The relationship of stand structure with canopy transmittance: Simple models and practical methods for managing understory light conditions in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)-dominated forests

2014 ◽  
Vol 90 (04) ◽  
pp. 489-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Canopy Closure ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship of stand structural features with understory light levels, estimated by gap light index (GLI), was investigated in 22 second-growth eastern white (Pinus strobus L.) and red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.)-dominated stands in central Ontario that encompassed a broad range in density and basal area. Simple, empirical light models were developed to quantify the influence of several stand structural variables on canopy transmittance as estimated by GLI. Models were also derived to facilitate the operational identification of residual basal area, density, and percent canopy closure associated with target understory light levels that optimize the growth of white pine regeneration and its protection from weevil and blister rust when using the uniform shelterwood silvicultural system. Regression models indicated significant negative, nonlinear relationships of GLI with density, basal area, a stand density index, total crown area, and foliar biomass, while GLI was linearly related to percent canopy closure. Application of these models to identify density, basal area, and canopy closure values associated with target light levels for the regeneration and removal cuts of uniform shelterwoods demonstrates the use of this information to help guide management of white pine–red pine forests.

The aftermath of tree death: coarse woody debris and the topography in four tropical rain forests

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1489-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Gale
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Dead Tree ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship of coarse woody debris (CWD) was examined with respect to topography and site in four lowland tropical rain forests in northern Borneo and western Ecuador. In total, 1914 dead trees [Formula: see text]20 cm diameter at breast height were enumerated in 46 ha. The basal area per hectare of dead trees varied strongly with both site and slope position. Dead basal area and its correlate dead tree density increased moving up the topographic gradient from the valleys to the ridges. Site estimates for CWD volume ranged from 96 to 154 m3·ha-1. Mean standing CWD volume was four times higher on the ridge tops (54 m3·ha-1) compared with the valley and cross-terrain areas (both 13 m3·ha-1). In contrast, downed volume did not vary with slope position. The proportions of CWD present as standing wood were two to three times higher in the Bornean sites compared with Hoja Blanca. These topographical and site differences in CWD were linked to differences in mode of tree death as well as the distribution of live trees per hectare.

Effets du brûlage dirigé et du scarifiage sur l'établissement des semis et sur leur interaction avec la végétation concurrente

1995 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée Tellier ◽  
Luc C. Duchesne ◽  
Robert S. McAlpine ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Competition Index ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Clear Cut

In 1990, a jack pine forest was clear-cut on an 15 ha area and divided into 40 plots. In 1991, ten plots were burned-over under varying conditions to obtain different fire intensities and ten plots were scarified. Each plot was planted in 1992 with red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and white pine (P. strobus L.) seedlings. Survival rate and health of the seedlings was evaluated for the first two years after planting and the non-crop vegetation was assessed using a competition index developed for conifer management in Ontario. Our results show seedling survival rate, health, biomass and height to be improved when planted on burned-over or scarified sites and that fire intensity influences certain of those characteristics. Key words: scarification, fire, Pinus resinosa, Pinus strobus, competition

Improvement Cut Accelerates White Pine Sawlog Growth

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Stiell
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Eastern White Pine

Middle-aged eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) were released in 1971 by removal of overstorey hardwoods in a commercial cut. Ten-year growth of the pine indicated that treatment had been effective in promoting development of sawlog sizes. Compared with untreated stands, the margin of growth of this material was up to 30 m3/ha for middle-density understoreys (12 m2/ha of basal area), and would reach 71 m3/ha over 20 years according to growth projections.

scholarly journals Effects of structural retention harvesting on seed production and seed characteristics of old-growth eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stands in northern Ontario

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 614-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Parker ◽  
Thomas L. Noland ◽  
Brian Brown
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Eastern White Pine ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Structural Retention ◽  
Seed Characteristics

Seed production and seed characteristics were examined during a mast seeding year in unmanaged, old-growth eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stands located in northeastern Ontario and compared with those in adjacent stands partially harvested 16 years earlier using a structural retention system. Seed yields from old-growth stands were comparable to those of mature, second growth white pine stands but seed production assessed relative to unit area (# ha-1) and pine basal area (# m-2) was lower in partially harvested stands. In both unmanaged and harvested stands, seed production rate of trees growing in localized areas of lower pine basal area was higher. Seed characteristics and seed viability did not differ between harvest treatments. Although structural retention harvesting reduced seed production, results suggest that supply and viability of seed are unlikely to limit seedling recruitment in managed or protected old-growth white pine forests. Key words: germination, old-growth forest, partial harvest, seed mass, seed production

The effect of stand structure and stand density on the leaf area–sapwood area relationship of lodgepole pine

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan C. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Sapwood Area ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship of sapwood area to leaf area in lodgepole pine was examined across a variety of habitat types and stand densities in northwest Montana. No statistical differences were found between plots with regard to either habitat type or stand density. A nonlinear relationship was found between leaf area and sapwood area. Increasing amounts of sapwood were associated with a decrease in the leaf area–sapwood area ratio. A large amount of within-plot variation in the sapwood area–leaf area relationship was explained by differences between dominant trees and trees of other crown classes. Leaf area (LA) was best estimated by the equation LA = 0.12 × S − 0.0003 × S2 + 0.06 × S × D, where LA is leaf area, S is sapwood area, and D is the crown class (dominant). Differences between dominant and subdominant trees appear to be related to ring width and its associated permeability. Differences in sapwood area–leaf area equations among different studies may be due in part to differences in stand structure.

