Bedrock type significantly affects individual tree mortality for various conifers in the inland Northwest, U.S.A.

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A Moore ◽  
David A Hamilton Jr. ◽  
Yu Xiao ◽  
John Byrne

Individual tree mortality models for western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.), western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex. D. Don), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) were developed using data from permanent research plots located throughout the inland Northwest. The proposed linear logistic models included the following independent variables: diameter at breast height, basal area in larger trees, basal area per hectare, individual tree diameter increment, and a set of dummy variables for the six bedrock types, which were granite, basalt, metasedimentary, sedimentary, mixed – glacial till, and deep deposit. The results show that rock type significantly affects individual tree mortality for western white pine, Douglas-fir, and western redcedar, while grand fir, western hemlock, and western larch were not affected. Western white pine and Douglas-fir growing on meta sedimentary rocks exhibited greater mortality probabilities than on other rocks. Mortality probabilities for western hemlock were low across all rock types, including "nutrient-poor" rocks like metasedimentary types.

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1119-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather E. Erickson ◽  
Constance A. Harrington ◽  
David D. Marshall

Planting with mixtures of tree species rather than single species is often considered during reforestation because of the potential increased productivity and other benefits. We examined tree growth at the stand and individual tree scales in two experiments contrasting monocultures with a 1:1 mixture of tree species: (1) Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) with a conifer of similar shade tolerance (western white pine ( Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don)) and (2) Douglas-fir with a more shade-tolerant conifer (western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.)). There was no effect of mixture on growth or yield in the Douglas-fir – western white pine combination. In the Douglas-fir – western hemlock combination, yields in the mixture equaled those in Douglas-fir stands because of the enhanced performance of Douglas-fir in the mixture. For Douglas-fir, the height/diameter (h/d) ratio was significantly less in mixture, suggesting reduced competition for light when grown with western hemlock. In contrast, the h/d ratio for western hemlock was significantly greater in mixture, suggesting increased competition for light when grown with Douglas-fir. Neighborhood analyses showed that tree growth was directly related to initial size and inversely related to relative neighbor size and that the h/d ratio was positively related to relative neighbor size. In general, the size of a neighboring tree influenced growth more than species identity. Relationships between h/d ratios and growth rates suggest that growth differences between Douglas-fir and western hemlock in mixture will eventually increase.


1947 ◽  
Vol 79 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 150-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
George R. Hopping

In 1935, De Leon published a comprehensive paper on Medetera aldrichii as a predator ol Dendroctonus monticolae Hopk., in western white pine and lodgepole pine in Washington. The following data may prove of value because a different species of bark-beetle is involved and additional information is given. The observations were made in 1941 and 1942 at the Trinity Valley Forest Insect Field Station, 22 miles from Vernon. This locality is 2,100 feet above sea level in a mixed timber stand of western larch, Douglas fir, western red cedar, Engelmann spruce, western hemlock, and western white pine. D. pseudotsugae breeds in Douglas fir, and occasionally in western larch.


2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (03) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Vyse ◽  
Michelle R. Cleary ◽  
Ian R. Cameron

We provide results from two trials comparing performance of species of known provenance planted on logged sites in the southern Interior Cedar Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone of southern British Columbia 20 and 26 years after establishment. The commonly used plantation species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), interior spruce (a naturally occurring hybrid between Picea glauca and P. engelmannii) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), survived as well as, but grew more slowly than, western larch (Larix occidentalis), western white pine (Pinus monticola) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and faster than western redcedar (Thuja plicata). Site index values were generally higher than published values for similar sites. Numerous pests affected all species in the trials. Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) caused heavy mortality in lodgepole pine in part of one trial, and Armillaria root disease caused widespread damage to western larch and Douglas-fir in the other trial. Western white pine from local seed sources were severely damaged by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) in both trials but a rust-resistant seed source used in one trial survived better. Frost damage reduced survival and growth of Douglas-fir in one trial and may have affected western white pine. Survival of two planted broadleaves (Betula papyrifera) and a hybrid of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and black poplar (Populus nigra) was severely reduced by drought. The results support ongoing efforts to broaden the number of species used in British Columbia reforestation programs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Steinbauer ◽  
Allan L. Carroll

AbstractKnowledge of the factors affecting host selection by herbivorous insects is essential to predictions of their distribution and abundance over landscapes. In the laboratory, we studied the oviposition preferences of two eruptive loopers (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) native to western Canada (western hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa (Hulst), and phantom hemlock looper, Nepytia phantasmaria (Strecker)) for different species and condition of hosts. When offered a choice, phantom hemlock loopers laid nearly three times as many eggs on western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. (Pinaceae) as on either western redcedar, Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don (Cupressaceae) or western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don (Pinaceae). Western hemlock loopers were less specific, laying equal numbers of eggs on western hemlock and western redcedar, though fewer eggs were deposited on western white pine when compared with western hemlock. When offered western hemlock trees grown under different nutrient and shading regimes, phantom hemlock loopers preferred to oviposit on high nutrient hosts, irrespective of shading; western hemlock loopers exhibited a preference for high-nutrient hosts only if they were grown without shading. These patterns of host preference can be combined with information regarding forest composition to help quantify the conditional probability of western and phantom hemlock looper distibution and abundance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 1858-1863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel G Foote ◽  
Christopher J Fettig ◽  
Darrell W Ross ◽  
Justin B Runyon ◽  
Tom W Coleman ◽  
...  

