Effects of thinning and nitrogen fertilization on xylem development in Douglas-fir

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Brix ◽  
A. K. Mitchell

The rates and duration of tracheid production of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were studied by periodic marking of the cambium during two growing seasons. Trees were growing in plots that had been subjected to four treatments, 3 and 4 years previously when trees were 24 years old: (1) control; (2) thinned to one-third the original basal area; (3) fertilized at a rate of 448 kg N/ha; or (4) given the combined thinning and fertilization treatment. From prepared microscope slides of wood sections containing the markings and the previous year's growth, the diameter and wall thickness of tracheids and width of earlywood and latewood were measured for the years since treatment. Rates, but not duration, of tracheid production were highly affected by treatments with maximum radial file productions of 0.80, 1.27, 1.53, and 2.00 cells/day, for the above treatments, respectively. Seasonal changes were related to air temperature until mid-July; some effect of soil water stress was apparent in July–August, and growth cessation was attributed to a short photoperiod. Radial stem growth was more than doubled by the single treatments and this was primarily caused by an increase in cell number, the effects on cell diameter being small. Treatments, except thinning, tended to decrease the percentage of latewood, and thinning increased tracheid wall thickness of earlywood.

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Harrington ◽  
John C. Tappeiner II

Saplings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) were grown with and without competition from tanoak (Lithocarpusdensiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Rehd.) at two forest sites in southwestern Oregon. Competition reduced the following morphological parameters on Douglas-fir shoots: number and size of buds; lengths of shoots, internodes, and needles; number of internodes; and biomass of foliage and wood. Differences in the length and biomass of Douglas-fir shoots were attributed to combined reductions in internode number and internode length (distance between needles), with internode number accounting for most (72–87%) of the variation. The effects of competition from previous years on Douglas-fir growth, as manifested in 1986 bud size or stem circumference, explained 65 and 92% of the variation in 1987 growth of shoots and stem basal area, respectively. The current-year (1987) effects of competition explained an additional 6 and 3%. During the 1986 and 1987 growing seasons, competition limited both the rates and duration of growth of Douglas-fir basal area; for height, only the rates of growth were reduced.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Wang ◽  
Serge Payette ◽  
Yves Bégin

Tracheid cell number, cell diameter, and cell-wall thickness of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) tree rings at the tree line (northern Quebec, Canada) were measured using image analysis. The densitometric data from the same samples were used to evaluate the features of image analysis. The anatomical data were correlated with summer temperature variables, including: means of pentad temperature (five consecutive days), growing season (May- September), sum of degree-days, and number of frost-free days. Our results suggest that the main cause of the pale appearance of light rings is thinner latewood cell-wall thickness. Some latewood variables are strongly correlated with corresponding indices for ring cell number and diameter, and ring cell wall thickness. Anatomical ring cell number and the sum of cell diameters (ring widths) were correlated to tree-ring width parameters derived from densitometry. Ring cell number and annual sum of cell diameter also showed very similar trends with both chronologies, suggesting that ring-width length may depend on the number of cells within a ring. Ratio diagram of double cell-wall thickness to cell radial diameter showed similar trend to wood density profile. There is a statistically significant correlation between maximum density and the highest annual ratio between cell wall thickness and lumen diameter. Cell-wall thickness was significantly correlated to maximum density, and both were significantly correlated with summer temperature variables. Our results suggest that wood anatomy may be used as a substitute to densitometry for climate reconstruction as densitometric data require expensive equipments. Also the anatomical method allows the recording of intra-annual information for dendroecological purposes.


