scholarly journals Eighteen-year growth responses to thinning and fertilization of a height-repressed lodgepole pine stand in interior British Columbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (03) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Prescott ◽  
Louise deMontigny ◽  
George Harper
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Wild Fires

Challenges to the mid-term timber supply in interior British Columbia resulting from losses to insect outbreaks and wild-fires have prompted interest in silvicultural interventions to hasten growth of regenerating forests, including high-density(overstocked), height-repressed stands of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.). A trialwas established in a dense (4000 to 30 000 trees ha-1) 36-year-old wildfire-origin pine stand in the Cariboo-Chilcotinregion of interior BC to assess the efficacy of thinning, fertilization and a combination of the two treatments for improv-ing tree growth and stand development. Height and diameter of the 36 crop trees in each plot was greater in fertilizedplots then control plots for six years following fertilization, while the height and diameter responses to thinning and thin-ning + fertilization were sustained throughout the 18-year measurement period. Cumulative basal area and volumegrowth of crop trees and all stand trees over the 18-year period was significantly greater in thinned and thinned + fertil-ized treatments than control plots. Projections based on the TASS growth and yield model suggested that total stand vol-umes in thinned plots would surpass that of the control at age 74 and would surpass that of the fertilized treatment at 89years. Unthinned stands (i.e., control and fertilized treatments), did not accumulate significant merchantable volume; inthinned stands (i.e., thinned and thinned + fertilized treatments), the minimum harvest criteria of 80 m3 ha-1 for pine-leading stands in this region was reached at age 102 years. Repeated fertilization would be needed to further hasten standdevelopment. The potential long-term benefits of these silvicultural interventions for timber supply must be weighedagainst treatment costs and risks of mortality related to wildfire, insects and disease. These results highlight the value oflong-term research trials for informing silviculture decisions.

Stand growth responses after fertilization for thinned lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce in forests of interior British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482
Author(s):  
Woongsoon Jang ◽  
Bianca N.I. Eskelson ◽  
Louise de Montigny ◽  
Catherine A. Bealle Statland ◽  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.

Predicted impacts of hard pine stem rusts on lodgepole pine dominated stands in central British Columbia

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex J Woods ◽  
Albert Nussbaum ◽  
Bill Golding
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Volume Loss ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Pine Trees

We developed two models to predict volume loss due to western gall rust (Endocronartium harknessii (J.P. Moore) Y. Hiratsuka) and comandra blister rust (Cronartium comandrae Peck) on juvenile lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) dominated stands in central British Columbia. The models suggest that volume loss is significantly and positively correlated to the incidence of comandra blister rust. The relationship between volume loss and western gall rust incidence was weak. The addition of stand density data improved the statistical fit of the model. We used the growth and yield model Tree and stand simulator (TASS) to predict volume at culmination age (age at which the merchantable mean annual increment was maximized) in thirty 1-ha stem-mapped stands. The lodgepole pine trees we stem mapped were also assessed for hard pine stem rust incidence. We developed our volume loss functions assuming that trees with stem infections of both comandra blister rust and western gall rust were lethal, and that infected trees would die from ages 21 to 40. In areas where comandra blister rust is common, the losses due to the disease can be considerable. We predict that the volume losses due to hard pine stem rusts in lodgepole pine dominated stands are as high as 7.2% by culmination age.

scholarly journals The Effects of Juvenile Spacing on 7-Year-Old Lodgepole Pine in Central British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne D. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Individual Tree Growth ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
The Individual

Abstract The effects of spacing 7-year-old second-growth lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) are reported 20 growing seasons after treatment. Five spacing levels of 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 trees per hectare, plus unspaced controls, were established on plots in central British Columbia. Both individual-tree and per-hectare data were analyzed. Spacing had a significant effect on all of the individual-tree characteristics examined, but its effect on per-hectare values was mixed. Although this report only provides short-term information on the effects of juvenile spacing on the growth and yield of lodgepole pine, it does indicate the need to optimize individual-tree growth rates with levels of growing stock to maximize yield per unit area. West. J. Appl. For. 20(3):160–166.

