal decreased surface soil bulk density, but it increased at the 30- to 45-cm depth to levels equal to the soil compaction treatment. One year after outplanting, seedling top weights were similar among treatments, but root volume was significantly reduced in the soil compaction treatment. Soil compaction and stump removal treatments also reduced the numbers and morphological types of ectomycorrhizae and non-ectomycorrhizal short roots on Douglas-fir. Western white pine seedlings had reduced numbers of non-ectomycorrhizal short roots in the same treatments. Three years after outplanting, stump removal resulted in smaller root collar diameters and less total N content for both seedling species. Severe site disturbance, with associated soil compaction and mixing, may decrease productivity of ash-cap sites by reducing pore space and root and ectomycorrhizal activity. Managers must weigh short-term benefits of intensive site disturbance with possible long-term loss of soil productivity. Key words: Bulk density, compaction, ectomycorrhizae, stumping, site preparation, Douglas-fir, western white pine


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1119-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather E. Erickson ◽  
Constance A. Harrington ◽  
David D. Marshall

Planting with mixtures of tree species rather than single species is often considered during reforestation because of the potential increased productivity and other benefits. We examined tree growth at the stand and individual tree scales in two experiments contrasting monocultures with a 1:1 mixture of tree species: (1) Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) with a conifer of similar shade tolerance (western white pine ( Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don)) and (2) Douglas-fir with a more shade-tolerant conifer (western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.)). There was no effect of mixture on growth or yield in the Douglas-fir – western white pine combination. In the Douglas-fir – western hemlock combination, yields in the mixture equaled those in Douglas-fir stands because of the enhanced performance of Douglas-fir in the mixture. For Douglas-fir, the height/diameter (h/d) ratio was significantly less in mixture, suggesting reduced competition for light when grown with western hemlock. In contrast, the h/d ratio for western hemlock was significantly greater in mixture, suggesting increased competition for light when grown with Douglas-fir. Neighborhood analyses showed that tree growth was directly related to initial size and inversely related to relative neighbor size and that the h/d ratio was positively related to relative neighbor size. In general, the size of a neighboring tree influenced growth more than species identity. Relationships between h/d ratios and growth rates suggest that growth differences between Douglas-fir and western hemlock in mixture will eventually increase.


2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (03) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Vyse ◽  
Michelle R. Cleary ◽  
Ian R. Cameron

We provide results from two trials comparing performance of species of known provenance planted on logged sites in the southern Interior Cedar Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone of southern British Columbia 20 and 26 years after establishment. The commonly used plantation species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), interior spruce (a naturally occurring hybrid between Picea glauca and P. engelmannii) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), survived as well as, but grew more slowly than, western larch (Larix occidentalis), western white pine (Pinus monticola) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and faster than western redcedar (Thuja plicata). Site index values were generally higher than published values for similar sites. Numerous pests affected all species in the trials. Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) caused heavy mortality in lodgepole pine in part of one trial, and Armillaria root disease caused widespread damage to western larch and Douglas-fir in the other trial. Western white pine from local seed sources were severely damaged by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) in both trials but a rust-resistant seed source used in one trial survived better. Frost damage reduced survival and growth of Douglas-fir in one trial and may have affected western white pine. Survival of two planted broadleaves (Betula papyrifera) and a hybrid of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and black poplar (Populus nigra) was severely reduced by drought. The results support ongoing efforts to broaden the number of species used in British Columbia reforestation programs.


1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1553-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eis ◽  
E. H. Garman ◽  
L. F. Ebell

Cone count records for a 28-year period on 80 Douglas fir, 14 grand fir, and 9 western white pine were statistically analyzed with the annual diameter increment to evaluate the relationship between cone and wood production. The width of annual rings was depressed only during the years of cone production, suggesting that carbohydrates used in cone development were supplied from current photosynthesis rather than from stored reserve. The initiation of reproductive buds did not appear to be dependent on the level of carbohydrates in a tree and the role of carbohydrates was probably only that of nutrition during cone development. Maturing cones did not exhibit any inhibitory effect on initiation of new flowering buds. Different species may require a different combination of climatic factors for initiation of flowering buds.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1109-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa B Jain ◽  
Russell T Graham ◽  
Penelope Morgan

