Tree recruitment from burn edges

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1264-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
D F Greene ◽  
E A Johnson

We developed and tested a wind-dispersal model of tree recruitment into burns from living sources at the fire edge or from small unburned residual stands. The model was also tested on recruitment of serotinous Pinus banksiana Lamb. within a burn. The model assumed that source strength is proportional to basal area density and that an individual (point source) recruitment curve can be expressed as a lognormal distribution. The model made significant predictions of the recruitment curves of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) to distances as great as 2.0 km, although it tended to underpredict Abies and overpredict Picea. The model gave significant prediction of recruitment for jack pine (Pinus banksiana) within burns with seeds derived from aerial seed banks, and of white spruce and tamarck (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) up to 100 m from residual stands. By forestry standards, burns are poorly stocked by those species that must obligately recruit from edges. In large fires, adequate stocking by a species such as white spruce that had 5 m2/ha of basal area would be limited to about 70 m from the edge. Small residual stands are expected to supply about half of all the recruits of white spruce or fir at distances exceeding about 800 m from a nominal burn edge.

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 1129-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.L Strong ◽  
L.V. Hills

White spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) seed-cones from 676 sites in Canada and the northern United States were analyzed to determine the degree and spatial extent of interspecific hybridization. Fifteen cone-scale variables were analyzed, with percent free-scale and scale shape considered best for differentiating these taxa. The results show that putative Engelmann spruce and their hybrids occur mostly in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. Putative white spruce occurs across Canada east of the Rocky Mountains, whereas white × Engelmann hybrids occur eastward to Manitoba and northward to 68° latitude in northwest Canada. To explain the occurrence of the latter taxon hundreds of kilometres from an Engelmann spruce pollen source, it is hypothesized that palaeohybridization occurred during the Wisconsinan glacial period, probably in the southern Montana – Wyoming – Black Hills (South Dakota) region, with the resulting hybrids spreading north and northeastward into interior Canada following the retreat of the Laurentide glacier. White and Engelmann spruce have morphologically distinct cone-scales, whereas their hybrids have intermediate characteristics. An emended species ( Picea albertiana ) and two subspecies (P. albertiana subsp. albertiana and P. albertiana subsp. ogilviei) are proposed to account for morphological intermediates between the parent species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Myriam Delmaire ◽  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
Evelyne Thiffault ◽  
Julie Bouliane

Ecosystem-based management aims to maintain the natural proportion of native species over a given landscape. White spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) is a species sensitive to environmental conditions; it is especially demanding in terms of nutrients and its regeneration is negatively affected by clearcut harvesting. Its proportion is now significantly lower than what it was in the preindustrial forests of Québec (Canada). As a native species in boreal Québec, efforts to maintain its proportion in the landscape are undertaken for white spruce, but little is known about the best practices to maximize establishment success of seedlings planted in the balsam fir (Abies balsamea)–white birch (Betula papyrifera) bioclimatic domain. Our general objective was to identify planting practices as related to microsite treatment that favour white spruce sapling survival and size after 11 growing seasons following enrichment planting of sites harvested by mechanized careful logging in an ecosystem-based management context. We also aimed at comparing white spruce performance with that of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), a native species that is less sensitive to abiotic stress. Finally, we wanted to assess stand composition at this juvenile stage, as a function of microsite treatment and planted species. Localized site preparation did not significantly affect growth or survival for white spruce compared to control conditions. Furthermore, localized site preparation did not increase the proportion of white and black spruce, as evaluated by basal area. Our results suggest that white spruce can be successfully established in enrichment planting in fir-dominated boreal forests, without site preparation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F Greene ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
Hugo Asselin ◽  
Marie-Josée Fortin

Mean annual seed production is assumed to be proportional to basal area for canopy trees, but it is not known if subcanopy trees produce fewer seeds than expected (given their size) because of low light availability. Ovulate cone production was examined for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) in 1998 and for balsam fir in 2000 in western Quebec using subcanopy stems, near or far from forest edges, or (at one site) planted white spruce trees in fully open conditions. A very simple light model for transmission through mature trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) crowns and through boles near forest edges was developed to account for the effect of light receipt on cone production. The enhanced light near forest edges (e.g., recent clearcuts) leads to about a doubling of cone production for subcanopy stems. The minimum subcanopy height for cone production far from an edge is about 10 m for balsam fir and 14 m for white spruce, with these minima decreasing near edges. By contrast, the minimum height for white spruce in a plantation (full light) is about 3 m. Accounting for light receipt leads to an increase in the explained variance.Key words: balsam fir, cone production, light model, regressions, subcanopy stems, white spruce.


