Winter injury to red spruce at Mount Moosilauke, New Hampshire

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1380-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Peart ◽  
Matthew B. Jones ◽  
Peter A. Palmiotto
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Freezing Tolerance ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Bud Break ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Foliar Injury ◽  
Weak Tendency

We report the severity and detailed spatial patterns of winter injury to red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) in the winter of 1988–1989 and assess support for the desiccation and freezing hypotheses. Foliar injury was quantified at three elevations (840, 990, and 1140 m) and on east- and west-facing slopes in the spruce-fir zone at Mount Moosilauke, New Hampshire. Overall, 29% of current-year foliage on red spruce trees was killed by winter injury. Injury increased with elevation. There was a weak tendency for winter injury to be higher on the sun-exposed south sides of crowns, but substantial injury also occurred on shaded foliage. Injury increased markedly with height in crown at high elevation, but decreased with height at low elevation. The results appear inconsistent with desiccation as the main cause of winter injury. Elevational trends in foliar injury are consistent with the freezing hypothesis, but the strong trends in foliar injury by height within trees cannot be fully explained without further data on spatial variation in microclimate and freezing tolerance. Failure to break bud was assessed on the same spatial scales as foliar injury. Bud break was least in trees and crown sections with severe foliar injury. No evidence for winter injury was found on balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.). The results support the hypothesis that winter injury may contribute to the current decline of red spruce in the northern Appalachians.

Chlorophyll fluorescence response of red spruce and balsam fir to a watershed calcium fertilization experiment in New Hampshire

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1518-1522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Physiological Effect ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Fluorescence Measurements

Decreases in soil exchangeable calcium (Ca) due to acid deposition have been linked with declines of forest species in the northeastern United States, particularly red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.). In 2005, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were taken on red spruce and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees growing on two watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire. One watershed had been fertilized with CaSiO3 in 1999 to replace the soil Ca losses of the past 50 years, and the other was a reference watershed. In March, there were no differences in any chlorophyll fluorescence parameter between sites or species. In August, however, dark-adapted ratios of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were significantly greater (p = 0.05) in the Ca-treated watershed for both spruce and fir, and spruce values were significantly greater than fir. No differences were found in the light-adapted fluorescence parameters. These results suggest that both spruce and fir respond to increases in Ca availability, even though fir does not exhibit the decline symptoms seen in spruce. It is unclear what physiological effect is responsible for the observed differences in Fv/Fm. The Fv/Fm values appear to respond to differences in Ca availability in forest tree species; thus, the ratio has the potential to be used in these two watersheds at HBEF to determine if other forest species are also responding to Ca additions.

KORSCHELTELLUS GRACILIS (GROTE): A PEST OF RED SPRUCE AND BALSAM FIR ROOTS (LEPIDOPTERA: HEPIALIDAE)

1991 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Wagner ◽  
Donald R. Tobi ◽  
William E. Wallner ◽  
Bruce L. Parker
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Below Ground

AbstractKorscheltellus gracilis (Grote) is a pest of red spruce and balsam fir roots in the forests of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. The larvae feed below ground on woody and non-woody plant tissues for 2 years before maturing. It was found at 18 localities across New England and Nova Scotia during the summers of 1987 and 1988. On Whiteface Mt., New York, and Mt. Moosilauke, New Hampshire, larvae were absent to uncommon at low (500 m) and high (1300 m) altitudes, but common to abundant in red spruce – balsam fir associations at 700, 900, and 1100 m. During September 1987, larval populations were estimated at 56 000 and 312 000 per hectare in soils at 900 m on Whiteface and Moosilauke, respectively. Dense populations occurred locally, e.g. 27 larvae were recovered from a single 0.25-m2 soil pit at 900 m on Moosilauke. By June 1988, larval numbers on Whiteface and Moosilauke had declined by 51% and 72%, respectively. Seedlings and mature trees of both spruce and fir were damaged by larval feeding on bark and cambium. Seedlings were girdled; mature trees had wounds paralleling the root axes.

Winter injury to subalpine red spruce: influence of prior vigor and effects on subsequent growth

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 888-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Peart ◽  
Nathan J. Poage ◽  
Matthew B. Jones
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Subsequent Growth ◽  
Crown Condition ◽  
Severity Of Injury ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Injury Event ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Weak Tendency

We assessed the relationship between prior vigor and severity of winter injury to trees and saplings of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) at Mount Moosilauke, New Hampshire. Severity of injury was quantified as percent foliar damage on current-year needles after severe injury in the winter of 1988–1989. There was no relationship between severity of injury and prior crown condition. There was only a weak tendency for trees with high live crown ratios to be less damaged than trees with proportionally smaller crowns. Severity of winter injury was not correlated with prior growth rates in the 1-, 2-, or 5-year periods preceding injury, for either trees (radial growth) or saplings (extension growth). However, crown condition of trees and saplings deteriorated significantly following injury. For both trees and saplings, prior growth and subsequent growth were positively correlated for the 1- and 2-year periods before and after the winter injury event. Effects of winter injury on growth in 1989 and 1990 were analyzed using growth ratios (subsequent growth relative to prior growth) to avoid ambiguity resulting from individual differences in growth rates. Severity of winter injury had no effect on growth ratios in the 1- or 2-year periods following winter injury. Although no effects on growth were detected following a single winter injury event, it remains plausible that successive, severe episodes of winter injury could reduce growth and increase mortality risk in red spruce.

