Coarse woody debris in sub-boreal spruce forests of west-central British Columbia

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
D F Clark ◽  
D D Kneeshaw ◽  
P J Burton ◽  
J A Antos
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
History Of

An evaluation of how coarse woody debris (CWD) changes in quantity and quality during stand development was conducted using a 426-year chronosequence of 71 stands in sub-boreal forests in British Columbia. Additional characteristics of CWD were determined in 14 of the stands. Most stands are fire initiated and input from the predisturbance stand is critical in controlling the amounts and characteristics of CWD within young stands. Log volume declines from over 100 m3/ha in young stands (0-50 years) to just over 60 m3/ha in stands from 51 to 200 years old, and then increases to greater than 140 m3/ha in the oldest (>= 400-year-old) stands. Mean snag basal area is highest (31.6 m2/ha) in young, postfire stands, decreases to a very low value (2.0 m2/ha) in stands 51-100 years old, and then reaches a second maximum (12.1 m2/ha) in stands that are 201-250 years old; it declines slightly in very old stands. The high snag basal area in stands 201-250 years old coincides with the successional transition from lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) to stands dominated by subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) and interior spruce (hybrids of Picea glauca (Moench) Voss and Picea engelmannii Parry). Stand age, characteristics of the predisturbance forest, and the disturbance history of stands subsequent to stand initiation all appear to be very important in determining variation in both the quality and quantity of CWD in these sub-boreal forests.

Suillus tomentosus tuberculate ectomycorrhizal abundance and distribution in Pinus contorta woody debris

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 460-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie R Paul ◽  
Bill K Chapman ◽  
Christopher P Chanway
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Soil Characteristics ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Nitrogen Economy ◽  
Basaltic Soils ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

Tuberculate ectomycorrhizae (TEM) have been observed in decaying coarse woody debris (CWD) and may play a role in the nitrogen economy of forests. This study evaluates the occurrence of Suillus tomentosus (Kauff.) Singer, Snell and Dick TEM within CWD in Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm. stands and relates their occurrence to CWD and soil characteristics as well as stand age. TEM were more abundant in the basal end of CWD incorporated in the forest floor than in the middle and top portions. Tubercle abundance was positively correlated with moisture and texture of CWD, degree of incorporation of CWD into the forest floor, and the amount of roots within CWD. There were significantly more TEM in CWD in young stands than in old stands and on sites with granitic soils than on sites with basaltic soils. Highly degraded CWD that is well incorporated in the forest floor appears to be an important microhabitat for the formation and occurrence of TEM.

Decadal observations of tree regeneration following fire in boreal forests

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill F Johnstone ◽  
F S Chapin III ◽  
J Foote ◽  
S Kemmett ◽  
K Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Highly Correlated

This paper presents data on early postfire tree regeneration. The data were obtained from repeated observations of recently burned forest stands along the Yukon – British Columbia border and in interior Alaska. Postfire measurements of tree density were made periodically for 20–30 years, providing direct observations of early establishment patterns in boreal forest. Recruitment rates of the dominant tree species in both study areas were highest in the first 5 years after fire, and additional net establishment was not observed after 10 years. The postfire population of spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss s.l.) remained constant after the first decade in the two study areas. Populations of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) both declined after 10 years in mixed-species stands along the Yukon – British Columbia border. Mortality rates of aspen and pine were positively correlated with their initial densities, indicating that thinning occurred as a density-dependent process. At all sites, measurements of stand density and composition made early were highly correlated with those made late in the monitoring period, indicating that patterns of stand structure initiated within a few years after fire are maintained through subsequent decades of stand development.

The contribution of coarse woody debris to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in three Rocky Mountain coniferous forests

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1592-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raija Laiho ◽  
Cindy E Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Wood Decay ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Aboveground Litter

The contribution of coarse woody debris to C, N, and P cycles was assessed in forests of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench Voss), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) - Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) in southwestern Alberta. Mass loss and changes in C, N, and P concentrations in decomposing log segments were measured for 14 years. Litter input was measured during 10 years for coarse woody debris, 1 year for ground vegetation, and 5 years for other aboveground litter types. Release of C, N and P from decomposing litter were simulated for a period of 40 years. After 14 years, log segments of pine, spruce, and fir had lost on average 71, 38, and 40%, respectively, of their dry mass. The N content of the pine logs increased, spruce changed little, and fir lost N. Phosphorus accumulated in all logs. The greatest imports of N and P occurred at the pine sites and fir sites, respectively, where these nutrients were the least available, indicating that wood decay organisms may compete with vegetation for limiting nutrients in these forests. Coarse woody debris comprised 3-24% of aboveground litter and contributed less than 5% of the N and P released. Coarse woody debris does not appear to make a significant contribution to N and P cycling in these forests.

