Fruticose arboreal lichen biomass accumulation in an old-growth balsam fir forest

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 1669-1676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Josée Arseneau ◽  
Jean-Pierre Ouellet ◽  
Luc Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Altitude Effect ◽  
Subalpine Belt ◽  
The Relationship

The standing biomass accumulation of lichens from the genera Alectoria, Bryoria, and Usnea was studied along two environmental gradients, altitude and height along the vertical tree axis, in an old-growth balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forest. Lichens were sampled from 50 trees in five sampling sites at an altitude of 720-1068 m asl and encompassing three vegetation belts (mountain, subalpine, and alpine). The lichen biomass accumulation rate was studied at branch and tree levels. The Gompertz equation was used to assess the relationship between time since lichen colonization and standing lichen biomass. The relationship between tree lichen biomass and age was not significant. Colonization delay was assumed to correspond to the age of the youngest branch supporting a given lichen taxon, and our results show that it increased from mountain to alpine belts. Variations in lichen accumulation were related to the branch position along the tree height and altitude. Lichen biomass accumulation rates decreased from tree top to base. We speculate that this reduction reflects a response to microclimatic gradients, aging of thalli, fragmentation, competition, succession, and caribou grazing. The accumulation rate was greater in the mountain belt (r = 0.063) than in the alpine belt (r = 0.027). In the subalpine belt, the relationship between lichen biomass and time was not significant (p > 0.05). The decrease in accumulation rate along the altitudinal gradient may be primarily explained by climatic conditions.Key words: arboreal lichens, lichen biomass accumulation, altitude effect, height in tree effect, Alectoria, Bryoria, Usnea.

Effects of altitude and tree height on the distribution and biomass of fruticose arboreal lichens in an old growth balsam fir forest

Ecoscience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Josée Arseneau ◽  
Luc Sirois ◽  
Jean-Pierre Ouellet
Keyword(s):  
Tree Height ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Old Growth

Winter habitat selection by white-tailed deer on Anticosti Island 2: relationship between deer density from an aerial survey and the proportion of balsam fir forest on vegetation maps

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Potvin ◽  
Barry Boots
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Management ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Window Size ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Deer Density ◽  
Vegetation Maps ◽  
Anticosti Island ◽  
The Relationship

Determining at what scale to operate and how much cover is needed are important questions for winter habitat management of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780), through logging. We used binary cover maps (reclassified forest vegetation maps) and windows of different sizes (0.2 km × 0.2 km, 0.5 km × 0.5 km, 1 km × 1 km, 2 km × 2 km, and 3 km × 3 km) to describe the relationship between deer density from an aerial survey and the proportion of balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) P. Mill., forest (BF) cover in a 270-km2 block on Anticosti Island, Quebec. Maximum white-tailed deer densities reached were quite similar (31–34 deer/km2) irrespective of window size, except for the 3 km × 3 km window for which maximum density remained half lower. Density increased with the amount of BF cover and then reached a plateau above 60% or 70% (two smaller windows) or decreased above 50% or 60% (1 km × 1 km and 2 km × 2 km windows). Results confirm goals previously used for habitat management of deeryards. This new method allows greater flexibility in research applications for describing density–cover relationships because both scale and proportion of cover can be analysed simultaneously.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SPRUCE BUDWORM (CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA, CLEM.) TO THE FLOWERING CONDITION OF BALSAM FIR (ABIES BALSAMEA (L.) MILL.)

1952 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Blais
Keyword(s):  
Direct Effect ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Populations of the spruce budworm were studied on flowering and nonflowering balsam fir trees. Generally more eggs were found on the flowering trees. The flowering balsam fir trees were found to harbor higher populations in the early larval stages owing to the presence on these trees of staminate flowers and flower cups. The behavior of the larvae in relation to staminate flowers and flower cups was studied in both the field and the laboratory. Larvae that fed partially on pollen developed more rapidly than larvae that fed exclusively on foliage. Pollen as a food did not appear to have any direct effect on survival or fecundity. Other experiments showed that mortality was higher, development retarded, and fecundity reduced in insects forced to feed on old foliage in contrast with those fed on the current year's growth. Defoliation was more severe on flowering trees in the earlier stages of the infestation. However, as populations increased, wandering increased owing to competition for food. This resulted in an overflow of larvae from flowering to nonflowering trees.

Dead wood dynamics in declining balsam fir and spruce stands in New Brunswick, Canada

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 750-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Taylor ◽  
David A. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
History Of

Forest management prescriptions increasingly incorporate snag and downed dead wood (DDW) guidelines. This study utilizes permanent inventory plots to determine dead wood dynamics in 33 balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) – spruce ( Picea spp.) (BFSP) and 17 spruce – balsam fir (SPBF) stands in New Brunswick, Canada. Stands were declining, unmanaged, and had a history of recurrent spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) outbreaks and aerial insecticide spraying. Fixed-area sampling matched remnants of 1165 dead trees and 864 corresponding pieces of DDW to plot trees that died over the last 15–18 years with known year and cause of death. Declining BFSP stands had the highest accumulation of dead wood (196 m3/ha) compared with SPBF and nondeclining BFSP (122 m3/ha and 77 m3/ha, respectively). Dead wood dynamics were influenced by cause of death, as a function of differences in tree height at death affecting snag decay, fragmentation, and fall. One-half of all dead trees never made a significant contribution to the snag population (25% uprooted and 25% stem breakage), and attrition resulted in only 50% of snags standing with a mean height of 6 m 15–20 years after death. This study will be of direct value to those managing or modeling dead wood dynamics in similar forests.

