Red Squirrel Populations in Natural and Managed Stands of Lodgepole Pine

1986 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Richard A. Moses
Keyword(s):  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Red Squirrel

Impact of red squirrel feeding damage on spaced stands of lodgepole pine in the Cariboo Region of British Columbia

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 666-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Alan Vyse
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Red Squirrel ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Animal Damage ◽  
General Decline ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Number Of Stems ◽  
The Impact

This study measured the impact of red squirrel (Tamiasciurushudsonicus Erxleben) feeding damage on spaced stands of lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) in the Cariboo Forest Region of British Columbia. A limited regional assessment of animal damage in spaced stands indicated that squirrels were the most important small mammal damage agents and that lodgepole pine was the only tree species susceptible to squirrel feeding (bark and vascular tissues) injuries. Intensive assessment of damage in two stands showed that squirrel attack was significantly greater among large- (>60 mm dbh) than small-diameter stems. Significantly more spaced than control (unspaced) crop trees were attacked. There was a general decline in the proportion of trees wounded from 1980 to 1985. Some damaged trees grew faster in diameter than undamaged trees of the same size. However, at one study area, damaged trees showed faster radial growth than undamaged trees before and after squirrel attack. Squirrels appear to prefer feeding on vigorous stems and the lost growth of these trees may be substantial. Height growth of damaged trees was significantly reduced in one stand in the years following squirrel damage. Some limit to a tree's capacity to sustain damage, beyond which mortality is inevitable, seems likely. Impact of damage to spaced stands may be minimized by delaying spacing in susceptible areas or by increasing the prescribed number of stems remaining after spacing to compensate for expected mortality and severe damage.

scholarly journals The Role of the American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus) in the Evolution of Serotiny in Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta).

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 155-160
Author(s):  
Matt Talluto ◽  
Craig Benkman
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Red Squirrel ◽  
Seed Predator ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
And Function ◽  
High Elevations

Coevolutionary interactions can have dramatic effects on the structure and function of ecosystems, particularly when spatial structure leads to local adaptation. Here we report on an ongoing study of the interaction between lodgepole pine and its primary pre-dispersal seed predator, the American red squirrel. Lodgepole pine is serotinous, meaning seeds are held in closed cones until released by the heat of a fire. Serotiny has been shown to increase seedling density following stand replacing fire, and can have far-reaching ecosystem- and community-level implications. Red squirrels are negatively associated with serotiny at broad geographic scales, and may select against the serotinous trait. This project aims to examine the correlation between red squirrel density and the frequency of serotiny in lodgepole pine forests and the mechanisms underlying potential selection against serotiny by red squirrels. Specifically, we will determine whether this correlation is present when other factors affecting serotiny (i.e., fire frequency, elevation) are held constant, whether the fitness of serotinous trees is reduced in the presence of red squirrels, and what factors control the density of red squirrels. Preliminary results indicate that serotiny and squirrel density is strongly negatively correlated, but only at low elevations. Serotiny was nearly absent at high elevations, but squirrel density varied as much as at low elevations, suggesting that serotiny does not control squirrel density, but that increasing squirrel density may lead to increasing selection against serotiny.

Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest

2006 ◽  
Vol 228 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 69-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Druscilla S. Sullivan ◽  
Pontus M.F. Lindgren ◽  
Douglas B. Ransome
Keyword(s):  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Stand Thinning

scholarly journals Estimating Aboveground Tree Biomass for Beetle-Killed Lodgepole Pine in the Rocky Mountains of Northern Colorado

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woodam Chung ◽  
Paul Evangelista ◽  
Nathaniel Anderson ◽  
Anthony Vorster ◽  
Hee Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Northern Colorado ◽  
Aboveground Tree Biomass
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