Rooting of peatland black spruce and tamarack in relation to depth of water table

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 817-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. J. Lieffers ◽  
R. L. Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
Depth To Water Table

Rooting of Picea mariana Mill. BSP. and Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch trees was examined in four peatlands with different depth of water table. Peat blocks, 60 cm deep, 1.0 m from the base of each tree, were excavated and sectioned into 10-cm horizontal strata and the roots extracted. The presence of and depth to frost and the depth of water table were determined on each peat block. The periodic annual increment in basal area of each tree was determined. Rooting depth was strongly correlated with depth to water table. On wet sites, roots of both black spruce and tamarack were confined to hummocks, while on dry sites, roots penetrated to 60 cm. The deep roots were generally <2 mm in diameter and held in frozen peat layers until late June. There was a strong positive correlation between fine root biomass and depth of water table; however, total root biomass was not correlated with depth to water table. In general, growth rates of both black spruce and tamarack were positively correlated with water table.

Growth and foliar nutrient status of black spruce and tamarack in relation to depth of water table in some Alberta peatlands

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 805-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor J. Lieffers ◽  
S. Ellen Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
The Road ◽  
Foliar N ◽  
Depth To Water Table ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Foliar Concentration

Foliar nutrient status and growth rates of black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) and tamarack (Larixlaricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) were assessed at 21 peatland locations where the water table was affected by roadbed construction. On one side of the road the peatland may have been drained while the other side may have been flooded or unaffected by the road. For both black spruce and tamarack, concentrations of foliar N and S, needle length, and periodic annual increment in basal area were positively correlated with depth to water table. Analysis of pairs of sites (from each side of the road) showed that trees from the site with greater depth to water table had higher concentrations of foliar N and S and greater basal area increment. Foliar concentration of P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Al, and Fe were not correlated with depth to water table or growth rate.

Fine root biomass and nutrient content in a black spruce peat soil with and without alder

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Bhatti ◽  
N. W. Foster ◽  
P. W. Hazlett
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Peat Soil ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Boreal Peatlands ◽  
Strong Positive Relationship

Vertical distribution of fine root biomass and nutrient content was examined within a black spruce (Picea mariana) stand growing on a boreal peat soil in northeastern Ontario. The influence of site physical and chemical properties on fine root biomass production was assessed. More then 80% of the fine roots were present in moss plus the top 10 cm of peat where nutrients and aeration are most favourable. The fine root biomass (W/V) was significantly higher with alder (5.9 kg m−3) (Alnus rugosa) as understory vegetation compared to non-alder locations (2.9 kg m−3). Total nutrient content in fine roots was 54, 3.2, 5.4, 63 and 5.7 kg ha−1 on the alder site and 20, 1.4, 2.3, 28 and 4.2 kg ha−1 of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg on the non-alder site, respectively. The mass (W/V) of nutrients in fine roots was strongly dependent upon the availability of nutrients in the peat. Fine root content had a strong positive relationship with peat available P and exchangeable K contents suggesting that P and K may be limiting nutrients for black spruce in this peat soil. Key words: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, boreal peatlands, aeration, water table

Fine root biomass in two black spruce stands in interior Alaska: effects of different permafrost conditions

Trees ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyotaro Noguchi ◽  
Yojiro Matsuura ◽  
Stephen D. Sparrow ◽  
Larry D. Hinzman
Keyword(s):  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Spruce Stands

scholarly journals Partial Harvest in Paludified Black Spruce Stand: Short-Term Effects on Water Table and Variation in Stem Diameter

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Samuel Roy Proulx ◽  
Sylvain Jutras ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Nicole J. Fenton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Area Reduction ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Diameter Variation ◽  
Water Table Rise

The boreal forest is considered to be a low productivity forest due to its cold climate and poorly drained soils promoting paludification. These factors create conditions favouring accumulation of undecomposed organic matter, which causes declining growth rates of forest stands, ultimately converting mature stands into peatlands. Under these conditions, careful logging is conducted during winter, which minimizes soil disturbance in northwestern Quebec boreal forest. This results in water table rise, increased light availability and paludification. Our main objective was to evaluate the short-term effect of partial harvesting as an alternative method to careful logging in winter to mitigate water table rise on black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) stands. We quantified tree stem diameter variation and daily variation in water table depth in mature spruce stands before and after partial harvest (basal area reduction of 40%) and girdling (same basal area reduction with delayed mortality) during 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. Water table variation prior to and following silvicultural treatments did not differ one year after treatment. Daily stem diameter variation in black spruce did not differ between treatments and control. Furthermore, temperature exerted a positive effect on variation in water table and on stem diameter. These results suggest that partial harvest could be more effective than clearcutting to mitigate negative effects of a high water table while limiting paludification.

scholarly journals Ground-layer composition affects tree fine root biomass and soil nutrient availability in jack pine and black spruce forests under extreme drainage conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Pacé ◽  
Nicole J. Fenton ◽  
David Paré ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Ground Layer ◽  
Soil Nutrient Availability ◽  
Layer Composition

In the boreal forest, long-lasting canopy gaps are associated with lichens on dry sites and with Sphagnum spp. on wet sites. We hypothesize that ground-layer composition plays a role in maintaining gaps through its effects on fine root biomass (diameter ≤ 2 mm) and soil nutrient availability. Along gradients of canopy openness in both jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) – lichen and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) – moss forests, the relationships between canopy closure, ground-layer composition, tree fine root biomass, and soil nutrients were analyzed and decomposed using path analysis. The effects of lichen and Sphagnum spp. removal on tree fine root biomass and soil nutrients were tested in situ. Although variations in pine fine root biomass were mainly explained by stand aboveground biomass, lichen removal locally increased fine root biomass by more than 50%, resin extractable soil potassium by 580%, and base cations by 180%. While Sphagnum cover was identified as a key driver of stand aboveground biomass reduction in paludified forest sites, its removal had no short-term effects on spruce fine root biomass and soil nutrients. Our results suggest that lichens, more than Sphagnum spp., affect tree growth via direct effects on soil nutrients. These two different patterns call for different silvicultural solutions to maintain productive stands.

