scholarly journals Economic potential of adopting genomic technology in Alberta’s tree improvement sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-299
Author(s):  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Henry An ◽  
Wei-Yew Chang ◽  
Chris Gaston ◽  
Barb R. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Tree Breeding ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Genomic Technology ◽  
Spatial Equilibrium Model ◽  
Technology Improvement ◽  
Total Forest Area

The adoption of genomic technology and the use of improved seeds are expected to improve timber productivity in Alberta. However, this improvement will need to take place within the confines of the public-private nature of the sector where 93% of the total forest area is publicly owned. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which a timber harvest policy known as the allowable cut effect can affect the welfare outcomes of adopting genomics-assisted tree breeding. Using the forest industry of Alberta as the empirical setting, the economic returns to the adoption of this new breeding technology in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) are calculated by estimating a timber supply model and a spatial equilibrium model. Under certain policy and technology improvement scenarios, the economic returns are negative, which would result in non-adoption of the technology. However, under other feasible conditions, the payoffs of genomics-assisted tree breeding research are large and positive. These results illustrate the important role that government policies can have on the returns to adopting new technologies.

scholarly journals Economic potential of adopting genomic technology in Alberta’s tree improvement sector

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Henry An ◽  
Wei-Yew Chang ◽  
Chris Gaston ◽  
Barb R. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Tree Breeding ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Genomic Technology ◽  
Spatial Equilibrium Model ◽  
Technology Improvement ◽  
Total Forest Area

The adoption of genomic technology and the use of improved seeds are expected to improve timber productivity in Alberta. However, this improvement will need to take place within the confines of the public-private nature of the sector where 93% of the total forest area is publicly owned. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which a timber harvest policy known as the allowable cut effect can affect the welfare outcomes of adopting genomics-assisted tree breeding. Using the forest industry of Alberta as the empirical setting, the economic returns to the adoption of this new breeding technology in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) are calculated by estimating a timber supply model and a spatial equilibrium model. Under certain policy and technology improvement scenarios, the economic returns are negative, which would result in non-adoption of the technology. However, under other feasible conditions, the payoffs of genomics-assisted tree breeding research are large and positive. These results illustrate the important role that government policies can have on the returns to adopting new technologies.

scholarly journals Planted stock performance 10 years after partial cutting in west-central British Columbia

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Waterhouse ◽  
E. C. Wallich ◽  
N. M. Daintith ◽  
H. M. Armleder
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Frost Damage ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Interior Spruce

Mature lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests were harvested using group selection (GS) (0.02-ha openings) and irregular group shelterwood (IGS) (0.05-ha openings) systems to maintain arboreal and terrestrial lichens in the winter range of northern woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). Ten years after planting, lodgepole pine showed excellent survival, but were smaller in the partial cut openings compared to the clearcuts. Pine grew less in the Sub-Boreal Pine–Spruce biogeoclimatic subzone (SBPSxc) than in the Montane Spruce subzone (MSxv), and trees were smaller in the GS versus IGS treatment within the MSxv subzone. Interior spruce (Picea glauca × engelmannii) grew best in the MSxv and partial cut treatments, but was significantly affected by summer frost in the clearcuts. In an operational-scale Adaptive Management trial, openings were enlarged to 0.15 ha, and both pine and spruce showed excellent survival, minimal frost damage, and 10-year size similar to clearcut conditions. This study suggests that lodgepole pine and interior spruce can be successfully regenerated in partial cut openings with acceptable growth in gaps of 0.15 ha. Key words: caribou, group selection, interior spruce, irregular group shelterwood, light level, lodgepole pine, Montane Spruce zone, partial harvest, soil moisture, soil temperature, Sub-Boreal Pine Spruce zone, summer frost

Influence of Site Factors on Incidence of Vole and Lemming Feeding Damage to Forest Plantations

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Wayne L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Average Survival

Abstract The incidence of meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and brown lemming (Lemmus sibiricus) feeding damage to young plantations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and interior spruce (Picea glauca × Picea engelmannii) was studied in west-central British Columbia. Fifty-eight plantations were surveyed for seedling survival and stocking, and an additional 21 older plantations of lodgepole pine were surveyed for tree damage. Average survival of pine (47.7%) was significantly lower than that of spruce (56.0%). Because of mortality from vole feeding, 24 of the 58 plantations were not satisfactorily restocked. Planted trees were attacked significantly more than natural regeneration. Severely attacked plantations occurred in the spruce-subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forest type at elevations > 800 m on N to NE aspects. Susceptible plantations generally had mechanical or no site preparation with complex post-harvest debris and limited vegetation cover. West. J. Appl. For. 6(3):64-67.