Effects of tomato mosaic Tobamovirus infection on red spruce seedlings

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 973-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
George D. Bachand ◽  
John D. Castello ◽  
Michail Schaedle ◽  
Stephen V. Stehman ◽  
William H. Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Freezing Tolerance ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Shoot Length ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Bud Break ◽  
Freezing Damage ◽  
Root Volume ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Tissue Reduction

Height, weight, root volume, shoot length, needle length and weight, and total chlorophyll content were measured for both control and tomato mosaic Tobamovirus (ToMV)-inoculated red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) seedlings in each of five, 3-month growth periods. Mean bud-break rating was determined for each seedling in growth period 5. In January 1995 the freezing tolerance of control and ToMV-infected seedlings was determined. Approximately 85% of the inoculated seedlings became infected with ToMV, as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of young root tissue. Reduction in seedling height, weight, root volume, bud break, and mean shoot length of infected seedlings was observed when compared with control seedlings. The rate of increase over time in height, weight, and root volume was lower (54, 57, and 52%, respectively) in infected seedlings compared with control seedlings. Additionally, needles of infected seedlings were less susceptible to freezing damage than those of control seedlings. However, virus infection had no effect on the freezing tolerance of roots.

Root movement and root damage of red spruce and balsam fir on subalpine sites in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 991-1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Rizzo ◽  
T. C. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Root Damage ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
White Mountains ◽  
Wind Exposure ◽  
Crown Dieback ◽  
Root Movement

Crown dieback and mortality of red spruce and balsam fir in the subalpine zone of the northern Appalachian Mountains have been attributed to wind-induced crown and root damage. Vertical root movements, damage to roots and crowns, and growth rate were measured on wind-exposed spruce and fir trees near canopy gaps at Kancamagus Pass (875 m elevation) and Wildcat Mountain (1160 m) in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Root movements were significantly correlated with windspeed, crown exposure, and depth of soil to rock. Woody roots that had made movements in excess of 10 mm had fewer small (1–3 mm diameter) roots, more abrasion wounds, and a greater amount of nonconducting (dry or discolored) xylem than roots that had made smaller movements. Hydraulic conductivity was significantly reduced in roots with greater than 40% xylem cross-sectional area that was nonconducting. Spruce and fir trees at gap margins grew slower and had more root and crown damage than trees sheltered within the canopy. Decreases in growth rate of spruce and fir trees at both sites during the past 20 years were significantly correlated with wind exposure and some of the root and crown damage variables.

Potential hazard rating system for fir stands infested with budworm using cambial electrical resistance

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weston Davis ◽  
Walter Shortle ◽  
Alex Shigo
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Electrical Resistance ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Index Value ◽  
Hazard Rating

Cambial electrical resistance (CER) of more than 10 000 trees, predominantly balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea) and red spruce (Picearubens) was measured in 90 stands in northern Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, U.S.A. CER index values (mean CER, kiloohms per stand) ranged from 9 to 13 for fir in nonoutbreak situations, and 9 to 18 in outbreak situations with moderate to heavy budworm infestation, whereas values for red spruce remained essentially constant at 7 to 13 in both situations. Balsam fir trees in stands with an index value of 9 grew almost three times faster (diameter growth) than in stands with an index value of 13. An increase of index values from 13 to 18 in outbreak situations indicated no further reduction in growth, but may indicate impending mortality of trees with lower vitality. Such index values may be useful in developing a hazard rating system for fir stands infected with spruce budworm.

Foliar injury symptoms and pigment concentrations in red spruce saplings in the southern Appalachians

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1119-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian P. Andersen ◽  
Samuel B. McLaughlin ◽  
W. Kelly Roy
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Southern Appalachians ◽  
Foliar Injury ◽  
Pigment Analysis ◽  
Widespread Occurrence ◽  
Local Site ◽  
Chlorophyll A And B ◽  
Pigment Concentrations

The frequency and percent surface area covered by necrotic flecking on red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) needles from sapling-sized trees were examined on nine research sites on three mountains in the southern Appalachians. Foliar pigment analysis was conducted on trees from two of the nine research sites. Flecking increased with foliar age on all sites, and on two of the mountains the area covered by flecks increased with elevation. Above 1720 m on Clingman's Dome, foliar flecking was found to constitute >8% of the upper needle surface area of 1-year-old needles. Chlorophyll a and b concentrations increased with foliar age and were greater in trees growing at the mid-elevation site (1720 m) than at the high-elevation site (1935 m) on Clingman's Dome. Pigment concentrations did not correspond to foliar flecking frequency at these two sites. Foliar flecking appears to increase over winter, and its widespread occurrence throughout the southern Appalachians suggests that regional rather than local site-related phenomena are involved.

Substrate type and the distribution of sugar maple at its elevational limit in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D Demers ◽  
Thomas D Lee ◽  
James P Barrett
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Substrate Type ◽  
Yellow Birch

The relationships between tree species distribution and substrate characteristics were examined at the upper elevational limit of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Four tree species were studied: sugar maple, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton). At 51 individual trees (>=2.5 cm diameter at breast height) of each species, "substrate type" was described based on the parent material, soil horizons, depth and texture of the B and C horizons, nature of surface boulders, and the depth to and type of impermeable layer. Substrate type was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with tree species. Sugar maple was relatively more frequent on deep fine and compact tills, less frequent on washed or shallow till, and absent on shallow, organic, or grus (weathered granite) substrates. Red spruce, balsam fir, and yellow birch were less sensitive to substrate type. Red spruce and yellow birch were most frequent on organic material or grus over rock. Balsam fir most frequently occurred on washed till. As the frequency of substrates favorable to sugar maple declined with elevation, it is possible that the upper elevational range limit of this species is influenced by substrate availability.

scholarly journals A comparison of foliar wettability of red spruce and balsam fir* growing at high elevation

1991 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD L. BOYCE ◽  
DELBERT C. McCUNE ◽  
GRAEME P. BERLYN
Keyword(s):  
High Elevation ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Balsam Fir
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