Etiology of sugar maple decline in four Pennsylvania stands

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2395-2402 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.E. Kolb ◽  
L.H. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Nutrient Analysis ◽  
Causal Factors ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Sugar Maples ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Ring Analysis

Tree-ring analysis was used to study historical patterns of basal area increment (BAI) by healthy (0–5% dieback) and declined (greater than 30% dieback) overstory sugar maples (Acersaccharum Marsh.) in four stands in Pennsylvania. The objectives were to establish if and when BAI decreased in healthy and declined trees and to identify causal factors associated with decreased BAI. Reduction in BAI of declined compared with healthy trees was first evident following a series of defoliations and summer droughts in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. These stresses were followed by repeated damage by pear thrips (Taeniothripsinconsequens Uzel) in the 1980s and a drought in 1988, during which large reductions in BAI occurred for both declined and healthy trees in all stands. Foliar nutrient analysis of two stands suggested deficiency of Mg and Ca. Other factors hypothesized to be associated with this sugar maple decline as either predisposing or inciting factors include unusually warm winter temperatures in the 1980s and air pollution.

Temporal change (1988–1990) in sugar maple health, and factors associated with crown condition

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1776-1784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas C. Allen ◽  
Charles J. Barnett ◽  
Imants Millers ◽  
Denis Lachance
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Temporal Change ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Root Damage ◽  
Crown Condition ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Crown Transparency ◽  
Sugar Maples ◽  
Foliage Density ◽  
Crown Dieback

Change in the health of sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) and associated northern hardwoods was evaluated for 3 years (1988–1990) in seven states and four provinces. Generally, levels of crown dieback and crown transparency (a measure of foliage density) in 165 stands decreased during this period. In 1990, less than 7% of all dominant–codominant sugar maples (n = 7317) exhibited crown dieback ≥ 20%. Significantly (p = 0.05) fewer of these maples were classified as having high crown transparency (≥ 30%) in 1990 compared with 1988. Crowns of maples that received moderate (31–60%) or heavy (> 60%) pear thrips (Taeniothripsinconsequens (Uzel)) damage for 1 year recovered the following year. Crowns of maples exposed to severe drought in 1988 (Wisconsin) continued to show the effects (high transparency) of this stress in 1990. A majority (69–71%) of the dominant–codominant sugar maples with high (≥ 20%) crown dieback had bole and (or) root damage. Of those maples with crown dieback ≥ 50%, 86% had bole and (or) root damage. The condition of sugar maple in operating sugar bushes and undisturbed stands was similar. The condition of sugar maple crowns was similar in locations presumably exposed to low, medium, and high levels of sulfate deposition.

scholarly journals Impact of liming on the abundance and vigor of Armillaria rhizomorphs in Allegheny hardwoods stands

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1847-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Marçais ◽  
P M Wargo
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Potato Tubers ◽  
Somatic Incompatibility ◽  
Sugar Maples ◽  
Major Species ◽  
Root Collar

Abundance of rhizomorphs of Armillaria was characterized in 1995-1996 in 32 plots located in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stands in the Susquehannock State Forest (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.). All of the plots were thinned, and half of the plots were limed in 1985 when the plots were established. Frequency and abundance of Armillaria rhizomorphs in soil samples, on dead wood food bases (stumps, snags, fallen logs), and on the root collar of living sugar maples were determined in each plot. Rhizomorph vigor was evaluated by measuring their ability to colonize fresh striped maple (Acer pennsylvanicum L.) stem sections in the soil, or potato tubers in the laboratory. Isolates of Armillaria were obtained from rhizomorphs in the soil samples and species were determined by somatic incompatibility tests. Armillaria calvescens Bérubé & Dessureault was the major species present, representing about 66% of the isolates. Armillaria gemina Bérubé & Dessureault and Armillaria mellea (Vahl:Fr.) Kummer were also identified in the plots. Frequency of rhizomorphs in the soil, on food bases, abundance of rhizomorphs on root collars, as well as the proportion of rhizomorphs per plot that regenerated and (or) colonized fresh substrates were all correlated. However, abundance of ectotrophic rhizomorphs on the root collar was only weakly correlated with the other components of rhizomorph abundance and vigor. Frequency of the rhizomorphs as well as their ability to colonize fresh substrates were greater in plots either limed or with a high proportion of the basal area in sugar maple prior to thinning. By contrast, abundance of ectotrophic rhizomorphs on root collars was not affected by these factors.

