Red spruce decline on Whiteface Mountain, New York. II. Relationships between apical and radial growth decline

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1415-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. LeBlanc ◽  
Dudley J. Raynal
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Spruce Decline ◽  
Growth Decline ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Crown Dieback ◽  
The Relationship

Understanding the relationship between apical and radial growth decline can contribute toward the evaluation of hypotheses regarding causal mechanisms of red spruce decline. The etiology of red spruce decline in montane spruce-fir forests of the northeastern United States includes loss of foliage at branch apices, crown dieback, and unreversed radial growth decline since the 1960s. Demographic analyses of crown damage and radial growth decline for red spruce on Whiteface Mountain, New York, indicate that large, canopy-emergent trees with exposed crowns exhibit greater decline than codominant trees within an intact canopy. In this paper, radial growth decline is shown to have been coincident with decreased apical growth and increased incidence of injury to terminal leaders. Incidence of leader mortality is greatest for canopy-emergent red spruce or trees with exposed crowns, similar to patterns described for radial growth. This relationship suggests that the post-1960 decline of red spruce on Whiteface Mountain is caused, at least in part, by stresses that act directly on the crown.

Tomato mosaic virus infection of red spruce on Whiteface Mountain, New York: prevalence and potential impact

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1340-1345 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Castello ◽  
George D. Bachand ◽  
Philip M. Wargo ◽  
Volker Jacobi ◽  
Donald R. Tobi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Tomato Mosaic Virus ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Virus Concentration ◽  
First Order ◽  
Virus Incidence ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Crown Dieback

Tomato mosaic tobamovirus (ToMV) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the roots of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) on Whiteface Mountain, New York. Both virus incidence and concentration in the roots of red spruce vary by site and were greater in trees with little to moderate crown dieback than in trees with severe dieback. There was no significant association between virus incidence or concentration in the roots of red spruce and elevation on Whiteface Mountain. Multiple regression analysis of virus concentration in the roots, as the dependent variable, was performed against nine selected crown and root variables. In the final regression model, the number of live second-order nonwoody roots per length of first-order nonwoody root and length of the live crown were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with virus concentration in the roots. These results suggest a complex epidemiology and a potentially significant impact of ToMV infection on the growth of red spruce on Whiteface Mountain.

Acid rain and soils of the Adirondacks. II. Evaluation of calcium and aluminum as causes of red spruce decline at Whiteface Mountain, New York

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2298-2298
Author(s):  
A.H. Johnson ◽  
T.N. Schwartzman ◽  
J.J. Battles ◽  
R. Miller ◽  
E.K. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Acid Rain ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Spruce Decline ◽  
Whiteface Mountain

not available

Red spruce decline on Whiteface Mountain, New York. I. Relationships with elevation, tree age, and competition

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1408-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Growth Decline ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Study Sites

Detailed stem analysis and stand structure and history analyses are used to evaluate relationships between growth decline in populations of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) on Whiteface Mountain and elevation, tree age and size, and stand dynamics. The study sites are virgin, uneven-aged spruce-fir forests at 900 and 1100 m elevation. Most red spruce sampled exhibited substantial decreases in annual stem wood volume increment from 1964 to 1984, particularly large trees and trees from higher elevation. While larger trees exhibited more severe growth decline, there is no evidence of a direct causal link between tree age and decline. Inverse relationships between growth and competition indices are evident for periods prior to the onset of decline, but these relationships degrade during the period of growth decline; competition is not causally linked to decline. There is some indication that the decline-inciting stress was particularly severe for canopy-emergent and exposed red spruce, suggesting the action of an atmospheric stress.

