Relationship between canopy disturbance history and current sapling density of Fagus grandifolia and Acer saccharum in a northern hardwood landscape

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Nolet ◽  
Daniel Bouffard ◽  
Frédérik Doyon ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Canopy Disturbance ◽  
History Of ◽  
Overstory Trees

To shed light on the currently increasing proportion of Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. saplings in the tolerant hardwood forests of Quebec, we studied 48 Acer saccharum Marsh. dominated stands with contrasting histories of canopy disturbance: old commercial clear-cutting (CC), old fire (F), and either one or two partial cuts (1PC and 2PC). Our results indicated that higher densities of both F. grandifolia and A. saccharum saplings were associated with partial cutting histories (1PC and 2PC) than with severe canopy disturbance (CC and F). The density of F. grandifolia saplings was not related to any soil or stand characteristics in stands with a history of severe canopy disturbance. However, in stands with a history of partial canopy disturbances, the relative density of F. grandifolia saplings as compared with A. saccharum was related to soil C/N ratio and the presence of F. grandifolia overstory trees, whereas the absolute density showed a negative relationship with stand basal area. Therefore, it appears that partial canopy disturbances favored the regeneration of F. grandifolia relative to A. saccharum, whereas severe canopy disturbances may have provided an advantage to A. saccharum. We suggest that the presence of a light threshold can explain this shift in sapling performance between these two species.

American beech and sugar maple sapling relative abundance and growth are not modified by light availability following partial and total canopy disturbances

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 632-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Bannon ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange ◽  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Christian Messier
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Canopy Opening ◽  
Unmanaged Forest

Studies have reported divergent results on the effect of soil fertility and canopy opening on understory density and growth of sugar maple (AS; Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech (FG; Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a gradient of canopy opening and soil fertility on the density and growth of AS and FG saplings in southwestern Quebec, Canada. We investigated 56 stands containing both AS and FG that were subjected to different disturbance history types (DHTs) (UF, unmanaged forest; PC, partial cut; and CC, clearcut) on various soil types. AS and FG absolute and relative sapling density varied greatly among the 56 stands; however, no significant effects of DHT, soil nutrient availability, or their interaction were found. Both species responded positively in terms of radial growth to canopy openings, with FG growth being slightly better than AS growth in PC stands compared with other canopy treatments. Contrary to our hypothesis, AS did not show significantly higher growth than FG following clear-cutting. These results do not support the idea that AS abundance and growth could be promoted by increasing the intensity of the canopy opening during harvest, at least on the generally acidic and base-poor soils that were investigated.

Present-day expansion of American beech in northeastern hardwood forests: Does soil base status matter?

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2273-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Duchesne ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Soil Base ◽  
Large Area ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots

Recently, sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) decline in northeastern North America has been regarded as a major factor structuring hardwood forests by favouring American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in the understory of maple-dominated stands. To determine whether soil fertility differences associated with sugar maple decline may have promoted the expansion of American beech, we explored the relationships between the soil base status and the sapling and tree strata density and composition, using data from 426 permanent sample plots distributed throughout Quebec. Our results indicate that American beech is currently expanding in the sugar maple range of Quebec. The abundance and proportion of American beech in the sapling stratum are mainly associated with the proportion of American beech in the tree stratum, the relative basal area of dead sugar maple trees, and the base status of soils. In accordance with the many studies reporting on the high sensitivity of sugar maple to the acid–base status of soils and the decline of the sugar maple population, this study supports the hypothesis that soil base cation depletion, caused in part by atmospheric acid deposition, is among the main factors involved in the present-day expansion of American beech over a large area in Quebec.

Long-term impact of liming on growth and vigor of northern hardwoods

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley ◽  
Thomas J. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Crown Health ◽  
Lime Application ◽  
Species Specific

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is a keystone species in the northern hardwood forest, and decline episodes have negatively affected the growth and health of sugar maple in portions of its range over the past 50+ years. Crown health, growth, survival, and flower and seed production of sugar maple were negatively affected by a widespread decline event in the mid-1980s on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania. A long-term liming study was initiated in 1985 to evaluate responses to a one-time application of 22.4 Mg·ha–1 of dolomitic limestone in four northern hardwood stands. Over the 23-year period ending in 2008, sugar maple basal area increment (BAINC) increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in limed plots from 1995 through 2008, whereas American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected. For black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), the third principal overstory species, BAINC and survival were reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. Foliar Ca and Mg remained significantly higher in sugar maple foliage sampled 21 years after lime application, showing persistence of the lime effect. These results show long-term species-specific responses to lime application.