2000 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Raymond ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel ◽  
Marius Pineau

Stand regeneration failures, sometimes observed in rich second growth balsam fir stands, prompted a study in 1991 to assess the effects of the shelterwood cutting system on regeneration of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh). The factorial experiment design (split-plot) includes forest cover reduction (0% and 25% of basal area) in main plots and germination substrate (mineral soil, litter removed and control) in subplots. Results of five growing seasons showed that germination substrate was the main factor determining first-year seedling establishment, and that cover reduction became important for seedling survival and long-term establishment of the three species. A 25% canopy reduction combined with mineral seedbed treatment resulted in the best regeneration densities of the three species. Thus far, the results demonstrate the importance of combining humus disturbance to seed cutting in order to achieve regeneration goals set for the future stand. Key words: shelterwood cutting system, balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch, regeneration, seed cutting, germination substrate


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1116-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongzhou Man ◽  
Pengxin Lu ◽  
Qing-Lai Dang

Conifer winter damage results primarily from loss of cold hardiness during unseasonably warm days in late winter and early spring, and such damage may increase in frequency and severity under a warming climate. In this study, the dehardening dynamics of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) were examined in relation to thermal accumulation during artificial dehardening in winter (December) and spring (March) using relative electrolyte leakage and visual assessment of pine needles and spruce shoots. Results indicated that all four species dehardened at a similar rate and to a similar extent, despite considerably different thermal accumulation requirements. Spring dehardening was comparatively faster, with black spruce slightly hardier than the other conifers at the late stage of spring dehardening. The difference, however, was relatively small and did not afford black spruce significant protection during seedling freezing tests prior to budbreak in late March and early May. The dehardening curves and models developed in this study may serve as a tool to predict cold hardiness by temperature and to understand the potential risks of conifer cold injury during warming–freezing events prior to budbreak.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Klos ◽  
G. Geoff Wang ◽  
Qing-Lai Dang ◽  
Ed W. East

Abstract Kozak's variable exponent taper equation was fitted for balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Manitoba. Stem taper variability between two ecozones (i.e., Boreal Shield and Boreal Plains) were tested using the F-test. Regional differences were observed for trembling aspen, white spruce, and jack pine, and for those species, separate ecozone-specific taper equations were developed. However, the gross total volume estimates using the ecozone-specific equations were different from those of the provincial equations by only 2 percent. Although the regional difference in stem form was marginal within a province, a difference of approximately 7 percent of gross total volume estimation was found when our provincial taper equations were compared with those developed in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These results suggest that stem form variation increases with spatial scale and that a single taper equation for each species may be sufficient for each province.


2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1938-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel Waters ◽  
Steven W Kembel ◽  
Jean-François Gingras ◽  
Jennifer M Shay

This study compares the effects of full-tree versus cut-to-length forest harvesting methods on tree regeneration in jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), mixedwood (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Populus tremuloides Michx. – Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) sites in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. We surveyed tree regeneration densities, disturbance characteristics, and understorey vegetation in replicated control and harvested plots in each site type preharvest (1993) and 1 and 3 years postharvest (1994, 1996). In jack pine sites, the full-tree harvest method promoted regeneration of Pinus banksiana through increased disturbance of soil and the moss layer, and decreased slash deposition relative to the cut-to-length method. Conversely, in mixedwood sites the cut-to-length method resulted in less damage to advance regeneration and proved better at promoting postharvest regeneration of Abies balsamea and Picea glauca relative to the full-tree method. In black spruce sites, there were few differences in the impact of the two harvesting methods on regeneration of Picea mariana, which increased in frequency and density after both types of harvesting.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1516-1524
Author(s):  
Denis Belley ◽  
Isabelle Duchesne ◽  
Steve Vallerand ◽  
Julie Barrette ◽  
Michel Beaudoin

The increased pressure on timber supply due to a reduced forest land base urges the development of new approaches to fully capture the value of forest products. This paper investigates the effects of knowing the position of knots on lumber volume, value, and grade recoveries in curve sawing of 31 white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and 22 jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees. Internal knot position was evidenced by X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging, followed by the application of a knot-detection algorithm allowing log reconstruction for use as input in the Optitek sawing simulation software. Comparisons of the three levels of sawing optimization (sweep up, shape optimized, and knot optimized) revealed that considering internal knots before log sawing (e.g., knot optimized) generated 23% more lumber value for jack pine and 15% more for white spruce compared with the traditional sweep-up sawing strategy. In terms of lumber quality, the knot-optimized strategy produced 38% more pieces of grade No. 2 and better in jack pine and 15% more such pieces in white spruce compared with the sweep-up strategy. These results indicate a great potential to increase manufacturing efficiency and profitability by implementing the CT scanning technology, which should aid in developing a strong bioeconomy based on an optimized use of wood.


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