Following the appointment of the new Cabinet, the Forest Sector now reports to the ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts, while the Wildlife and Parks Sectors report to the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte aux changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. Adjustments will be made to the website over time.

Back to publications

Effect of tapping for syrup production on sugar maple tree growth in the Quebec Appalachians

Summary

Published in Trees 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-02001-x

Some studies suggest that tapping sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) trees can cause their growth to decline, particularly on poor and acidic soils. We tested this hypothesis in seven sugar bushes located in the Quebec Appalachians by comparing the growth of tapped trees with nearby untapped trees. The sites represented a range of soil fertility, from very good for sugar maple to strongly deficient in calcium. Trees were cored, and individual dendrochronology series were used to analyze trends in basal area growth, from a period of 10 years before, to 8–10 years after tapping began. Basal area growth of sugar maples did not appear to be influenced by tapping (p ≥ 0.134), except at one site (p < 0.001), where the growth of tapped trees decreased by 33% over 10 years. This decline could not be explained only by the poor soil fertility observed at the site. Although a tree biomass distribution budget indicated that maple syrup production represented only 4–6% of the carbon allocated annually to net primary production, the long-term relationship between maple syrup production and tree growth requires further study.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Ecosystems and Environment, Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture

Author(s)

OUIMET, Rock, François GUILLEMETTE, Louis DUCHESNE et Jean-David MOORE

Year of publication :

2021

Format :

PDF

ISSN

0931-1890

Keywords :

expérience sur le réchauffement du sol, expérience sur l'ajout d'azote, forêt boréale, minéralisation de l'azote, régénération en conifères, δ15N foliaire, RMN, article scientifique de la recherche forestière, écosystèmes et environnement, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements de feuillus, ecosystems and environment, silviculture and yield of natural forests - hardwood stands, soil warming experiment, nitrogen addition experiment, boreal forest, nitrogen mineralization, conifer regeneration, foliar δ15N, NMR, forestry research scientific article

Partagez