Abstract Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, trees and stands can be protected from Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (DFB)-caused mortality by application of synthetic formulations of the beetle’s antiaggregation pheromone, 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH). A biodegradable formulation of MCH, SPLAT MCH, was developed and evaluated for protecting individual Douglas-fir trees and small stands from colonization and mortality by DFB. In an individual-tree experiment in Idaho, both MCH bubble capsules and SPLAT MCH significantly reduced the proportion of treated trees colonized and killed by DFB compared to untreated controls. SPLAT MCH was as effective as MCH bubble capsules for protecting individual trees. Both MCH bubble capsules and SPLAT MCH significantly reduced the proportion of trees colonized and killed by DFB within 0.04-ha circular plots surrounding each treated tree compared to untreated controls. In 0.41 ha stands in New Mexico, both MCH bubble capsules and SPLAT MCH significantly reduced the proportion of trees colonized and killed by DFB compared to untreated controls, again with no differences observed between MCH treatments. In a similar stand level trial in Idaho, neither MCH treatment significantly reduced the proportion of trees colonized by DFB, and only MCH bubble capsules significantly reduced levels of tree mortality compared to untreated controls, but no significant difference was observed between SPLAT MCH and MCH bubble capsules. Overall, the results indicate that SPLAT MCH is as effective as MCH bubble capsules for protecting individual trees and small stands of Douglas-fir from DFB-caused mortality.


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1484-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
M M Amoroso ◽  
E C Turnblom

We studied pure and 50/50 mixtures of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) plantations to compare attained total yields between mixed-species stands as opposed to monocultures of equal densities. Whether overall stand density influences this outcome has not been adequately investigated, and to address this we included three density levels (494, 1111, and 1729 trees/ha) in the analysis. At age 12, as components of the mixed stands, Douglas-fir exhibited greater height, diameter, and individual-tree volume than western hemlock at all densities. At 494 and 1111 trees/ha the monocultures had a higher volume per hectare than the mixed stand, but at 1729 trees/ha the mixed stand appeared to be just as productive as the pure stands. The increase in productivity by the mixture at high densities seems to have resulted from the partial stratification observed and most likely also from better use of the site resources. Because of this, less interspecific competition was probably experienced in the mixed stand than intraspecific competition in the pure stands. This study shows the important role density plays in the productivity of mixed stands and thus in comparing mixed and pure stands.


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
P Kroeger

We examined epigeous ectomycorrhizal mushroom richness and productivity after partial cutting in a western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) - western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don in Lamb.) forest of northwestern British Columbia. Mushrooms were collected throughout the fruiting season (July to October) for 3 years, starting 5 years after partial cutting, from plots with mesic soil conditions and residual basal areas ranging from 23 to 69 m2/ha for western hemlock and 0 to 26 m2/ha for western redcedar. Partial cutting had no apparent effect on mushroom phenology over the 3 years. Significant block interactions demonstrated that reductions in basal area of western hemlock could lead to positive, neutral, and negative responses in mushroom richness, biomass, and number of fruiting bodies. These responses were related to stand structure and the potential differences in tree vigour after partial cutting. In addition, there was weak evidence that western redcedar, a host for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza, had a negative effect on average taxon richness. The study demonstrated that partial-cutting systems could allow some timber removal without necessarily reducing ectomycorrhizal mushroom communities.


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 2439-2453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy B Harrington

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) seedlings were planted in March 2001 within three clearcut-harvested, shelterwood, or thinned stands of mature Douglas-fir near Olympia, Washington. From 2002 to 2005, areas of vegetation control of 0, 4.5, or 9 m2 were maintained with herbicides around a total 162 seedlings per species. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was 34%, 62%, and 100% of full sunlight in thinned stands, shelterwoods, and clearcuts, respectively. Effects of overstory level and vegetation control on seedling growth and resource availability generally were additive. Seedling stem volume index in clearcuts averaged four to eight times that observed in thinned stands, and with vegetation control, it averaged two to four times that observed without it. In thinned stands, relative growth rate of seedling stem volume index had a positive linear relationship with PAR (R2 = 0.38). Foliar nitrogen content of Douglas-fir explained 71% of the variation in relative growth rate. Factors explaining the most variation in foliar nitrogen content differed between thinned stands (PAR, R2 = 0.34) and clearcuts or shelterwoods (midday water potential, R2 = 0.63), suggesting that light and root competition, respectively, were the primary growth-limiting factors for these overstory levels.


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