Acid rain and soils of the Adirondacks. II. Evaluation of calcium and aluminum as causes of red spruce decline at Whiteface Mountain, New York

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 654-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Johnson ◽  
T.N. Schwartzman ◽  
J.J. Battles ◽  
R. Miller ◽  
E.K. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Soil Solution ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Crown Condition ◽  
Spruce Decline ◽  
Organic Horizons ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Spruce Mortality

Several recent publications suggest that acid deposition produces high anion concentrations in the soil solution of high-elevation forests, causing Al-induced Ca deficiency in red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) root tips. Some authors suggest that this results in decreased growth below and above ground, decline, and ultimately in death. Accordingly, we examined soil solution Al and Ca, soil and foliar chemistry, and their relationship to red spruce decline on Whiteface Mountain, New York, where severe red spruce mortality occurred between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Spruce mortality and crown condition are strongly related to elevation, but there is no evidence that the occurrence or degree of spruce decline is related to exchangeable Al, Mg, Ca, or their ratios in mineral or organic horizons. Foliar Ca and Mg concentrations that we measured were in the range judged to be sufficient based on field fertilization studies. Soil solution ratios of Ca:Al in mineral and organic horizons were above the threshold (1:1 molar ratio) proposed as detrimental to Ca uptake in all samples collected during three of four growing seasons, and soil-solution Al concentrations were well below levels thought to inhibit spruce root growth. If Al toxicity is a factor in red spruce decline on this mountain, it is acting in a way that is not detectable using soil and foliar analyses.

Radial Growth Decline of White Spruce (Picea glauca) During Hot Summers without Drought: Preliminary Results from a Study Site South of a Boreal Forest Border

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Lapenis ◽  
George Robinson ◽  
Gregory B. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Central New York ◽  
Growth Decline ◽  
Hot Days

Here we investigate the possible<sup></sup> future response of white spruce (Picea glauca) to a warmer climate by studying trees planted 90 years ago near the southern limit of their climate tolerance in central New York, 300 km south of the boreal forest where this species is prevalent. We employed high-frequency recording dendrometers to determine radial growth phenology of six mature white spruce trees during 2013-2017. Results demonstrate significant reductions in the length of radial growth periods inversely proportional to the number of hot days with air temperature exceeding 30 oC. During years with very hot summers, the start of radial growth began about 3 days earlier than the 2013-2017 average. However, in those same years the end of radial growth was also about 17 days earlier resulting in a shorter (70 versus 100 day), radial growth season. Abundant (350-500 mm) summer precipitation, which resulted in soil moisture values of 20-30% allowed us to dismiss drought as a factor. Instead, a likely cause of reduced radial growth was mean temperature that exceeded daily average of 30<sup> o</sup>C that lead to photoinhibition.

Synchronie large-scale disturbances and red spruce growth decline

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1361-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Reams ◽  
Paul C. Van Deusen
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Southern Appalachians ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Growth Reduction ◽  
Usda Forest Service ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Growth Decline

Tree-ring data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory & Analysis and other independent sources were used to study coincidence of changes in growth and large-scale disturbances. Numerous studies report that mean radial growth of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) declined synchronously throughout its range in the early 1960s. We use red spruce tree-ring data from most of the major studies to show that the synchronicity of red spruce growth decline is likely the outcome of the large-scale disturbances that occurred throughout the northeastern red spruce ecosystem in the late 1930s to early 1950s. Large-scale disturbances are either not detectable or not present in the same time interval in the southern Appalachians. This appears to correspond to an absence of a 1960s radial growth reduction in this region.

Red Spruce Death: Effects on Forest Composition and Structure on Whiteface Mountain, New York

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 418 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Battles ◽  
Arthur H. Johnson ◽  
Thomas G. Siccama ◽  
Andrew J. Friedland ◽  
Eric K. Miller
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Whiteface Mountain

Element distribution in red spruce (Picearubens) fine roots; evidence for aluminium toxicity at Whiteface Mountain

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1132-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hedda Schlegel ◽  
Robert G. Amundson ◽  
Aloys Hüttermann
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Fine Roots ◽  
Aluminium Toxicity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Element Distribution ◽  
Solution Chemistry ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Ion Distribution ◽  
Root Cortex ◽  
Whiteface Mountain