Upland black spruce stand development 17 years after cleaning and precommercial thinning

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
R L Fleming ◽  
D S Mossa ◽  
G T Marek
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fibre Production ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Stand Volume ◽  
Quadratic Mean ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Thinning Intensity ◽  
Four Levels

Density management is often used by silviculturists to guide stand composition and development. We examined the effects of cleaning (hardwood removal) and four levels of precommercial thinning (0, 20, 35 and 50% basal area removal) on stand development in a dense, 24-year-old upland black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) plantation near Beardmore, Ontario. Immediately before treatment, stand densities and basal areas for all species and for black spruce averaged 7375 and 6415 stems ha-1, and 27.9 and 20.5 m2 ha-1, respectively. Seventeen years after treatment, black spruce total stand volume (VT) was higher in the cleaned, unthinned plots (243 m3 ha-1) than in the untreated controls (171 m3 ha-1) while total stand volume increment of all species combined was similar in these two treatments. Compared with cleaning alone, thinning cleaned plots from below increased quadratic mean diameters (DQ) by up to 9% but decreased VT by up to 28%. At plantation age 41, increases in black spruce densities of 1000 stems ha-1 resulted in mean decreases of 0.6 cm in DQ and mean increases of 43 m3 ha-1 in VT. Endemic black spruce stem mortality rates decreased with thinning intensity, with mortality concentrated in the smallest size classes. In some plots, mortality was increased by wind or snow damage, and by root rots. Height increment of dominant trees was unaffected by thinning. Projected yields at age 55 (the physical rotation age—the age at which maximum mean annual increment occurs) suggest the heaviest precommercial thinning could increase quadratic mean diameter from 16.1 to 17.7 cm, but decrease merchantable stand volume from 292 to 225 m3 ha-1. Results indicate that total black spruce fibre yields and product value on these sites will be maximized in denser stands. Cleaning appears to offer greater benefits for black spruce fibre production than precommercial thinning. Key words: black spruce, precommercial thinning, cleaning, density management, projected yields

scholarly journals Thinning effects on biomass and element concentrations of roots in adjacent hornbeam and oak stands in Istanbul, Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdar Akburak ◽  
Ender Makineci
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Root Diameter ◽  
Coarse Roots ◽  
Coarse Root ◽  
Element Concentrations ◽  
Diameter Classes

Abstract Background Thinning is a commonly used treatment in forest management which affects the tree root systems. The effects of thinning on element concentrations and seasonal change of roots were evaluated in adjacent oak (Quercus frainetto Ten.) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) stands according to the different root diameter classes. Method Two replicated control and thinning plots (50 m × 50 m) were set for each species (hornbeam and oak). Thinning treatments (November 2010) reduced 50% of the basal area in both oak and hornbeam stands. Roots were assessed by seasonal collection over 2 years (from October 2010 to October 2012). The roots were then sorted into diameter classes of 0–2 mm (fine roots), 2–5 mm (small roots) and > 5 mm (coarse roots). C, N, P, K, Ca, Na, Mg, S, Mn, Fe, Al, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu and Cd were analyzed. Results Except coarse roots, the highest root biomasses were determined in April-2011 in all plots. Fine-root biomass in oak was found significantly higher in control plots. In contrast to the oak, the fine-root biomass in the thinned hornbeam plots was higher than in the controls. The small-root biomass did not significantly differ between the thinned and the control plots in both oak and hornbeam stands. However, the coarse-root biomass showed significant differences between the control (1989 g∙m− 2) and thinned plots (1060 g∙m− 2) in oak, while no difference was detected in hornbeam. The concentrations of C, Al, Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Mn, Na, K, Mg and P in the fine roots of oak were significantly higher in the thinned plots. However, the concentration of Pb, Cd and Fe in the fine roots was significantly higher in the thinned plots of hornbeam. Significant differences were observed between the species for all elements in the fine roots except for C, N and P. In particular, elements in the fine roots tended to increase in July in the oak. In the hornbeam, all element concentrations in the fine roots (except C, N, and S) in the thinned plots showed a tendency to increase in April. The concentrations of Pb, Ni, Al, Fe, Cu, Ca, Na, K, Mg and P in the hornbeam control plots increased during the April 2011 period. Conclusion The results indicated that thinning effects on temporal changes and concentrations of elements in the roots could be attributed to species-specific characteristics.

Effects of thinning on fine root biomass and carbon storage of subalpine Picea asperata plantation in Western Sichuan Province, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 645-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Ke LIU ◽  
Chuan FAN ◽  
Xian-Wei LI ◽  
Yin-Hua LING ◽  
Yi-Gui ZHOU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Sichuan Province ◽  
Western Sichuan ◽  
Picea Asperata
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