Ten-year effect of dolomitic lime on the nutrition, crown vigor, and growth of sugar maple

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1834-1841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Moore ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Growth ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Year Effect ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Calcium And Magnesium ◽  
Crown Dieback

In a base-poor northern hardwood stand in Quebec, subjected to high acid deposition, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) nutrition, growth, and crown vigor were evaluated 10 years after application of 0–50 t·ha–1 of CaMg(CO3)2 in 1994. One decade after treatment, foliar calcium and magnesium concentrations of sugar maple were still higher for treated than for control trees. The analysis of foliar nutrient indices showed that liming improved the nutrition of nitrogen and calcium, but caused imbalance of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. In 2004, crown dieback was much lower for limed trees (0.5%–4.5%) as compared to unlimed trees (23.7%). When compared with crown dieback before treatment, dieback of limed trees generally had decreased by 2004, while dieback of untreated maple trees increased over the 1994–2004 period. In 2004, basal area increment for limed trees was nearly double that of unlimed trees. However, no difference was detectable among trees limed at different rates. Midterm efficacy of liming in this study was demonstrated by the improvement of sugar maple calcium nutrition, crown vigor, and stem growth 10 years following treatment. This confirms the potential of liming to limit damage caused by acid deposition in base-poor and declining northern hardwood stands.

Accroissement d'une érablière à la suite de coupes d'éclaircie: résultats de 20 ans

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pothier
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Thinning Intensity ◽  
Sugar Maples ◽  
Significant Difference

Two intensities of thinning were executed in a 50-year-old sugar maple stand of the Station forestière de Duchesnay (46°57′N, 71°39′W). Initial basal area was reduced by 22 and 35% in moderate and heavy thinned plots, respectively. Twenty years after treatment, basal area of thinned plots approached that of controls and their basal area in sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) was larger than that of controls. Diameter growth of sugar maples was proportional to the intensity of thinning and a significant difference was detected between thinned and unthinned plots. Net increment of the 70 sampled plots was proportional to the intensity of thinning but mortality was inversely related to the thinning level. Ingrowth was also proportional to the intensity of thinning but its impact on net increment was relatively low. Ten years following treatment, the number of saplings of yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britt.) increased with increasing thinning intensity. However, the number of sugar maple saplings remains stable among treatments for all measurement periods. Diameter growth was not affected in sugar maples with annual tapping in comparison to sugar maples with no tapping during the whole study period.

Factors associated with the decline disease of sugar maple on the Allegheny Plateau

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1365-1378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B Horsley ◽  
Robert P Long ◽  
Scott W Bailey ◽  
Richard A Hallett ◽  
Thomas J Hall
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Decline Disease ◽  
Foliage Chemistry ◽  
Structure Density ◽  
Composition Structure ◽  
Allegheny Plateau ◽  
Topographic Positions

Mortality of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) has reached unusually high levels across northern Pennsylvania since the early to mid-1980s. We evaluated the influence of glaciation, topographic position, foliage chemistry, defoliation history, and stand characteristics (species composition, structure, density) on the health of sugar maple in 43 stands at 19 sites on the northern Allegheny Plateau. Using percent dead sugar maple basal area as the measure of health, we found that all moderately to severely declining stands were on unglaciated summits, shoulders, or upper backslopes. Stands on glaciated sites and unglaciated lower topographic positions were not declining. The most important factors associated with sugar maple health were foliar levels of Mg and Mn and defoliation history. The lowest foliar Mg, highest foliar Mn, and highest number and severity of insect defoliations were associated with unglaciated summits, shoulders, and upper backslopes. Declining stands had less than ~700 mg·kg-1 Mg and two or more moderate to severe defoliations in the past 10 years; both conditions were associated with moderately to severely declining stands. The decline disease of sugar maple seems to result from an interaction between Mg (and perhaps Mn) nutrition and stress caused by defoliation.

Effects of two Ca fertilizer types on sugar maple vitality

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 1985-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Moore ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Foliar Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Lime Application ◽  
Crown Dieback ◽  
Mg Content ◽  
Nutrient Antagonism

Over the last decades, continuous signs of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) dieback in stands of northeastern North America have promoted the experimentation of corrective measures to restore sugar maple vitality. To verify the hypothesis that K–Mg antagonism may have limited the full response of sugar maple to dolomitic lime application in a previous experiment (CaMg(CO3)2, 12% Mg), two Ca fertilizers (CaCO3 and CaSO4·2H2O), having negligible Mg content, were applied at rates of 1, 2, and 4 t Ca·ha–1 on sugar maple trees adjacent to the limed area. After 3 years, most of the foliar nutrient concentrations of treated trees were improved, particularly Ca, for both Ca fertilizers, in line with published ranges for healthy sugar maple trees, except for Mg. Moreover, no persistent nutrient antagonism was observed. The crown dieback rate of treated sugar maple was ≤5.8% after 3 years, while it reached 12% for the controls. Also, relative basal area growth showed that both Ca sources can improve growth rate. Growth response following Ca treatments was, however, lower than for the former lime experiment after the same period of time. In this context, our results suggest that Mg nutrition could be more important for sugar maple in this ecosystem than initially thought.