Serotiny and life history of Pinus contorta var. latifolia

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia S. Muir ◽  
James E. Lotan
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
History Of

Mature serotinous and nonserotinous trees of Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm. in the Bitterroot Watershed of western Montana do not differ in most life-history characteristics (reproductive or vegetative). No differences between trees of the two cone types were found in height, basal area, basal area growth rates over the lives of the trees, or crown ratio. Cone number, weights of individual cones and seeds, and estimates of reproductive effort were similar in serotinous and non-serotinous trees. Reproductive characteristics were either independent of tree age, or related similarly in trees of the two cone types. Nonserotinous trees may, however, have more seeds per cone than serotinous trees. This difference in seed numbers may be adaptive if serotinous trees invest relatively heavily in cone materials to protect seeds (which are retained in cones for many years), while nonserotinous trees (which shed seeds each year) invest relatively heavily in seeds. Trees of the two cone types differ mainly in the particular types of disturbance favoring their regeneration, but they often grow in the same stands where there are similar selective pressures on most aspects of their biology. Gene flow between them probably homogenizes all but those differences maintained by strong selective pressures.

Stand growth responses after fertilization for thinned lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce in forests of interior British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482
Author(s):  
Woongsoon Jang ◽  
Bianca N.I. Eskelson ◽  
Louise de Montigny ◽  
Catherine A. Bealle Statland ◽  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.

Influence of Site Factors on Incidence of Vole and Lemming Feeding Damage to Forest Plantations

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Wayne L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Average Survival

Abstract The incidence of meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and brown lemming (Lemmus sibiricus) feeding damage to young plantations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and interior spruce (Picea glauca × Picea engelmannii) was studied in west-central British Columbia. Fifty-eight plantations were surveyed for seedling survival and stocking, and an additional 21 older plantations of lodgepole pine were surveyed for tree damage. Average survival of pine (47.7%) was significantly lower than that of spruce (56.0%). Because of mortality from vole feeding, 24 of the 58 plantations were not satisfactorily restocked. Planted trees were attacked significantly more than natural regeneration. Severely attacked plantations occurred in the spruce-subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forest type at elevations > 800 m on N to NE aspects. Susceptible plantations generally had mechanical or no site preparation with complex post-harvest debris and limited vegetation cover. West. J. Appl. For. 6(3):64-67.

Temporal development of decaying log habitats in wet spruce–fir stands in east-central British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 2841-2850 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Craig DeLong ◽  
Lori D Daniels ◽  
Ben Heemskerk ◽  
Ken Olaf Storaunet
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Time Since Death ◽  
Morphological Attributes ◽  
East Central ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Advanced Stages

Time since death and time since fall were estimated for hybrid spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) logs to quantify temporal changes in log decay and habitat quality in east-central British Columbia. We sampled 136 logs (72 spruce and 64 fir) for species, size, and morphological attributes and used dendroecological techniques to estimate year of death (n = 97) and fall (n =  22). Time since death and time since fall of spruce and fir were similar in decay classes 1 and 2; fir was older than spruce in more advanced stages of decay. Discriminant analysis based on time since fall correctly classified logs into four decay classes for 67% and 80% of spruce and fir, respectively. Function as wildlife habitat changed significantly as logs decayed. Logs served as elevated runways for approximately 15 years and then increased in value as habitat for invertebrates and insectivores as wood softened and vegetation established. Concealed spaces increased as the wood decomposed but decreased when logs collapsed. We conclude that decay classes represent biologically and statistically significant stages of log decomposition that are relevant to wildlife habitat and therefore provide a useful construct for model development and field interpretation..

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