Relationships between balsam fir mortality caused by the spruce budworm and stand, site, and soil variables in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann M. Lynch ◽  
John A. Witter
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
National Forests ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Soil Variables ◽  
Stand Type ◽  
Northern White Cedar

The association of various stand, site, and soil variables with impact of the spruce budworm, Choristoneurafumiferana (Clemens), on balsam fir, Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill., was examined in the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Geographic differences in impact were due, at least in part, to differences in the duration of the budworm outbreak. Impact was extremely variable between stands. Linear relations observed between impact variables and stand, site, and soil variables were weak. The quantity of balsam fir in the stand (basal area per hectare or proportion of stocking) was positively correlated with dead basal area per hectare but not with percent basal area mortality. Increased impact was associated with increased quantities of white pine (Pinusstrobus L.), northern white-cedar (Thujaoccidentalis L.), eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr.), sugar maple (Acersaccharum L.), and red maple (Acerrubrum L.) in one or both of the National Forests. Drainage and soil moisture appeared to play a role in determining the amount of spruce budworm impact in individual stands. Principal components extracted from the stand data accounted for variability between different stand types. However, the between-stand variability in impact did not coincide with the between-stand-type variability described by the components.

scholarly journals Forest Succession Following a Spruce Budworm Outbreak in Minnesota

1985 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold O. Batzer ◽  
Michael P. Popp
Keyword(s):  
Forest Succession ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Before And After

Plots in 24 spruce-fir stands in northeastern Minnesota studied throughout the period 1957 to 1962 at the time of a spruce budworm outbreak were remeasured in 1979. Composition of the overstory changed from an average of 79% of the basal area in host species before to 31% after the budworm outbreak. Twelve percent of the stands showed growth in nonhost species that more than offset the loss in balsam fir and white spruce. The understory was minimally stocked with balsam fir in two-thirds of the stands. Only 4% of the regeneration was spruce. Even so, some well-established white spruce seedlings were found in two-thirds of the stands. Red maple was the most abundant hardwood invader. Raspberry, hazel and mountain maple were the principal shrub species limiting balsam fir reproduction Shrubs were most abundant in stands where balsam fir mortality had exceeded 80%. Half of the stands had seedlings that originated both before and after the outbreak; 45% had seedlings that originated only after the outbreak; and 5% had seedlings that originated only before the outbreak. Stands having moderate mixture of nonhost species in the over-story prior to the budworm outbreak had the most balsam fir regeneration. This resulted from seed produced by surviving balsam fir trees after the outbreak. Key words: Choristoneura fumiferana, Abies balsamea, Balsam fir, spruce-fir shrubs

A comparison of vegetative cover and tree community structure in three forested Adirondack watersheds

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 881-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Cronan ◽  
Marc R. DesMeules
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
New York State ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Cover Type ◽  
Tree Community ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Annual Biomass

The Integrated Lake–Watershed Acidification Study (ILWAS) was conducted using three forested watersheds (Panther, Sagamore, and Woods) in the central Adirondack Park of New York State. By comparing the biogeochemical behavior of these watersheds, the ILWAS investigators hoped to elucidate the major ecosystem parameters controlling the fate of strong acids introduced from the atmosphere to lake–watershed systems. The ILWAS vegetation research program was designed to compare the quantitative patterns of forest structure in these midelevation watersheds. Results showed that the ILWAS catchments contain closely related variants of the northern hardwood – spruce – fir complex of the Adirondack region. The dominant tree species in these watersheds are beech (Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh.), red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.), sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), red maple (Acerrubrum L.), and yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britt.). On an areal basis, the watersheds contain 57–88% hardwood cover type and 5–29% spruce–fir cover type. Mean live basal area values range from 22 to 30 m2 ha−1 between catchments, while standing dead basal area values range from 4 to 8 m2 ha−1. Mean live stem densities range from 1400 to 1700 stems ha−1. Mean aboveground biomass projections for the tree stratum in the three watersheds range from 143 to 199 Mt ha−1, while estimated aboveground annual biomass increments range from 4.1 to 5.3% of standing biomass.

scholarly journals SPRUCE BUDWORM DAMAGE TO BALSAM FIR IN IMMATURE STANDS, QUEBEC

1964 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Hatcher
Keyword(s):  
Minor Component ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Cover Type ◽  
Area Reduction ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Very High ◽  
Diameter Classes

A study was made of the effect of the 1945-1957 spruce budworm infestation on 1,800 acres of spruce-fir and spruce-fir-hardwood forest logged for pulpwood about 15 years prior to the infestation.The number of fir trees was reduced 64 per cent between 1951 and 1961 in the main cover type representing 69 per cent of the forest; fir was reduced from a major stand component of 45 per cent by volume to a minor component of 11 per cent. The basal area reduction of fir varied directly with the fir basal area at the time of the outbreak. Losses were very high in stands containing over 20 sq. ft. of fir per acre.These young stands did not exhibit the degree of resistance to damage often observed in young stands elsewhere. But in spite of heavy losses through all diameter classes, the amount of spruce and fir regeneration that survived to 1961 is believed adequate to produce a pulpwood crop within 60 years.