TADAM: A dynamic whole-stand approximation for the TASS growth model

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Growth Model ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Planning Models ◽  
Dependent Growth

Growth and yield predictions for managed even-aged stands in British Columbia are based on TASS, an individual-tree distance-dependent growth model driven by an unusually detailed description of crown development. Because of its complexity, most applications utilize previously generated stand-level yield tables rather than running TASS directly. I have developed a differential equation approximation to the stand-level dynamics predicted by TASS that mimics the aggregate behaviour with sufficient accuracy for many practical purposes. Versions of this model, called TADAM, exist for planted coastal Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, and white spruce. TADAM can efficiently project stand development starting from any initial conditions, and subject to any combination of thinnings. Its relative simplicity makes it suitable for embedding into landscape-level planning models and other decision support systems. It has been implemented as a C function library, as an interactive simulator running on a PDA, and as an Excel spreadsheet add-in. An example of thinning and planting density optimization is briefly described. Key words: growth and yield, stand dynamics, thinning, optimization, Pinus contorta, Picea glauca

scholarly journals Carbon sequestration and the optimal forest harvest decision under alternative baseline policies

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 656-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Asante ◽  
Glen Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
Optimal Harvest ◽  
Carbon Offset ◽  
Starting Conditions ◽  
Dynamic Programming Model ◽  
Discrete Dynamic Programming ◽  
Business As Usual

The choice of a baseline against which to evaluate changes in carbon stocks is a critical component of any forest carbon offset market. In this paper, we use a discrete dynamic programming model and data from a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) stand in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, to demonstrate that different baselines have little or no effect on optimal harvest decision but can have a large impact on economic returns to a landowner. The results reveal that the magnitude of the financial return to the landowner is dependent on the starting conditions of both the predetermined baseline and the proposed carbon offset project. The study also shows that when given the choice between alternative baselines, a landowner will always choose a fixed baseline over a business-as-usual baseline.

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of nursery-inoculated seedlings outplanted on clear-cut sites in northern Alberta

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1684-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Gagné ◽  
Jean-Luc Jany ◽  
Jean Bousquet ◽  
Damase P Khasa
Keyword(s):  
Ssr Markers ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Morphological Characterization ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
And Control ◽  
Northern Alberta

Seedlings from three conifer species (Pinus contorta Doug. ex Loud. var. latifolia Englem., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, and Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) were planted on two clear-cut sites in Alberta, Canada, after inoculation in the nursery with strains of six different ectomycorrhizal species (Hebeloma longicaudum, Laccaria bicolor,Paxillus involutus,Pisolithus tinctorius,Rhizopogon vinicolor, and Suillus tomentosus). Five and 6 years after planting, morphological characterization and molecular typing techniques (internal transcribed spacer – restriction fragment length polymorphism (ITS-RFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers) were used to identify the ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and to assess the occurrence of the inoculated ectomycorrhizal fungi on host roots. Ectomy corrhi zae recovered from the roots of the planted trees on each of the two sites showed little diversity, with a total of 16 and 19 ITS-RFLP patterns corresponding to 11 and 13 ectomycorrhizal taxa, respectively. The most abundant ectomycorrhizal fungi found on colonized roots were ascomycetes and the widespread basidiomycete Amphinema byssoides. Amongst the six introduced fungal strains, only L. bicolor UAMH 8232 was detected on one site after 5 and 6 years, as determined using six SSR markers. Although not detected after 5 years, some of the introduced strains might have had a positive effect on the early growth of the trees before their replacement by competing species, because significant differences in plot volume index were detected between inoculation and control treatments.