Effects of 12 years of repeated fertilization on the foliar nutrition and growth of young lodgepole pine in the central interior of British Columbia

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2115-2129 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Brockley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Nutrient Balance ◽  
Fertilizer Treatment ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Foliar Nutrition ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Complete Fertilizer

The effects of different regimes and frequencies of repeated fertilization (applied periodically and yearly) on the foliar nutrition and growth of young lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) were investigated in central British Columbia. After 12 years, tree and stand growth responses indicated modest positive effects of two applications of nitrogen (N) and boron, with relatively large incremental gains to added sulphur and other nutrients (complete). Despite large increases in effective leaf area index and foliar N concentration relative to the control and periodic treatments, yearly applications of fertilizer were relatively ineffective in stimulating growth. When combined with frequent additions of other essential nutrients, annual fertilization with 50–100 kg N/ha over 12 years (825 kg N/ha in total) produced only slightly more “extra” wood than two applications of the multinutrient, complete fertilizer (400 kg N/ha in total) (19.4 m3/ha vs. 17.2 m3/ha, respectively). The most intensive fertilization treatment (1550 kg N/ha plus other nutrients over 12 years) produced shorter trees and less stand volume increment than periodic fertilization with the complete fertilizer. Treatment-induced changes in stand dynamics and growth allocation, disrupted foliar nutrient balance, and changes in soil biota and understory vegetation community structure may have negatively affected tree growth in intensively fertilized treatment plots.

Lichen chronosequences (postfire and postharvest) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests of northern interior British Columbia

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 1449-1464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darwyn S Coxson ◽  
Janet Marsh
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Floor Surface ◽  
Fire Origin

Lichen community development was examined in a postfire chronosequence from lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud var. latifolia Engelm.) forests in the Omineca region of north-central British Columbia and in stands originating from logging in the early 1980s. Fire-origin stands showed dense regeneration of pine and widespread growth of acrocarpous mosses such as Polytrichum spp. As canopy thinning progressed, Cladonia spp. lichens initiated development at the forest floor surface. By 50–100 years after stand origin, Cladina mitis and Cladina rangiferina dominated at the forest floor surface, remaining at high cover values well into the second century of stand development. Late seral stages of stand development (approximately 150+ years) showed increasing basal area and canopy cover of lodgepole pine, with feathermoss mats (e.g., Pleurozium schreberi) replacing terrestrial lichens at the forest floor surface. Stand ordinations confirmed these groupings of species. Stand structural factors that correlate best with lichen mat development include tree density, basal area, and canopy cover. Changes in the leaf area index and associated litterfall loading appear to precipitate the replacement of terrestrial lichen mats in "old-growth" stands. Interestingly, this trend was reversed in mature stands where winter harvesting of trees removed canopy cover without disturbing the forest floor surface. Lichen cover in these sites, 15 years after harvest, exceeded that of comparably aged fire-origin stands. Summer harvesting (with a presumed greater disturbance of soils) did not trigger a similar rebound of lichen communities. Instead, vascular plants appeared to invade these sites, following a seral sequence different from that occurring in fire-origin stands.Key words: terrestrial lichens, pine woodlands, caribou habitat.

Foliage and stand growth responses of semimature lodgepole pine to thinning and fertilization

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1794-1804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C Yang
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Fascicle Length ◽  
Stand Growth

The aim of this study was to quantify the interactive response of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) to thinning and nitrogen (N) fertilization in midrotation stands by assessing foliar and stand growth response relationships and determining the optimum fertilizer regime. The experiment design was a factorial arrangement of treatments with two thinning intensities (thinned and unthinned control) and four N levels (0, 180, 360, and 540 kg·ha-1). Foliage was sampled annually from trees in buffers for 4 years following treatment and plot trees measured at a 5-year interval. Results indicated that the effect of fertilization on fascicle length and needle dry mass disappeared 2 years after N treatment, while thinning effects on foliage emerged 3 years after fertilization. Both first year fascicle length and dry mass were reliable predictors (r2 = 0.87 and 0.82, respectively) of subsequent stand volume growth. Applications of N at 360 kg·ha-1 to thinned and unthinned plots, respectively, improved 10-year periodic height increment by 20 and 19%, diameter at breast height by 29 and 34%, basal area by 21 and 36%, and total volume by 25 and 28%. Fertilization of N at this level appears to be optimal based on foliar and mensurational responses. High N loadings increased tree mortality and accelerated stand development and so it could be advantageously used as a tool for managing overstocked stands.