Hydrology and microtopography effects on northern white-cedar regeneration in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney A. Chimner ◽  
James B. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Shallow Depth ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Soil Thickness ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
White Cedar ◽  
Northern White Cedar

Many harvested northern white-cedar (Thujaoccidentalis L.) sites have not regenerated to cedar but have become dominated by other species such as balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.) and tag alder (Alnusrugosa (Du Roi) Spreng.) A regenerating cedar fen near Escanaba, Mich., was used to study factors related to regeneration success and failure. Twelve plots (6.1 × 6.1 m) were established on the site to collect data on hydrology, microtopography, stand composition, and stem density. Abundance of cedar regeneration was positively correlated with percentage of hummocks. There were more cedar on microsites with drier conditions (numerous hummocks) while more shrubs and hardwoods were found on the wetter areas (fewer hummocks) of the fen. The shallow depth to groundwater and unsaturated soil thickness early in the growing season are suggested to be factors.

Beyond oak regeneration: modelling mesophytic sapling density drivers along topographic, edaphic, and stand-structural gradients in mature oak-dominated forests of Appalachian Ohio

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 1215-1227
Author(s):  
Don C. Radcliffe ◽  
Stephen N. Matthews ◽  
David M. Hix
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Sapling Density

Shade-tolerant mesophytic tree species tend to dominate the understories of present-day oak–hickory and mixed-hardwood forests in the eastern United States. We quantified the sapling density associations with abiotic and biotic variables for three important mesophytic species: red maple (Acer rubrum L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in southeastern Ohio. In this study, we sampled 165 permanent plots in oak-dominated, topographically diverse, mature (>90 years old), second-growth forests following a time span of 21–25 years (1993–1995 and 2016–2018) between samples on the Athens and Marietta units of the Wayne National Forest. Our models showed that sugar maple was strongly associated with high pH soils and red maple was strongly associated with low pH soils. Additionally, red maple was associated with upper slope positions and older stands, while American beech was associated with lower slopes, northeasterly aspects, and northeast-facing upper slopes. Basal area of competing species, solum depth, and management unit were not significantly related to sapling density for our focal species. American beech sapling density doubled between the two sampling periods, while densities of both maple species declined by half. Our results will help scientists and managers by providing insight into potential future composition of currently oak-dominated forests in areas without active management intervention.

One and two years impact of commercial thinning on spruce budworm feeding ecology and host tree foliage production and chemistry

1996 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éric Bauce
Keyword(s):  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Soluble Sugars ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
First Year ◽  
Commercial Thinning ◽  
Mill Stand ◽  
Second Year

Field rearing experiments of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), were conducted in conjunction with foliar chemical analyses, one and two years after a commercial thinning (removal of 25% stand basal area) in a 50-year-old balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., stand. The first year after thinning, spruce budworm larvae reared on the residual trees developed five days faster and removed 43% more foliage than those reared on control trees, but in the second year they developed two days faster and removed 37% more foliage. The increase in larval development rate was related to an increase in foliar soluble sugars while a reduction in foliar monoterpenes caused by the thinning apparently accounted for the greater amount of foliage ingested by the larvae. The first year after thinning, trees were more vulnerable to spruce budworm because there was no increase in foliage production and the trees were more heavily defoliated. However, in the second year trees were less vulnerable to the insect because there was an increase in foliage production that exceeded the increase in defoliation, hence a net gain in foliage. Results from this study showed that commercial thinning could reduce the vulnerability of balsam fir trees to spruce budworm if thinning is conducted two years prior to budworm outbreak, but the same silvicultural procedure could increase the vulnerability to the insect if it is conducted during an outbreak. Key words: spruce budworm, balsam fir, chemistry, thinning, defoliation

scholarly journals Influence of Soil Site Class on Growth and Decay of Northern White-Cedar and Two Associates in Maine

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip V. Hofmeyer ◽  
Robert S. Seymour ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic
Keyword(s):  
Light Exposure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
White Cedar ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Northern White Cedar ◽  
Mineral Soils

