Stable Allometric Trajectories in Picea abies (L.) Karst. Trees along an Elevational Gradient

The effect of temperature on tree phenology and growth has gained particular attention in relation to climate change. While a number of reports indicate that warming can extend the length of the growing season and enhance tree growth rates, it is still debated whether temperature also affects biomass partitioning. Addressing the question of whether trees grown at different elevations invest similarly in various organs, we established four sites along an elevational gradient (320 to 595 m a.s.l.) in managed Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karts) stands regenerating after clearcuts in central Norway. There, differences in temperature, bud break, tree growth, and allometric scaling were measured in small spruce trees (up to 3 m height). The results showed that bud break and shoot growth are affected by temperature, as lower sites completed the bud break process 5 days earlier than the higher sites did. There was some evidence indicating that the summer drought of 2018 affected tree growth during the season, and the implications of this are discussed. The allometric scaling coefficients did not change for the crown volume (slope value range 2.66–2.84), crown radius (0.77–0.89), and tree diameter (0.89–0.96) against tree height. A slight difference was found in the scaling coefficients of crown length against tree height (slope value range 1.04–1.12), but this did not affect the general scaling of the crown volume with tree height. Our results showed that different local environmental conditions affect both the growth rate and phenology in Norway spruce trees but, on the contrary, that the biomass partitioning among different parts of the tree remains essentially unchanged. This demonstrates that the allometric approach is an important tool for unraveling true vs. apparent plant plasticity, which in turn is an essential awareness for predicting plant responses to environmental changes.

Download Full-text

Effect of High Concentrations of Wood Ash on Soil Properties and Development of Young Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229479 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9479

Author(s):

Baiba Jansone ◽

Valters Samariks ◽

Modris Okmanis ◽

Dārta Kļaviņa ◽

Dagnija Lazdiņa

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Pinus Sylvestris ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Tree Height ◽

Wood Ash ◽

Breast Height ◽

High Doses ◽

One Year

Wood ash recycling can be a reasonable method for energy producers to decrease waste problems. Using wood ash as a fertilizer or liming material could improve soil macro and micronutrient content in peat soils. Therefore, the effect of wood ash on Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) juvenile growth and nutrient content in the soil after spreading wood ash in medium to high doses before and after planting seedlings was investigated in peat forests in the Eastern part of Latvia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of high doses of wood ash on soil properties and the growth of planted Norway spruce and Scots pine seedlings up to 10 years after experiment establishment. Wood ash was applied a year before planting seedlings in doses of 5 and 10 t ha−1 and right after planting in concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20 t ha−1. Changes in macronutrient content (i.e., phosphorus [P], and potassium [K]) and tree height and diameter at breast height were measured at one and 10 years after establishing the experiment. Fertilization one year prior to planting the seedlings exhibited a positive response on tree height and diameter growth compared to fertilization after the seedlings were planted. Soil samples from fertilized plots one year after establishment contained more P and K in the soil than the control plots. Wood ash application of the highest doses did not reach the overdose limit, as the tree growth (height and diameter at breast height) results of fertilized plots were similar to those of the control fields; therefore, no significant negative effect on tree growth was discovered.

Download Full-text

Adapting an individual tree growth model for Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) in pure and mixed species stands

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/s0378-1127(01)00713-7 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 159 (1-2) ◽

pp. 101-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Hubert Sterba ◽

Astrid Blab ◽

Klaus Katzensteiner

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Growth Model ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Mixed Species ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Individual Tree Growth ◽

Individual Tree Growth Model ◽

Tree Growth Model

Download Full-text

030 GENOTYPIC AND PHENOTYPIC FIELD GROWTH CORRELATIONS OF MICROPROPAGATED SILVER MAPLE

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.432a ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 432a-432

Author(s):

John E. Preece ◽

Carl A. Huetteman ◽

W. Clark Ashby ◽

Paul L. Roth ◽

Richard G. Adams

Keyword(s):

Growth Parameters ◽

Tree Height ◽

Bud Break ◽

Silver Maple ◽

Crown Volume ◽

In Vitro Micropropagation ◽

Bud Set ◽

Genotypic And Phenotypic Correlations ◽

Growth Correlations

Sixty clones (four clones from each of 15 provenances) were micropropagated and planted in replicated plots in lowland and upland sites in Carbondale, IL in 1991. Data were collected on tree growth, including basal caliper, height, branching, crown volume, dates of bud break, bud set, and leaf fall. There were significant and strong positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations between tree height and basal caliper throughout the three years of growth. During 1993, bud break was not significantly correlated with any growth parameters. After three years in the field, tree height was significantly negatively correlated with the amount of callus that had formed after one month during the in vitro micropropagation phase. However, all shoots that formed in vitro were of axillary origin.

Download Full-text

Use of UAV photogrammetric data in forest genetic trials: measuring tree height, growth, and phenology in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.)