Many studies have assessed tree development beneath canopies in forest ecosystems, but results are seldom placed within the context of broad-scale biophysical factors. Mapped landscape characteristics for three watersheds, located within the Coeur d'Alene River basin in northern Idaho, were integrated to create a spatial hierarchy reflecting biophysical factors that influence western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) development under a range of canopy openings. The hierarchy included canopy opening, landtype, geological feature, and weathering. Interactions and individual-scale contributions were identified using stepwise log–linear regression. The resulting models explained 68% of the variation for estimating western white pine basal diameter and 64% for estimating height. Interactions among spatial scales explained up to 13% of this variation and better described vegetation response than any single spatial scale. A hierarchical approach based on biophysical attributes is an excellent method for studying plant and environment interactions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Meagher ◽  
R. S. Hunt

Abstract Survival, environmental damage, and juvenile height of 27 provenances of western white pine (Pinus monticola) in three plantation series were analyzed after 5 to 13 yr on site to assist in evaluating seed-transfer practices. Survival averaged 79.2% on nine sites in the "root-rot" series and 84.1% on six sites in the "provenance-test" series. Trends of survival on seed-source parameters differed between series, generally increasing with both elevation and latitude in the root-rot series, while generally decreasing with latitude in the provenance-test series. Analysis by seed zone (coast or interior) and plantation region (coast, southern interior, or northern interior) showed that coastal sources on interior sites caused much of these anomalies. Substantial environmental damage was found only on sites near to or beyond the species' northern limit. Differences in the trend of damage with source parameters were found between the test series: interior sources were damaged less than coastal sources on two root-rot sites, whereas interior sources were damaged more heavily than coastal sources on the provenance-test site exhibiting substantial damage. Damage increased with increasing provenance latitude and elevation in the root-rot series, while it dropped with increasing elevation in the "provenance-test" series. In general, taller seedlings in taller provenances were damaged. Coastal seed should not be used on interior sites, but transfer of seed from the BC interior to the BC coast seems safe. We recommend that the present limits for latitudinal transfer be doubled, except where late-spring-frost risk is high, and that elevational transfer of seeds for the interior zone be reduced by about half West. J. Appl. For. 14(1)41-47.


1985 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 484-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Hunt ◽  
J. F. Manville ◽  
E. von Rudloff ◽  
M. S. Lapp

Cluster analyses of relative terpene abundance in foliage of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.) trees from throughout the Pacific Northwest geographic range of the species were produced. Terpene patterns were randomly distributed among populations; no geographic or site trends were evident. Although blister rust is devastating to stands, the gene pool is widely distributed and may well be preserved without establishing gene banks.About 40-50 trees selected at random would yield offspring with nearly all possible terpene patterns characteristic of the species and would thus constitute a broad genetic base. Therefore seed orchards do not necessarily need to be composed of many individuals, rather, they should contain highly selected individuals with multiple desirable traits including multiple blister rust resistance mechanisms. Key words: terpenes, dendrogram


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1059-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Chuine ◽  
Gerald E Rehfeldt ◽  
Sally N Aitken

In this study we aimed to compare and explain the height growth performance of two contrasting pine species: lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud) and western white pine(Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don.). We compiled measurements of total height growth at different ages and shoot elongation phenology realized in several provenance test trials for 109 provenances of lodgepole pine and 54 provenances of western white pine. The response of shoot elongation to temperature was assessed using a phenological model fitted on provenance mean growth curves. Although total height growth followed the same geographic trends in both species, the response of shoot elongation to temperature was different between the two, with few (lodgepole pine) or no differences among provenances (western white pine) from diverse geographic regions. The temperature for which potential cell growth rate is 50% was 10.8 ± 0.13 °C (mean ± standard error) for western white pine compared to 5.26 ± 0.075 °C for lodgepole pine. Phenology did not explain growth performance differences among geographical regions in both species, which instead were explained by differences in the number of internodes set the preceding summer; provenances originating from stressful environments produced the fewest internodes, possibly due to reallocation of carbohydrates to stress resistance.


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