Susceptibility of lodgepole pine stands to the mountain pine beetle: testing of a rating system

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
T L Shore ◽  
L Safranyik ◽  
J P Lemieux
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Prediction Interval ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Pine Beetle

A system for rating the susceptibility of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) stands to the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) was field tested in 38 stands in the Cariboo forest region of British Columbia in a retrospective study. A linear relationship was defined between the percentage of basal area killed by the mountain pine beetle and the susceptibility indices for the sample stands. The system was further tested using an independent data set of 41 stands from across southern British Columbia. Forty of the 41 stands fell within the 95% prediction interval of the original model data for stand susceptibility. This study provides validation for a susceptibility rating model described in 1992. The regression model and associated confidence interval also provide a useful tool for landscape level loss predictions due to the mountain pine beetle.

Effects of nitrogen and boron fertilization on foliar boron nutrition and growth in two different lodgepole pine ecosystems

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 988-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
R P Brockley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Height Increment ◽  
Deficiency Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Growth ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Boron Fertilization

The 9-year effects of nitrogen (N) and boron (B) fertilization on the growth and foliar B nutrition of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) were evaluated in two different ecosystems in the interior of British Columbia. When added alone, B had no effect on basal area or height increment. However, combined applications of N and B were superior to N alone in stimulating height development at both study sites. At one site, fertilization with N, alone and in combination with sulphur (S), resulted in a significant amount of top dieback symptomatic of severe B deficiency. No visible deficiency symptoms were observed when B was combined with N or N + S. Boron fertilization significantly increased foliar B concentrations at both study sites, and higher foliar B levels were maintained throughout the 9-year study period. Results suggest that significant visible symptoms of B deficiency in lodgepole pine are unlikely to occur at foliar levels >6 mg/kg, although subacute B deficiency may suppress height development in the absence of deficiency symptoms. When combined with nitrogenous fertilizers, B applications of 1.5–3.0 kg/ha are likely sufficient to achieve, and maintain, favourable B status and healthy growth of trees over a prolonged period.

Modeling mortality in mixed-species stands of coastal British Columbia

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1517-1528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah C. Rathbun ◽  
Valerie LeMay ◽  
Nick Smith
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stochastic Approach ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Estimation Accuracy ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Individual Tree

Individual-tree distance-independent models were developed to estimate regular mortality for western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii), and western redcedar ( Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) in the coastal temperate rain forests of British Columbia, Canada. Permanent plots remeasured at intervals ranging from 1 to 17 years were used. Because of the irregular remeasurement intervals, survival was estimated using a generalized logistic model and mortality was calculated by subtraction. Basal area of trees larger than the subject tree provided reasonably accurate mortality estimates for larger trees. However, poor results were obtained for trees less than 7.5 cm in diameter at breast height, which had higher mortality rates than the larger trees. Since the implementation of a survival (or mortality) model within a growth and yield model environment can largely affect estimation accuracy, three methods of implementing the model were also evaluated. A probability multiplier approach where the stems per hectare surviving to the next period is estimated by multiplying the probability of survival by the stems per hectare at the beginning of the time period is recommended. This is equivalent to a stochastic approach averaged over many repetitions but with much less processing time.

Growth, yield, and structure of extended rotation Pinus resinosa stands in Minnesota, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1000-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Christel C. Kern
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Ecological Objectives

Extended rotations are increasingly used to meet ecological objectives on forestland; however, information about long-term growth and yield of these systems is lacking for most forests in North America. Additionally, long-term growth responses to repeated thinnings in older stands have received little attention. We addressed these needs by examining the growth and yield of red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) in a growing stock experiment in northern Minnesota. Stands were 85 years old at the onset of this experiment and were repeatedly thinned to five levels of basal area (13.8, 18.4, 23.0, 27.5, and 32.1 m2·ha–1) over 58 years. Cumulative volume production and volume growth were lowest within the lowest stocking treatment and similar across other stocking levels. Late-successional structural attributes, such as the density of trees with ≥40 cm diameter at breast height, was similar across stocking levels. The mean annual volume growth culminated between 130 and 140 years. Additionally, positive growth responses were observed within the highest stocking-level treatments after thinning at 138 years, demonstrating the ability of older red pine to respond to reductions in competition. These results illustrate that extended rotations with repeated thinnings in red pine help achieve ecological goals, including the restoration of old-forest structure, while also maintaining high levels of stand productivity.

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