Exploring the Recruitment Dynamics of Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch Saplings into Merchantable Stems Following Harvesting in the Acadian Forest Region of New Brunswick, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Noel ◽  
Jules Comeau ◽  
Salah-Eddine El Adlouni ◽  
Gaetan Pelletier ◽  
Marie-Andrée Giroux
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Probability Of Occurrence ◽  
Silvicultural Treatment ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Acadian Forest

The recruitment of saplings in forest stands into merchantable stems is a very complex process, thus making it challenging to understand and predict. The recruitment dynamics in the Acadian Forest Region of New Brunswick are not well known or documented. Our objective was to draw an inference from existing large scale routine forest inventories as to the different dynamics behind the recruitment from the sapling layer into the commercial tree size layer in terms of density and occurrence of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) following harvesting, by looking at many factors on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales using models. Results suggest that the variation in density and probability of occurrence is best explained by the intensity of silvicultural treatment, by the merchantable stem density in each plot, and by the proportion of merchantable basal area of each group of species. The number of recruits of sugar maple and yellow birch stems tend be higher when time since last treatment increases, when mid to low levels of silvicultural treatment intensity were implemented, and within plots having intermediate levels of merchantable stem density. Lastly, our modeling efforts suggest that the probability of occurrence and density of recruitment of both species tend to increase while its share of merchantable basal area increases.

Temporal change in wood quality attributes in standing dead beetle-killed lodgepole pine

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-400
Author(s):  
Steen Magnussen ◽  
Dave Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Wood Moisture ◽  
Moisture Regimes ◽  
Standing Dead ◽  
Blue Stain ◽  
Lodgepole Pines ◽  
Ring Analysis ◽  
One Year

The number and size of checks, wood moisture content, extent of blue-stain, rot and decay was examined by stem analysis in 360 mature standing beetle-killed lodgepole pines. Trees came from three areas (Burns Lake, Quesnel, and Vanderhoof) in Central British Columbia. Each area was represented by 14 to 16 sampling areas (stands) distributed evenly across three soil moisture regimes (dry, mesic, wet). Year of death was estimated from tree ring-analysis, local knowledge and insect and disease survey maps. An approximately equal number of trees had been dead for one or two years, three or four years, or for five or more years. During the first five years since death by beetle attack the number of checks per tree increased from 2.5 to 10.2 and the average depth of checks increased from 4.3 cm to 5.1 cm. Checks were deeper, wider, and longer on the drier sites than on mesic and wet sites. Moisture content of sapwood and heartwood was near the fibre saturation point (ca 30%) one year after death and continued to decrease at a rate of approximately 1.7% per year. Both the incidence and the extent (relative to basal area) of rot and decay increased significantly with time since death. All trees had an extensive blue-stain discoloration. Deterioration of wood quality was fastest during the first two years after a beetle attack. Key words: wood checks, moisture content, blue-stain, wood quality, spiral grain, bark beetle

Present-day expansion of American beech in northeastern hardwood forests: Does soil base status matter?

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2273-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Duchesne ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Soil Base ◽  
Large Area ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots

Recently, sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) decline in northeastern North America has been regarded as a major factor structuring hardwood forests by favouring American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in the understory of maple-dominated stands. To determine whether soil fertility differences associated with sugar maple decline may have promoted the expansion of American beech, we explored the relationships between the soil base status and the sapling and tree strata density and composition, using data from 426 permanent sample plots distributed throughout Quebec. Our results indicate that American beech is currently expanding in the sugar maple range of Quebec. The abundance and proportion of American beech in the sapling stratum are mainly associated with the proportion of American beech in the tree stratum, the relative basal area of dead sugar maple trees, and the base status of soils. In accordance with the many studies reporting on the high sensitivity of sugar maple to the acid–base status of soils and the decline of the sugar maple population, this study supports the hypothesis that soil base cation depletion, caused in part by atmospheric acid deposition, is among the main factors involved in the present-day expansion of American beech over a large area in Quebec.

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