The Douglas-fir forests of Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1703-1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. Stringer ◽  
George H. La Roi
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Habitat Differences

Twenty stands of uniform, mature, undisturbed Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca forest were selected in Banff and Jasper National Parks, using a combination of airphoto and ground surveys. Quantitative sampling methods were used to describe their floristic composition, vegetation structure, and physical habitats.Scattered trees of Pinus contorta, Picea glauca, and Populus tremuloides occurred in the Pseudotsuga forests. The poorly developed shrub strata contained Shepherdia canadensis, Rosa acicularis, Spiraea lucida, Juniperus communis. Major herb, dwarf shrub, bryophyte, and lichen species were Elymus innovatus, Calamagrostis rubescens, Fragaria virginiana, Astragalus decumbens, Aster conspicuus; Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Linnaea borealis; Hylocomium splendens, Abietinella abietina, Tortula ruralis; Peltigera canina. A cyclical pattern of vegetation change is related to the death, replacement, and maturation of Pseudotsuga trees.Relations between vegetation and physical habitat were analyzed by simple correlation and multiple regression. Available potassium in soil, stand age, and slope exposure were most influential in regression equations for tree stratum development. Understory strata were primarily correlated with tree stratum development.A two-dimensional stand ordination based on the vegetational similarity of subordinate vascular strata showed a pronounced separation of Banff and Jasper Pseudotsuga forests, and prompted recognition of two new climax associations (sensu Daubenmire): Pseudotsuga / Elymus innovatus in Jasper; Pseudotsuga / Calamagrostis rubescens – Elymus innovatus in Banff. Habitat differences between the two associations include macroclimate, parent materials, and soil moisture.

Morphological indicators of growth response of coniferous advance regeneration to overstorey removal in the boreal forest

2000 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Ruel ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
Yves Claveau ◽  
René Doucet ◽  
Phil Comeau
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Critical Threshold ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Regeneration of forest stands through the preservation of existing advance regeneration has gained considerable interest in various regions of North America. The effectiveness of this approach relies on the capacity of regeneration to respond positively to overstory removal. Responses of advance regeneration to release is dependent on tree characteristics and site conditions interacting with the degree of physiological shock caused by the sudden change in environmental conditions. This paper presents a review of the literature describing the relationships between morphological indicators and the advance regeneration response to canopy removal. It focuses primarily on the following species: jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.), black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), interior spruce (Picea glauca × engelmannii), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt). Pre-release height growth has been found to be a good indicator of post-release response for many species. Live-crown ratio also appears to be a good indicator of vigour for shade-tolerant species. The ratio of leader length to length of the longest lateral at the last whorl could serve to describe the degree of suppression before harvest for shade-tolerant species. Number of nodal and internodal branches or buds has been found to be related with vigour for many species. Logging damage has been shown to be an important determinant of seedling response to overstory removal. In contrast, height/diameter ratio has limited value for predicting response to release since it varies with site, species and other factors. No clear relationship between age, height at release and response to release could be demonstrated. This paper also suggests the use of combined indicators and critical threshold values for these indicators. Key words: advance regeneration, careful logging, vigour, clearcutting

Hybrid biovars of Agrobacterium species isolated from conifer roots

1991 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Bell ◽  
W. D. Ramey
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Discrete Groups ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
Cluster 2

A total of 377 heterotrophic bacteria were isolated on nonselective medium from the rhizoplanes of five species of conifer. The species were western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), white spruce (Picea glauca), and western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Twenty-eight strains from this population were identified as presumptive agrobacteria. All proved nontumourigenic. Principal-component analysis indicated that the strains, which had clustered into two discrete groups, had intermediate biovar characteristics. Cluster 1 was predominately biovar 3/2 in character, cluster 2 was predominately biovar 2/3. All the presumptive agrobacteria were distributed randomly with respect to the tree species. This study demonstrates that agrobacteria, although atypical, do occur in forest soils and attests to the ubiquity of the genus in soil. Key words: Agrobacterium, biovars, crown gall, conifers.

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