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1080/02827581.2020.1806350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 322-333 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Thomas Mørtvedt Solvin ◽

Stefano Puliti ◽

Arne Steffenrem

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Height ◽

Height Growth ◽

Forest Genetic ◽

Tree Height Growth

Download Full-text

Adaptability of Narrow-Crowned Norway Spruce Ideotype (Picea abies (L.) Karst. pendula Form) in 25 Years Half-Sib Comparative Trials in the Eastern Carpathians

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10050395 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 395 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ecaterina Apostol ◽

Marius Budeanu

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Wood Density ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Growth Traits ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Tree Height ◽

Field Trials ◽

Breeding Strategy ◽

Eastern Carpathians

This study analysed the stability of the narrow-crowned Norway spruce (pendula form) compared with the classic form of spruce (pyramidalis form) in two half-sib field trials located in the Romanian Carpathians. From eight natural populations, representative of three of the four large spruce spread areas in Romania, open-pollinated seeds from 48 trees (24 pendula ideotype and 24 pyramidalis form) were collected to install the Maneciu and Soveja trials. In these trials, at age 25 years, measurements were performed for the following traits: tree height, breast height diameter, crown diameter, number of branches per whorl and dominant branch diameter. Some important traits were calculated: average volume per tree, trees’ slenderness, crown slenderness and branches’ finesse. Pearson’s simple correlations between the analysed traits were calculated and also the correlations between traits and geographic and climatic gradients of provenances’ origin. In addition, cores were collected to compare the wood density of the two forms of spruce. In both trials, but especially in the limitative environmental conditions of the Soveja trial, the narrow crowned form of Norway spruce (Picea abies f. pendula) presented more favourable average results than the normal crown spruce form for the most important stand stability traits: trees’ slenderness, wood density, branches’ diameter and branches’ finesse. Between spruce crown forms, in both trials, no significant differences were observed for the growth traits, but between trials, higher results resulted in optimal environmental conditions of the Măneciu test (+89% for the trees’ volume). The trees from different provenances and with specific forms of the crown reacted differently to the changing of the testing site, which required the adoption of maximum caution for decisions regarding the transfer of forest reproductive materials. The correlations between the analysed traits converge towards the adoption of a two-step breeding strategy, starting by selection of narrow crowned trees after stability traits.

Download Full-text

Metabolite changes in conifer buds and needles during forced bud break in Norway spruce (Picea abies) and European silver fir (Abies alba)

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2014.00706 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Priyanka Dhuli ◽

Jens Rohloff ◽

G. Richard Strimbeck

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Abies Alba ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Bud Break

Download Full-text

Growth responses of Picea abies and Larix decidua to elevation in subalpine areas of Tyrol, Austria

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-202 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 653-662 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Mai He Li ◽

Jian Yang ◽

Norbert Kräuchi

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Tree Height ◽

Larix Decidua ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Local Climate ◽

Subalpine Zone ◽

Tree Canopies ◽

Key Factor

Microsites related to microenvironmental conditions, including microclimate, seem to be a key factor for the restoration of forests in the subalpine area. Tree growth was studied in Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) and Larix decidua Mill. (European larch) on 30 plots located at different microsites (i.e., different elevations and micro top o graphies combined) within the subalpine zone (16801940 m) of the Schmirn Valley (Tyrol, Austria). The age of the trees studied was 27 years for larch and 28 years for spruce. The mean height and biomass growth decreased significantly with increasing elevation. The effect of elevation and microtopography on growth varied with tree size (age): (1) elevation had little effect on growth of trees less than 0.5 m in height; (2) both elevation and microtopography affected tree growth significantly when the tree height was between 0.5 and 3 m; (3) as trees exceed 3 m in height, tree canopies can fully cover the ground surface and create a forest microclimate causing growth to decline with increasing elevation, irrespective of microtopography. We conclude that the microclimate, associated with microsite, controls growth during the early stages of tree development, but following canopy closure, the local climate (mesoclimate) associated with topography begins to determine tree growth.

Download Full-text

Augstuma pieauguma mainība parastās egles (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) Tīraudzēs juvenilā vecumā = Variation of height growth of young pure Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) Stands

10.22616/lluthesis/2020.007 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Baiba Jansone ◽

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Height ◽

Height Growth ◽

Height Increment ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Doctoral Thesis ◽

Juvenile Age ◽

Growth Intensity

Norway spruce is economically the most important tree species in Northern Europe; therefore, its productivity and vitality have key role in the forest management of this region. Tree height is directly linked to the productivity of the stand and is affected by growing conditions and tree genetics. Height increment in young stands determines the further development of the stand therefore, it is important to evaluate the effect of various factors on tree height growth during this stage and assess the possibilities to improve it with silvicultural measures and tree breeding. This doctoral thesis aims to assess the effect of microenvironmental conditions and genetics on the height increment of Norway spruce at a juvenile age in planted hemiboreal forests in Latvia. The doctoral thesis summarizes seven thematically linked scientific publications, and their results indicate the possibilities for substantial improvement of the growth of Norway spruce at a juvenile age. Tree height is considerably and significantly affected by the type of soil preparation and soil fertilization with wood ash a year before planting or by applying additional fertilizer during the planting process. Furthermore, the effect of these forest management measures lasts for at least the next 10 years. Providing favorable microenvironmental conditions considerably increases the proportion of spruces with lammas shoots, which in turn, increases the total height increment of these trees. A positive feedback loop exists between the presence of apical lammas shoots and the tree height increment, leading to increased tree height in young stands. The occurrence of lammas shoots and the intra-annual development of the height increment is genetically determined. Growth intensity (mm per day) for progenies from open-pollinated families of plus-trees with larger height increment culminated later in the season, had higher growth intensity at the active growth phase and remained high for a longer period.

Download Full-text