Effects of fertilization on the nutrition and growth of a slow-growing Engelmann spruce plantation in south central British Columbia

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1617-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.P. Brockley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Nitrogen Nutrition ◽  
Ferrous Sulphate ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Height Increment ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
South Central

A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ground and foliar fertilizer applications on the growth of a 15-year-old Engelmann spruce (Piceaengelmannii Parry) plantation in the south central interior of British Columbia. The site had been broadcast burned prior to plantation establishment, and poor growth performance and pretreatment foliar analyses indicated that multiple nutrient deficiencies were likely growth limiting. Fertilization has had a very strong positive influence on height increment and branch elongation. Although growth responses were minimal in the 1st year after treatment, cumulative increases in height increment over the next 2 years averaged 41 cm (range 28–48 cm) greater than those recorded in unfertilized trees. In relative terms, these responses averaged 102% (range 90–120%). Improvements in branch increment over this 2-year period also averaged 102% (range 85–115%). Results indicate that the majority of the growth response has been due to improved nitrogen nutrition. Combined ground applications of nitrogen and a "complete mix" fertilizer were no better than nitrogen alone in stimulating tree growth. The effectiveness of 2% ferrous sulphate and sodium sulphate sprays was probably adversely affected by foliar scorching following spray application. However, despite foliar burning, results indicate that trees may respond favourably to iron applications if accompanied by ground applications of nitrogen and other deficient nutrients (likely sulphur). Because the study design did not allow distinction of cause and effect, with respect to the consequences of the prior broadcast burn, it cannot be stated conclusively that burning is responsible for inadequate stand nutrition and poor tree growth on this site. However, when combined with evidence of impaired nutrition following slash burning from other studies, it may be safely inferred that burning will exacerbate existing nutritional problems and that fertilization under these conditions may at least temporarily improve plantation performance.

scholarly journals Causes and amelioration of nutrient deficiencies in cutovers of cedar-hemlock forests in coastal British Columbia

1996 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Prescott ◽  
G. F. Weetman ◽  
J. E. Barker
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Ericaceous Shrub ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
Coastal British Columbia

Poor growth of conifer regeneration occurred on sites formerly occupied by old-growth cedar-hemlock (CH) forests in coastal British Columbia, 5–8 years after clearcutting and slashburning. Symptoms included chlorotic foliage and growth check of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western red cedar and amabilis fir, coincident with the expansion of the ericaceous shrub, salal, on the cutovers. Fertilization trials identified N and P deficiencies as the cause of the growth check of conifers, and additions of 300 kg N ha−1 and 100 kg P ha−1 significantly improved tree growth rates. Equivalent growth responses were achieved with additions of sewage sludge and fish silage. Burning, cultivating, liming, higher planting densities or herbicide application, were less effective in promoting conifer growth. The nutrient deficiencies in conifers on CH cutovers were the result of two factors: low nutrient availability in soil and humus, and competition and interference from salal. Salal immobilized substantial amounts of N in biomass and an in vitro study suggested it was able to use organic forms of N through its mycorrhizal fungi. The mycorrhizae of salal also interfered with those of hemlock, which further reduced their ability to take up nutrients. High concentrations of phenolic acids were associated with salal, which interfere with mineralization and uptake of N. The low availability of N and P in CH cutovers originated in forest floors of the old-growth forests prior to clearcutting. Nutrient availability was low in all layers of the forest floor in CH forests, and this appeared to result from three main factors. First, cedar litter contains less N and more decay-resistant material than other species, and produces forest floors with low rates of N mineralization. Second, the forest floors in CH forests are wetter and have less soil fauna than in HA forests, leading to incomplete decomposition and mineralization of N. Third, the salal understorey in CH forests interferes with mineralization of N through the production of tannins. Key words: growth check, fertilization, herbicide, ericaceous shrub, sewage sludge, mycorrhizae, allelopathy, nitrogen availability, nutrient cycling, NMR analysis

Vegetation development on skid trails and burned sites in southeastern British Columbia