To determine the element distribution in fine roots of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) at a high-elevation decline site on Whiteface Mountain, New York, fine-root samples were collected and analysed by X-ray microanalysis. Aluminium was found in very high concentrations in the root cortex, but could not be detected in stelar tissues. In contrast, magnesium was found only in the central cylinder in low amounts. The calcium concentration in the cortex was low, but was higher in the stele. Aluminium has been shown to interfere with cation uptake by blocking exchange sites in the cortical apoplast. Thus these results strongly suggest that the low foliar magnesium and calcium contents of the declining red spruce trees are driven by aluminium-induced inhibition of magnesium and calcium uptake. Soil solution chemistry, ion distribution in fine roots, and foliar ion contents at Whiteface Mountain were compared with equivalent data from other forest sites as well as with data from controlled studies on spruce seedlings. These data suggest that aluminium toxicity contributes to red spruce decline at Whiteface Mountain.

Spatial and temporal variation in the prevalence of growth decline in red spruce populations of the northeastern United States

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1351-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Data Bases ◽  
Growth Decline ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
Historical Levels

An analysis of the prevalence of individual-tree growth decline, based on reconstructed annual stemwood volume increment (AVI), was implemented on three data bases that have been used in past dendrochronological analyses of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) decline in the northeastern United States. This analysis focused on the proportion of individual trees that exhibited a decrease in periodic mean AVI, a decrease in the linear trend of AVI, and (or) a negative AVI trend during the most recent 20-year period. Various subpopulations within the data bases were identified by site location, elevation, and aspect, and tree size, age, and competitive status, and the proportion of individual trees exhibiting growth decline was compared among these subpopulations. Also, the prevalence of growth decline after 1960 was compared with historical levels of growth decline. Differences in prevalence of growth decline were found among the three data bases and among locations within data bases. The proportion of red spruce that exhibited growth decline after 1960 exceeded historical levels of decline for populations in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, but not in the northern Maine population. Weak positive associations were found between prevalence of growth decline and tree size (DBH) and elevation. No consistent relationship was found between growth decline and tree age, competitive status, or stand density. Contrary to a previous report, growth decline was not more common among trees that exhibited evidence of competitive release in the 1940s than among unreleased trees.

Red spruce bud mortality at Whiteface Mountain, New York

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 827-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian L. Hadley ◽  
Robert G. Amundson ◽  
J. A. Laurence ◽  
R. J. Kohut
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Picea Rubens ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Freezing Injury ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Foliar Nitrogen ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Terminal Bud ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Terminal Buds

Terminal bud mortality for shoots produced between 1982 and 1989 was measured for midcanopy branches of mature red spruce trees (Picea rubens Sargent) at two elevations on Whiteface Mountain, New York, U.S.A. Average terminal bud mortality ranged from 15 to 45% in different years, and there was no evidence for a biotic cause of bud mortality. Between branches on different trees, there was a negative correlation between frequency of terminal bud mortality for shoots produced between 1987 and 1989 and the percent change in current-year foliage biomass between 1987 and 1990. Branches with a high frequency of terminal bud mortality also tended to have a high proportion (> 50%) of 1990 shoots developed on adventitious branchlets. In late November 1990, terminal buds from most trees at 710–1120 m elevation were susceptible to freezing injury between −31 and −38 °C when cooled at 4 °C/h under laboratory conditions. Typical winter minimum temperatures at 700–1100 m elevation on Whiteface Mountain are within this range. In a recent controlled study of red spruce seedlings, high foliar nitrogen was associated with an increased risk of freezing injury to terminal buds in autumn. We found that red spruce on Whiteface Mountain had higher foliar nitrogen levels compared with red spruce at a much lower elevation in Maine. Based on these results, we advocate further research on the relationship between foliar nitrogen and bud freezing sensitivity in high elevation red spruce. Key words: Picea rubens, red spruce, bud mortality, freezing injury, nitrogen, red spruce decline.

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