1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.S. Shumway ◽  
H.N. Chappell

The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) has been used successfully in agricultural crops and holds promise for use in forest stands. This study used soil tests to develop DRIS norms and evaluate their effectiveness in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests. DRIS norms for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium were developed using soil test and site index data from 72 soil series that commonly support Douglas-fir in western Washington. The norms were tested using soil test and stand basal area growth response data from 20 thinned and 30 unthinned N fertilizer test sites in coastal Washington and Oregon. Response to urea fertilizer in thinned stands averaged 34% and 43% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively, when N was identified as the most limiting nutrient. When N was not the most limiting nutrient, N response averaged 8% and 10% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively. Results were similar in unthinned stands and thinned stands, although response to fertilizer appeared to be slightly less in unthinned stands when N was the most limiting nutrient. DRIS correctly classified 25 of the 33 sites (76%) where N fertilizer increased growth by more than 15%. More importantly, 13 of the 17 (76%) sites that responded by less than 15% were correctly identified by DRIS. The results clearly indicate that N fertilizer response is dependent on the interactions (balance) between soil nutrients at a given site. Future soil diagnostic work needs to focus on techniques, like DRIS, that provide an assessment of these interactions.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 843
Author(s):  
Ella R. Gray ◽  
Matthew B. Russell ◽  
Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione

Insects, fungi, and diseases play an important role in forest stand development and subsequently, forest management decisions and treatments. As these disturbance agents commonly occur within and across landscapes, modeling has often been used to inform forest planning and management decisions. However, models are rarely benchmarked, leaving questions about their utility. Here, we assessed the predictive performance of a Bayesian hierarchical model through on–the-ground sampling to explore what features of stand structure or composition may be important factors related to eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum Peck) presence in lowland black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B. S. P.). Twenty-five state-owned stands included in the predictive model were sampled during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. Within each stand, data related to the presence of eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe, stand structure, and species composition were collected. The model accurately predicted eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe occurrence for 13 of the 25 stands. The amount of living and dead black spruce basal area differed significantly based on model prediction and observed infestation, but trees per hectare, total living basal area, diameter at breast height, stand age, and species richness were not significantly different. Our results highlight the benefits of model benchmarking to improve model interpretation as well as to inform our understanding of forest health problems across diverse stand conditions.


1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 1424-1435 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mailly ◽  
J. P. Kimmins

Silvicultural alternatives that differ in the degree of overstory removal may create shady environments that will be problematic for the regeneration of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Gradients of light in the field were used to compare mortality, growth, and leaf morphological acclimation of two conifer species of contrasting shade tolerances: Douglas-fir and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.). Results after two growing seasons indicated that Douglas-fir mortality occurred mainly at relative light intensity (RLI) below 20%, while western hemlock mortality was evenly distributed along the light gradient. Height, diameter, and biomass of the planted seedlings increased with increasing light for both species but at different rates, and maximum biomass accumulation always occurred in the open. Douglas-fir allocated more resources to stem biomass than western hemlock, which accumulated more foliage biomass. Increases in specific leaf area for Douglas-fir seedlings occurred at RLI ≤ 0.4 and red/far red (R/FR) ratio ≤ 0.6, which appear to be the minimal optimum light levels for growth. Conversely, western hemlock seedlings adjusted their leaf morphology in a more regular pattern, and changes were less pronounced at low light levels. These results, along with early mortality results for Douglas-fir, suggest that the most successful way to artificially regenerate this species may be by allowing at least 20% of RLI for ensuring survival and at least 40% RLI for optimum growth. Key words: light, light quality, leaf morphology, acclimation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1905-1914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina P Panyushkina ◽  
Malcolm K Hughes ◽  
Eugene A Vaganov ◽  
Martin AR Munro

We reconstructed air temperature for two periods in the growth season from cell dimension and cell number variability in cross-dated tree rings of Larix cajanderi Mayr. from northeastern Siberia. Thirteen tree-ring chronologies based on cell size, cell wall thickness, and cell number were developed for AD 1642–1993. No clear evidence was found of an age-related trend in cell dimensions in the sampled materials, but cell numbers were correlated with cambial age. The chronologies contain strong temperature signals associated with the timing of xylem growth. We obtained reliable reconstructions of mean June temperature from the total cell number and July–September temperature from the cell wall thickness of latewood. June temperature and July–September temperature covaried for most of the period from AD 1642 to AD 1978. After that time, June temperature became cooler relative to July–September temperature. This difference caused disproportional changes in earlywood tracheids because of the late start of growth and cool conditions in June followed by warming during the rest of the season. The identification of this unusual recent change has shown that intraseasonal resolution may be achieved by cell dimension and cell number chronologies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 1341-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Laye ◽  
John P. Thyfault ◽  
Craig S. Stump ◽  
Frank W. Booth