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. T. Oswald ◽  
B. N. Brown
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Vegetation Development ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Invading Species ◽  
Study Sites

Vegetation development, including both planted and natural tree seedlings, was examined over a 5-year period on an area in the ESSFmw subzone of the Nelson Forest Region which was clearcut, skid logged, burned, and planted with 2 + 0, 313, Engelmann spruce. Study sites included the cutbank, mid-trail, and sidecast portions of the skid trails and the intervening prescribed burned area. Fireweed was the most prominent invading species, and affected tree growth, particularly on the sidecast, by shading and crowding the trees. Black huckleberry, regenerating from root stalks, was common on the burned sites, but had marginal influence on Engelmann spruce development over 5 years. The best tree growth occurred on the burned sites, followed by the sidecast, mid-trail, and cutbank sites. Consideration should be given to omitting the cutbank planting site and moving the mid-trail planting site inward on slopes of 30% or more. Key words: Engelmann spruce, ESSFmw biogeoclimatic subzone, slash burn, vegetation succession, fireweed

scholarly journals Post-glacial diatom-inferred aquatic changes in Sicamous Creek Lake, British Columbia, Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Voit ◽  
Richard J. Hebda ◽  
Julien M.J. Racca ◽  
Reinhard Pienitz ◽  
Ian R. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
South Central ◽  
Inferred Ph

Diatom analyses of sediments from a high elevation lake situated in an Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir (ESSF) forest of south-central British Columbia, Canada, reveal long-term climate and water chemistry change. During the transition from the late-glacial / Pleistocene to the xerothermic early Holocene, small, benthic Fragilaria diatoms species that grew under low light conditions in Sicamous Creek Lake gave way to planktonic Cyclotella species that require open-water conditions. Warm temperatures in the mesothermic Holocene are indicated by smaller Cyclotella species and large, benthic pennate diatoms. Diatom communities reflected Neoglacial cooling in the late Holocene, with abundant Nitzschia fonticola and Achnanthes minutissima. Small, benthic Fragilaria regained abundance, suggesting cooling and conditions similar to the late-glacial interval. Diatom community composition responded to the deposition of the Mt. Mazama and Mt. St. Helens tephras, though the Mazama eruption caused greater change in relative abundance of various taxa within the assemblage. Correspondence analysis shows distinct communities have occurred since the initiation of sedimentation, likely due to climate controlled landscape and vegetation changes; diatom-inferred pH values using various models and training sets show limited acidification change occurred through the lake’s history.

Is everything all right up there? A long-term interdisciplinary silvicultural systems project in a high elevation fir-spruce forest at Sicamous Creek, B.C.

1999 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Vyse
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
South Central ◽  
Wide Range

The Sicamous Creek Project was established as part of the British Columbia Provincial Silvicultural Systems program in 1990 to investigate the effects of clearcutting and other practices on a high elevation forested ecosystem. The objective is to provide the forestry community with information on the ecology of high elevation forests in the Southern Interior, and the probable responses to a wide range of disturbance. After a period of planning by a team of scientists and foresters from several agencies, a site in subalpine fir-Engelmann spruce forest at 1530 m to 1830 m elevation near the town of Sicamous in the south central interior of British Columbia was logged in the winter of 1994–95. A range of treatments was created by logging one third of the forest in 30 ha experimental units using a range of opening sizes (individual tree selection, 1/10 ha, 1 ha, and 10 ha) and a no-logging control. Within these experimental units, smaller areas (0.08 ha) have been treated to create a range of soil disturbance conditions (no disturbance, burning, complete organic soil removal, mounding). A wide range of studies has been conducted on the site by a team of scientists before and after treatment and those studies are continuing. The project is long-term, (at least 30 years), the main treatments are sufficiently large to have operational significance, and the supported studies are intended to be interdisciplinary in scientific method and scope. Support for the project is strong within the operational forestry community because information on logging costs, safety issues and snags, windthrow, bark beetle management, wildlife habitat and small streams has already been made available to them. Studies of stand structure and wildlife habitat suggest that in future much greater emphasis should be placed on the silviculture of fir than spruce. Key words: silviculture systems, clearcutting, opening size, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, long term research, interdisciplinary research