Estimating coarse root biomass of balsam fir

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 991-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Lavigne ◽  
M.J. Krasowski
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Root Diameter ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Coarse Root ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Diameter Classes

Root systems of 31 balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees were excavated at five sites in central New Brunswick. Sites ranged from 10 to >80 years in stand age; most had been thinned at least once, and densities ranged from 750 to 44 000 trees·ha–1. The relationship between diameter at breast height and coarse root biomass in the present investigation was similar to one reported for balsam fir in northern New Brunswick but differed from two other published biomass equations. Coarse root biomass per hectare ranged from 3 to 30 Mg·ha–1 among studied sites. Coarse root biomass in the smaller root diameter classes was similar at all sites, but biomass in diameter classes >50 mm increased with stand age. Precommercial thinning added 3 Mg coarse root biomass·ha–1 to the detrital pool. The ratio of coarse root biomass to stem biomass averaged 0.36 (±0.02 SE). These results show that there is more belowground biomass in balsam fir ecosystems than would be expected from the generic ratio of belowground to aboveground biomass often applied to coniferous ecosystems, pointing to a need for using ratios that are more specific.

Fruticose arboreal lichen biomass accumulation in an old-growth balsam fir forest

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 1669-1676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Josée Arseneau ◽  
Jean-Pierre Ouellet ◽  
Luc Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Old Growth

Evaluating the effect of precommercial thinning on the resistance of balsam fir to windthrow through experimentation, modelling, and development of simple indices

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 1844-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Achim ◽  
J -C Ruel ◽  
B A Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Green River ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Commercial Thinning ◽  
The Relationship

A tree-pulling experiment was carried out in stands of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) to evaluate the effects of early thinning on windthrow resistance. Forty trees from four stands were pulled over. Two stands had received a precommercial thinning 9 and 14 years previously, respectively, and the two others were unthinned controls. There were no significant inter-stand differences in the relationship between the critical turning moments required to overturn or snap the trees and their stem mass. The results were input into a model calculating critical wind speeds using the approach developed for the ForestGALES model. Simulations were run for four different stand densities. The mensurational characteristics for each run were taken from the results of a spacing trial established in balsam fir stands at Green River, New Brunswick. For stem breakage, the model predicted a gradual increase in critical wind speeds with wider spacing. The increase was smaller for tree overturning. The pattern of differences remained very similar after a simulated commercial thinning removing 30% of the basal area. Reductions in critical wind speeds were on the order of 4 m·s–1 in all cases. Simple indices were developed that could estimate the relative results given by the model.

scholarly journals Differentiating mature and old-growth forests in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Subregions of west-central Alberta

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 602-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi E Morgantini ◽  
John L Kansas
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Growth Index ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
West Central ◽  
Decay Class ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Growth Attributes ◽  
Live Tree

Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd. is developing harvest strategies that will maintain appropriate levels of late to very late seral stages ("old growth") in its Drayton Valley Forest Management Area. This management area encompasses 490 570 ha in the Foothills and Rocky Mountain Natural Regions of west-central Alberta. In planning for future forest landscapes, Weyerhaeuser intends to maintain a range of age structures consistent with the ecological processes characteristic of each natural region and subregion. The absence of a discrete point separating mature forest from old growth means that the age at which a stand is currently identified as "old growth" and subject to special management practices is arbitrary. In a research study initiated in the summer of 2000, we seek to understand the differences in structure and composition between forests of various ages and topographic site conditions (elevation, aspect, and slope angle). Using 95 sampling plots in a 123-km2 study area in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Natural Subregions, we quantified vegetation structure and composition for stands ranging in age from 70 to 300 years. Variables measured and analysed included live-tree height and diameter, snag density, diameter and decay class, downed woody material volume, diameter and decay class, vascular plant species richness, sapling and regeneration density, and duff depth. An old-growth index was developed for each sampled stand that took into account multiple attributes. Preliminary results indicate that specific attributes (snag basal area and density, decay stage and density of downed woody material, variation in live-tree age, and variation in live-tree height and age) separate a younger forest from a more mature one and hence may describe "old-growth" conditions. The age of onset of these old-growth attributes is variable but appears to occur between 160 and 180 years. Key factors other than stand age that contribute to or modify the development of old-growth attributes (as measured by the old-growth index) are elevation and moisture regime (as modified by site position). Further investigation is required to more accurately assess the effect of site factors on old-growth attributes. These results are now used by Weyerhaeuser to address retention of late seral stages in long-term forest planning. Key words: old growth, mature forests, old growth protection, forest management, Alberta, Weyerhaeuser, Rocky Mountains foothills

Weather and Outbreaks of the Spruce Budworm in the Province of Quebec from 1939 to 1956

1961 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Pilon ◽  
J. R. Blais
Keyword(s):  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
The Past ◽  
Forest Regions ◽  
Tree Component ◽  
Gaspe Peninsula ◽  
Gaspé Peninsula

Nearly all forest regions in the Province of Quebec where balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) is an important tree component have been subjected to severe defoliation by the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), during the past 20 years. These outbreaks have followed an easterly direction beginning near the Ontario-Quebec border in 1939 and ending in the Gaspé Peninsula in 1958.

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