Previously, inducing inactivity for 53 h after 21 days of voluntary running resulted in a 25 and 48% increase in epididymal and omental fat pad weights, respectively, while rats continued to eat more than a group that never had access to a running wheel ( J Physiol 565: 911–925, 2005). We wanted to test the hypothesis that inactivity, independent of excessive caloric intake, could induce an increase in fat pad mass. Twenty-one-day-old rats were given access to voluntary running wheels for 42–43 days so that they were running ∼9 km/day in the last week of running, after which wheels were locked for 5, 53, or 173 h (WL5, WL53, WL173) before the rats were killed. During the 53 and 173 h of inactivity, one group of animals was pair fed (PF) to match sedentary controls, whereas the other continued to eat ad libitum (AL). Epididymal and retroperitoneal fat masses were significantly increased in the WL173-PF vs. the WL5 group, whereas epididymal, perirenal, and retroperitoneal fat masses were all significantly increased in the WL173-AL group compared with the WL5 group. Additionally, hyperplasia, and not hypertrophy, of the epididymal fat mass was responsible for the increase at WL173-AL as demonstrated by a significant increase in cell number vs. WL5, with no change in cell diameter or volume. Thus two important findings have been elucidated: 1) increases in measured abdominal fat masses occur in both AL and PF groups at WL173, and 2) adipocyte expansion via hyperplasia occurred with an ad libitum diet following cessation of voluntary running.


2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry D. Shiver ◽  
John W. Rheney ◽  
Kenneth L. Hitch

Abstract A total of 141 paired plot installations remain of the 160 that were planted with slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and loblolly (P. taedaL.) pine across southeastern Georgia and northern Florida, after 14 growing seasons. Installations were evenly distributed across eight soil types. Analyses indicate that loblolly performed equal to or better than slash pine. There were no soil X species interactions. After 14 yr, loblolly pine had significantly higher survival (71% vs. 66%), stand basal area (98 vs. 81 ft2/ac), total stand volume (1857 vs. 1721 ft3/ac), merchantable stand volume (1497 vs. 1310 ft3/ac), total green weight (53 tons vs. 47 tons), and merchantable green weight (45 vs. 35 tons/ac) than slash pine. Growth over the period from age 11 to age 14 was also higher for loblolly than for slash indicating that the difference in the two species is diverging over time. South. J. Appl. For. 24(1): 31-36.


1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. N. Green ◽  
R. E. Carter

Abstract This study examines the role of boron and magnesium nutrition in the occurrence of severe growth distortion symptoms in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in the Skwawka River valley of south coastal British Columbia. Four fertilizer treatments including boron (2.25 kg B/ha), magnesium (42 kg Mg/ha), boron plus magnesium, and a control, were applied in conjunction with planting on a site believed to be deficient in these nutrients. After 5 growing seasons, only treatments containing boron (B and B+Mg) showed improved height growth over the control trees. The incidence of leader dieback, swollen leading shoots, and foliage distortion was significantly related to treatment with virtually no occurrence in plots treated with boron. Seedling uptake of applied boron was high, with foliar concentrations of 45 ppm found after the second growing season. Foliar B levels declined to 13-15 ppm after 5 growing seasons. No significant increase in foliar magnesium levels was detected for either of the magnesium treatments. The reduction in the incidence of leader dieback and shoot and foliar symptoms in seedlings treated with B indicate that these symptoms were the result of boron deficiencies. This is the first study to verify boron deficiency in coastal Douglas-fir through fertilizer trials. West. J. Appl. For. 8(2):48-53.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482
Author(s):  
Woongsoon Jang ◽  
Bianca N.I. Eskelson ◽  
Louise de Montigny ◽  
Catherine A. Bealle Statland ◽  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
...  

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.


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