Pre-wildfire fuel treatments affect long-term ponderosa pine forest dynamics

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Strom ◽  
Peter Z. Fulé
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Fuel Treatments ◽  
Alternative Stable State ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Crown Base Height

The 2002 Rodeo–Chediski fire, the largest wildfire in south-western USA history, burned over treated stands and adjacent untreated stands in the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest, setting the stage for a natural experiment testing the effectiveness of fuel reduction treatments under conditions of extraordinary fire severity. In seven pairs of treated–untreated study sites measured 2 years after the fire, thinning was strongly associated with reduced burn severity. Treated areas had more live trees, greater survival, and reduced fire intensity as indicated by crown base height and bole char. Ponderosa pine regeneration was patchy but more dense in treated areas. We assessed decade- to century-long effects of the pre-wildfire fuel treatments using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS). Differences between treated and untreated areas were projected to persist for several decades after the fire in terms of stand structure characteristics and for at least 100 years in terms of species composition, with ponderosa pine making up ~60% of basal area in treated areas but only 35% in untreated areas. Future ecosystem development may take the trajectory of recovery to a ponderosa pine/Gambel oak forest or of a shift to an alternative stable state such as an oak-dominated shrubfield, with untreated areas more apt to undergo a shift to a shrubfield state. Current management decisions about fuel treatments have multi-century legacies.

Juvenile growth and crown morphological plasticity of eastern white pines (Pinus strobus L.) planted along a natural light gradient: Results after six years

1999 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Messier ◽  
S. Parent ◽  
M. Chengaou ◽  
J. Beaulieu
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Morphological Plasticity ◽  
Light Environment ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Pissodes Strobi ◽  
Full Sunlight ◽  
Total Height ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Light Gradient ◽  
Crown Morphology

Underplanting white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is a promising method to reduce competition and protect against white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi (Peck)) damage. However, shading caused by over-story trees can reduce growth, vigor and survival of white pine. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a light gradient on the growth and overall crown morphology of white pine saplings planted in 3-meter strips within a hardwood forest some six years earlier. In 1994, we measured total height and diameter, leader length (in 1994) and numerous crown morphological variables. We then estimated the light environment above the crown of 63 young white pine saplings representing six families of close provenance. White pine grew well (i.e., > 20 cm in height/year) for the first six years when planted at light levels between 10 and 66% of full sunlight. Total height and diameter after six years tended to decline more sharply below 30% full sunlight, confirming earlier experiments made in controlled conditions. No significant changes in crown morphology were evident along the light gradient. This lack of crown morphological plasticity presumably contributes to limiting the ability of white pine to grow and compete in a very low light environment Various silvicultural options are discussed in light of the results obtained in this study. Key words: Understory growth, white pine, understory planting, crown morphology, silvicultural options, light gradient

White pine in the transition hardwood forest

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 2046-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Hibbs
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Pinus Strobus ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Slow Growth Rate ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Pine Stands

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) in central New England is found in pure stands and as a component of mixed hardwood -pine stands. In older mixed forests, this pine is emergent over the surrounding hardwood canopy. Owing to the only moderate shade tolerance and initial slow growth rate of pine, there has been frequent speculation about how pine could survive and grow in hardwood forests. Results presented here indicate that successful white pine regeneration is achieved (i) by group reproduction in dense hardwood stands (25 m2∙h−1) where the group acts as a buffer around a central and eventually surviving pine; (ii) by single pine seedlings if hardwood competition is not too severe (18 m2∙h−1); (iii) occasionally by advanced regeneration from a previous stand; and, (iv) in mature forests, by regeneration in larger canopy gaps.

scholarly journals Wildlife Responses to Thinning Red Pine

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis C. Bender ◽  
Donna L. Minnis ◽  
Jonathan B. Haufler
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Wildlife Use ◽  
Closed Canopy ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Intensively Managed

Abstract Red pine is the most intensively managed conifer type in the Lake States, but its typical stand structure of a closed canopy with little understory results in poor wildlife habitat. We evaluated the effects of thinning mature red pine stands on wildlife habitat attributes and use. Red pine stands were thinned to a residual basal area of 16.1 m²/ha and 25.3 m²/ha and compared with controls (>32.1 m²/ha) in terms of understory development, small mammal use, and ungulate use. Overstory thinning resulted in increased woody shrub densities and understory productivity. Small mammal populations tended to increase with overstory thinning, but the results were inconclusive. Elk and deer use increased with overstory removal. Increased ungulate use was likely attributable to increased forage quantity and quality and increased hiding/security cover attributes of the thinned stands. We conclude that overstory thinning can be an effective means of enhancing wildlife habitat and increasing wildlife use of red pine. North. J. Appl. For. 14(3):141-146.

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