Abstract Basal area growth of outwardly sound northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) was compared with that of balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) across site and light exposure class gradients on 60 sites throughout northern Maine. Once adjusted for sapwood area, northern white-cedar basal area growth was not strongly affected by site or light exposure class; growth was similar to that of red spruce but generally lower than that of balsam fir. Site index did not differ appreciably among soil drainage classes for red spruce and northern white-cedar, although small sample size limited analysis on upland site classes. Incidence of central decay was higher in northern white-cedar than balsam fir, which was higher than red spruce. Incidence of decay in outwardly sound northern white-cedar and balsam fir was highest on well-drained mineral soils, and mean proportion of basal area decayed at breast height increased in outwardly sound northern white-cedar as drainage improved from poorly drained to well-drained soils. These data suggest that northern white-cedar on lowland organic and poorly drained mineral soils in Maine have less decay, similar basal area growth, and similar site index relative to upland northern white-cedar communities.

scholarly journals Spatial-Temporal Patterns of Spruce Budworm Defoliation within Plots in Québec

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingke Li ◽  
David MacLean ◽  
Chris Hennigar ◽  
Jae Ogilvie
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Cold Spot ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Tree Defoliation

We investigated the spatial-temporal patterns of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.); SBW) defoliation within 57 plots over 5 years during the current SBW outbreak in Québec. Although spatial-temporal variability of SBW defoliation has been studied at several scales, the spatial dependence between individual defoliated trees within a plot has not been quantified, and effects of defoliation level of neighboring trees have not been addressed. We used spatial autocorrelation analyses to determine patterns of defoliation of trees (clustered, dispersed, or random) for plots and for individual trees. From 28% to 47% of plots had significantly clustered defoliation during the 5 years. Plots with clustered defoliation generally had higher mean defoliation per plot and higher deviation of defoliation. At the individual-tree-level, we determined ‘hot spot trees’ (highly defoliated trees surrounded by other highly defoliated trees) and ‘cold spot trees’ (lightly defoliated trees surrounded by other lightly defoliated trees) within each plot using local Getis-Ord Gi* analysis. Results revealed that 11 to 27 plots had hot spot trees and 27% to 64% of them had mean defoliation <25%, while plots with 75% to 100% defoliation had either cold spot trees or non-significant spots, which suggested that whether defoliation was high or low enough to be a hot or cold spot depended on the defoliation level of the entire plot. We fitted individual-tree balsam fir defoliation regression models as a function of plot and surrounding tree characteristics (using search radii of 3–5 m). The best model contained plot average balsam fir defoliation and subject tree basal area, and these two variables explained 80% of the variance, which was 2% to 5% higher than the variability explained by the neighboring tree defoliation, over the 3–5 m search radii tested. We concluded that plot-level defoliation and basal area were adequate for modeling individual tree defoliation, and although clustering of defoliation was evident, larger plots were needed to determine the optimum neighborhood radius for predicting defoliation on an individual. Spatial autocorrelation analysis can serve as an objective way to quantify such ecological patterns.

Balsam fir mortality following the last spruce budworm outbreak in northwestern Quebec

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1375-1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
Claude Joyal ◽  
Hubert Morin
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Forest Mosaic ◽  
Independent Effects

Balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.) mortality caused by the last spruce budworm (Choristoneurafumiferana (Clem.)) outbreak (1970–1987) was studied in 624 sites belonging to a complex natural forest mosaic originating from different fires in northwestern Quebec. Multiple regression analyses were used to assess the respective effects of stand structure, species composition, site characteristics, and the forest composition surrounding the stand on observed stand mortality. Mortality was observed to increase in relation to diameter of the trees, basal area of balsam fir, and the number of stands dominated by conifers in the forest mosaic. All of these factors showed significant independent effects, but 60% of the variance remained unexplained. Site characteristics, however, did not show a significant relationship to stand mortality. The results suggest that forest composition at both the stand and the forest mosaic levels may be responsible for differing degrees of defoliation that result in differences in stand mortality. Forest management strategies that favor the presence of mixed compositions both at the stand level and at the mosaic level may contribute to decreased stand vulnerability.

Pin cherry effects on Allegheny hardwood stand development

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd E Ristau ◽  
Stephen B Horsley
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
High Density ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Black Cherry ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Ash

Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.) develops an early height advantage over associated species. Data from three long-term studies, extending up to 70 years after complete overstory removal, were used to evaluate the effects of pin cherry density on associates. Survival of seedling-origin stems of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) at age 15 decreased as the density of pin cherry >1.5 m tall at age 3 increased. The regression of pin cherry with black cherry was particularly strong (R2 = 0.632). Height of the tallest black cherry and white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) at age 15 also decreased. If the density of pin cherry at age 3 was > 1 stem > 1.5 m tall per 0.0004 ha (high density), the number of black cherry fell below full stocking at age 15. When pin cherry occurred in high density, it lived longer than when it occurred at low density (< 1 stem > 1.5 m tall per 0.0004 ha). High pin cherry density early in stand development delayed the time when shade-intolerant and shade-intermediate species reached a stable proportion of the total basal area. In the long term, pin cherry reduced stand diameter and volume growth, particularly of black cherry.

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