by Audrey Verreault | 30 January 2019
Published in Journal of Sustainable Forestry 34(3): 169-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2014.980895
Tree improvement programs aim to develop families that are well-adapted to future growing conditions. To gain insight into the stability of the family genetic response to climate change, white spruce ( Picea glauca) seedlings from 60 full-sib families were subjected to a combination of two temperature regimes and two levels of CO2 over two growing seasons. There was positive effect of warmer temperatures and higher CO2 on some growth variables but no significant family × treatment interactions. Instantaneous water use efficiency was the only physiological trait that was affected positively by the CO2 treatment, showing a 51% increase that was consistent across families.
by Marie-Claude Boileau | 30 January 2019
Published in Forests 6: 510-532. https://doi.org/10.3390/f6020510
We evaluated the effectiveness of commercial thinning mainly from below (CT; 0, 26%, 32% and 40% merchantable basal area removals) in meeting wood production demands and developing structural heterogeneity in a balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill) and spruce (Picea spp.) stand. After 10 years, 32%–40% removals showed a 12%–18% increase in mean diameter and 27%–38% increase in gross merchantable volume (GMV) per tree compared to the unthinned control. At the stand level, all thinning treatments generated as much cumulative GMV (harvested volume + GMV after 10 years) and gross sawlog volume per hectare as the unthinned control. As for stand structure, eight out of nine thinned experimental units showed increased structural heterogeneity after 10 years, i.e., irregular, positively-skewed diameter distribution with an elongated right tail toward larger trees. The diameter distribution in the unthinned control became more symmetric, unimodal and regular over time, with fewer saplings than at the beginning of the experiment and lower density of larger trees compared to CT. Regeneration density and stocking were abundant in all treatments, largely dominated by balsam fir. Results indicate that thinning can be used to meet wood production objectives and help develop structural heterogeneity in this forest.
by Svetlana Savin | 30 January 2019
Published in New Forests 46: 409-425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-015-9468-6
We established a long-term experiment in a temperate mixedwood stand to evaluate the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments in regenerating a mixed-species cohort while maintaining the dominance of conifers. Silvicultural treatments included clearcutting using careful logging around advanced growth (CLAAG), uniform shelterwood (US), group shelterwood with (GS-s) or without scarification (GS), and an uncut control (control). After 10 years, height and ground-line diameter growth responses of advanced balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) regeneration were substantial in CLAAG and GS compared to the control, and intermediate in US. Growth responses were proportional to increases in canopy light transmittance resulting from harvest. Advanced balsam fir regeneration had low mortality (<10 %) and a high potential for release as measured by the apical dominance ratio. At the stand level, however, a shift in species composition occurred in the regenerating cohort. Over the 10-year period, composition changed from conifer-dominated to hardwood-dominated in CLAAG, GS, and GS-s compared to the control. Scarification increased the magnitude of this shift by favoring shade-intolerant hardwoods. Results highlight the need to find a balance between releasing advance conifer regeneration and limiting competition from less desirable species.
by Claire Morin | 30 January 2019
Published in Ecosphere 6(5): 1-22. https://doi.org/110.1890/ES14-00209
Long-term forest soil monitoring and research often require a comparison of laboratory data generated at different times and in different laboratories. Quantifying the uncertainty associated with these analyses is necessary to assess temporal changes in soil properties. Forest soil chemical properties, and methods to measure these properties, often differ from agronomic and horticultural soils. Soil proficiency programs do not generally include forest soil samples that are highly acidic, high in extractable Al, low in extractable Ca and often high in carbon. To determine the uncertainty associated with specific analytical methods for forest soils, we collected and distributed samples from two soil horizons (Oa and Bs) to 15 laboratories in the eastern United States and Canada. Soil properties measured included total organic carbon and nitrogen, pH and exchangeable cations. Overall, results were consistent despite some differences in methodology. We calculated the median absolute deviation (MAD) for each measurement and considered the acceptable range to be the median 6 2.5 3 MAD. Variability among laboratories was usually as low as the typical variability within a laboratory. A few areas of concern include a lack of consistency in the measurement and expression of results on a dry weight basis, relatively high variability in the C/N ratio in the Bs horizon, challenges associated with determining exchangeable cations at concentrations near the lower reporting range of some laboratories and the operationally defined nature of aluminum extractability. Recommendations include a continuation of reference forest soil exchange programs to quantify the uncertainty associated with these analyses in conjunction with ongoing efforts to review and standardize laboratory methods.
by Audrey Verreault | 30 January 2019
Published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 186(12): 8191-8202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3997-x
The projected increase in atmospheric N deposition and air/soil temperature will likely affect soil nutrient dynamics in boreal ecosystems. The potential effects of these changes on soil ion fluxes were studied in a mature balsam fir stand (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill) in Québec, Canada that was subjected to 3 years of experimentally increased soil temperature (+4 °C) and increased inorganic N concentration in artificial precipitation (three times the current N concentrations using NH4NO3). Soil element fluxes (NO3, NH4, PO4, K, Ca, Mg, SO4, Al, and Fe) in the organic and upper mineral horizons were monitored using buried ion-exchange membranes (PRS™ probes). While N additions did not affect soil element fluxes, 3 years of soil warming increased the cumulative fluxes of K, Mg, and SO4 in the forest floor by 43, 44, and 79 %, respectively, and Mg, SO4, and Al in the mineral horizon by 29, 66, and 23 %, respectively. We attribute these changes to increased rates of soil organic matter decomposition. Significant interactions of the heating treatment with time were observed for most elements although no clear seasonal patterns emerged. The increase in soil K and Mg in heated plots resulted in a significant but small K increase in balsam fir foliage while no change was observed for Mg. A 6–15 % decrease in foliar Ca content with soil warming could be related to the increase in soil-available Al in heated plots, as Al can interfere with the root uptake of Ca.