Short-term effects of prescribed burning on radial growth of Douglas-fir trees in south central British Columbia

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 876
Author(s):  
M. C. Feller ◽  
W. Klenner
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
South Central

Radial increment of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) trees in uncut and partially cut and grazed and ungrazed dry cool Interior Douglas-fir forests near Isobel Lake in southern central British Columbia was measured for 2-year periods before and after prescribed burning in burned and unburned (control) areas. Parameters thought to influence the effects of prescribed burning on tree growth – characteristics of the tree and its immediate environment, adjacent surface and ladder fuels, and fire effects – were also measured. Burning caused a decrease in tree radial growth. The proportional change in radial tree growth was not related to degree of cutting or the presence of cattle grazing, but was negatively correlated with preburn radial growth, tree size, and also with some fire effect variables, particularly char height, suggesting that an increasing proportional decline in radial growth was associated with increasing tree size and with increasing fire severity. Soil nutrient (N, S, P, K, Mg or Ca) level was not a significant determinant of tree growth. The best prediction model could only explain 23% of the variation in the change in radial growth. Our results show that the effects of fire on Douglas-fir radial growth are complex and difficult to predict with the variables measured.

Conifer-seedling success and microclimate at different levels of herb and shrub cover in a Rhododendron–Vaccinium–Menziesia community of south central British Columbia

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 858-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Coates ◽  
W. H. Emmingham ◽  
S. R. Radosevich
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Water Potential ◽  
Pressure Potential ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
South Central ◽  
Xylem Pressure Potential ◽  
Conifer Seedling

The influence of various amounts of shrub and herb cover on microclimate and on survival and growth of Engelmann spruce (Piceaengelmannii Parry) and lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl.) was examined in plots established in the Engelmann Spruce – Subalpine Fir zone of south central British Columbia. The planting sites varied from those with undisturbed vegetation to bare plots with exposed mineral soil. After three growing seasons, survival of both conifer species was greater than 95%, except at the highest levels of vegetation cover, where survival was 76 to 80%. Diameter was the conifer growth measure most responsive to reduction in adjacent vegetation. In the absence of adjacent vegetation, mean diameters of spruce and pine seedlings were 44 and 84% greater, respectively, than those of seedlings planted in undisturbed vegetation, and mean diameters increased still more when mineral soil was exposed. Height growth was less responsive to reduction in adjacent vegetation. Soil water potential, never more negative than −0.01 MPa, was the same at all levels of vegetation cover. Midday and predawn xylem pressure potential of spruce did not vary with the amount of vegetation. Although soil water was ample, moderate water stress occurred, most likely because uptake was restricted by low soil temperatures. Results suggest that soil temperature, air temperature, and light level are the primary factors controlling conifer seedling performance in an undisturbed vegetation community.

Performance of planted Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir seedlings in British Columbia's southern mountains

2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
C C Lajzerowicz ◽  
A. Vyse ◽  
M. Jull ◽  
T. Newsome
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Relative Growth Rates ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
South Central ◽  
Soil Temperatures

We compared survival and growth of planted seedlings of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir across a range of harvest opening sizes (> 10 ha, 1 ha, 0.2 ha, 0.1 ha, 0.03 ha and individual tree selection) from three silvicultural systems trials in high-elevation spruce – subalpine fir forests in south-central British Columbia. Climatic patterns and growing season air and soil temperatures were similar across sites. Seedling survival decreased with opening size. Local site climates, influenced by aspect and moisture and air drainage, were more influential than elevation. Seedling growth was best in large openings and similar in opening sizes from 1 ha to 0.1 ha. Smaller openings created by group selection and individual tree selection methods were not favourable for successful planting at elevations close to timberline. The two species had similar absolute and relative growth rates but spruce responded more strongly to better growing environments. Key words: planted seedlings, Engelmann spruce, Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm., subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt., opening size, elevation effects, silvicultural systems, British Columbia, mountain forests

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