Winter foraging by individual porcupines

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2425-2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uldis Roze
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Foraging Area ◽  
Winter Foraging ◽  
Study Population

Winter feeding of individual porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum L.) was studied in the northern Catskill Mountains of New York by following individual feeding trails in the snow. The study population as a whole fed primarily on beech (Fagus grandifolia) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and less frequently on eight other tree species. Individual porcupines limited their feeding to one or two species. An individual's primary food choice corresponded to the numerically most abundant tree species in its foraging area; its secondary food choice could not be related to relative density nor to relative basal area.

The effects of partial cutting on forest plant communities of western hemlock – Sitka spruce stands in southeast Alaska

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2067-2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L Deal
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Plant Community Structure ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Clear Cutting

The effects of partial cutting on plant species richness, community structure, and several understory species that are important for deer forage were evaluated on 73 plots in 18 stands throughout southeast Alaska. These partially cut stands were harvested 12–96 years ago when 16–96% of the former stand basal area was removed. The species richness and community structure of understory plants were similar in uncut and partially cut plots. However, plots where more than 50% of the basal area was cut had a significantly different plant community structure. Species composition and abundance also appeared to be distinctly different between hemlock-dominated and spruce-dominated stands. Partial cutting did not significantly change abundance for most of the important forage species for deer. The similarity in plant community structure between partially cut and uncut old-growth stands may be related to forest stand structures. The heterogeneous stand structures that develop after partial cutting are more similar to old-growth stands than to the uniform young-growth stands that develop after stand replacing disturbances such as clear-cutting.

Holocene history of forest trees in southern Ontario

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1792-1801 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
History Of ◽  
Available Information

Three new Holocene pollen percentage and accumulation rate diagrams for southern Ontario are presented. They greatly increase the available information on the history of the area's forest trees and permit a discussion of the competitive interactions that have brought about the forest pattern seen today. In the earliest Holocene, the forests were dominated by Picea, which was replaced by first Pinus banksiana–resinosa and then Pinus strobus. In extreme southern Ontario, Pinus strobus was replaced by Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia, but in the area east of Georgian Bay, Tsuga canadensis became the dominant, and near Mattawa, Betula (probably lutea). Late Holocene stability of forests is considered to be a function of the lack of taxa better able to compete than those already present.

Thirty-year effects of liming on soil and foliage chemistry and growth of northern hardwoods in Pennsylvania, USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Scott W. Bailey ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley ◽  
Thomas J. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Black Cherry ◽  
Lime Treatment ◽  
Sustained Effect ◽  
Foliage Chemistry ◽  
Allegheny Plateau

The longevity of a single 22.4 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> application of dolomitic limestone at four northern hardwood stands was evaluated over thirty years (1986-2016) to determine whether changes in soils, foliage, and tree growth were sustained on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania, USA. In limed plots, soils, sampled to 45-55 cm depth, and sugar maple (<i>Acer saccharum</i> Marsh.) and black cherry (<i>Prunus serotina</i> Ehrh.) foliage had significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) greater concentrations of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) through 2016 compared with samples from unlimed plots. Calcium and Mg capitals (g m<sup>-2</sup>) in the Oi through A horizon combined were greater on limed plots than unlimed plots, largely due to increases in the thickness and nutrient concentration in the A horizon. Over 30-years, sugar maple basal area increment (cm<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup> BAINC) ) was greater in limed plots, American beech (<i>Fagus grandifolia</i> Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected, and black cherry BAINC was reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. The sustained effect of this one-time lime treatment shows the strong role of efficient nutrient cycling in forests and suggests that the benefits over a substantial portion of a stand rotation may increase the feasibility of operational liming.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis on the impacts of partial cutting on forest structure and carbon storage

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 787-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Zhou ◽  
S. Q. Zhao ◽  
S. Liu ◽  
J. Oeding
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage

Abstract. Partial cutting, which removes some individual trees from a forest, is one of the major and widespread forest management practices that can significantly alter both forest structure and carbon (C) storage. Using 746 observations from 82 publications, we synthesized the impacts of partial cutting on three variables associated with forest structure (i.e. mean annual growth of diameter at breast height (DBH), basal area (BA), and volume) and four variables related to various C stock components (i.e. aboveground biomass C (AGBC), understory C, forest floor C, and mineral soil C). Results shows that the growth of DBH elevated by 112% after partial cutting, compared to the uncut control, while stand BA and volume reduced immediately by 34% and 29%, respectively. On average, partial cutting reduced AGBC by 43%, increased understory C storage by 392%, but did not show significant effects on C storages on forest floor and in mineral soil. All the effects on DBH growth, stand BA, volume, and AGBC intensified linearly with cutting intensity (CI) and decreased linearly with the number of recovery years (RY). In addition to the strong impacts of CI and RY, other factors such as climate zone and forest type also affected forest responses to partial cutting. The data assembled in this synthesis were not sufficient to determine how long it would take for a complete recovery after cutting because long-term experiments were rare. Future efforts should be tailored to increase the duration of the experiments and balance geographic locations of field studies.

scholarly journals Modeling tolerant hardwood sapling density and occurrence probability in the Acadian forests of New Brunswick, Canada: Results 14 years after harvesting

2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (02) ◽  
pp. 204-218
Author(s):  
Mohammed Henneb ◽  
Gaetan Pelletier ◽  
Mathieu Fortin ◽  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
Marie-Andrée Giroux
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Hardwood Species ◽  
Sapling Density

Natural forest regeneration after natural or anthropogenic disturbance is difficult to predict given its high variability. The process is poorly documented for commercial northern hardwood species in the Acadian forest of eastern Canada. Our objective was to identify the silvicultural, environmental, and ecological factors that best explain the variability in sapling density and occurrence of two commercial tolerant hardwood species in New Brunswick: American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). Forty-three permanent sample plots were established in 2002 and measured before harvesting in 2004. Sapling density and occurrence were measured 14 years after harvesting. The results showed that the interactions between the species and the residual merchantable basal area and between the species and the percent of hardwoods in the original stand best explained the sapling density and occurrence variation of tolerant hardwoods. The sapling density of sugar maple increased with increasing merchantable residual basal area. However, the effect of this variable was not significant for the density of American beech saplings. The density and occurrence of tolerant hardwood saplings both increased along with the percent of hardwoods in the original stand. These results provide an improved understanding about tolerant hardwood regeneration dynamics in New Brunswick forests.

scholarly journals Natural Regeneration Following Partial and Clear-Cut Harvesting in Mature Aspen-Jack Pine Stands in Eastern Canada

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 741
Author(s):  
Kobra Maleki ◽  
Freddy Nguema Allogo ◽  
Benoit Lafleur
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Mixed Litter ◽  
Conifer Regeneration

Over the last three decades, the ecological basis for the generalized use of even-aged silviculture in boreal forests has been increasingly challenged. In boreal mixed-wood landscapes, the diminishing proportion of conifers, to the benefit of intolerant hardwoods, has been a primary concern, coupled with the general rarefication of old-growth conifer-dominated stands. In this context, partial cutting, extended rotations and forest renewal techniques that eliminate or reduce regenerating hardwoods have been proposed as means of regaining greater conifer cover. As a result, experimentation and industrial application of various forms of both variable retention and partial harvesting are occurring across the commercial Canadian boreal forest. In this study, we compared the effects of two harvesting intensities, clearcutting and low-intensity partial cutting (removal of 25–31% of tree basal area), on hardwood and conifer regeneration levels 7–19 years following treatments in aspen (Populus tremuloides)-dominated stands and verified whether regeneration differences existed between micro-sites on and off machinery trails. The abundance of aspen regeneration increased with percent basal area removal and was positively correlated to the abundance of mature aspen prior to harvesting. The abundance of fir (Abies balsamea) regeneration after partial cutting was similar to controls and higher than after clear-cutting and was positively correlated with ground cover of mixed litter (i.e., mixture of needles and leaves) and negatively correlated with ground cover of broadleaf litter. These results suggest that it is possible in boreal mixed-woods to control aspen abundance and promote or maintain conifer regeneration through silvicultural treatments that limit canopy opening and promote mixed forest floor litter.

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