Download or read book Factors Influencing Growth of Young Douglas fir and Red Alder in the Oregon Coast Range written by Laura Angélica Fuentes-Rodríquez and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) is a common associate and a potentially severe competitor of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in the Oregon Coast Range. However, because it fixes nitrogen and increases rates of soil nutrient cycling, red alder has the potential to benefit Douglas-fir. The objective of this study was to quantify and attempt to explain differences in growth of young Douglas-fir and red alder, growing in mixed and pure stands, by analyzing six-year trends in survival, growth, animal damage of saplings, cover of understory vegetation, and foliar and soil nutrients. In March 1986, a replacement series study was established by planting Douglas-fir and red alder at 3-m spacing in 0.073-ha plots with the following species proportions (Douglas-fir/red alder): 1/0, 0.9/0.1, 0.7/0.3, 0.5/0.5, 0.25/0.75, 0/1. Each proportion was replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. Six annual measurements (fall 1986-1991) of survival, growth, and animal damage and one measurement of stand yield (1991 basal area, volume, and predicted biomass) were used in response surface analyses to test for significant polynomial relationships (a=0.05) between tree response and species proportion. Relationships of Douglas-fir height increment to red alder proportion varied from positive linear (year 2) to no relationship (years 3-4) to negative linear (years 5-6). Relationships of Douglas-fir diameter increment to red alder proportion varied from no relationship (years 2-3) to negative linear (year 4) to negative quadratic (years 5-6). In the sixth year, competition from red alder caused relative yield (relative to monoculture yield) of Douglasfir volume index and predicted biomass to be significantly less than the yield that would be expected in the absence of intraspecific competition (expected yield). Increasing proportion of Douglas-fir decreased intraspecific competition of red alder, and as a result, relative yield of basal area and predicted biomass for red alder was significantly greater than its expected yield. Two easurements (March 1986 and 1991) of mineralizable nitrogen (NH4 and NO3); total N, P, and C; and pH from 3 soil depths (0-15, 15-30, and 60-90 cm) were used in analysis of variance to test for significant differences (a=O.05) in sixth-year amount and five-year change in these variables among three species proportions (Douglas-fir/red alder): 1/0, 0.5/0.5, and 0/i. There was no net N accretion; however, there was higher mineralizable N as NH4 in pure Douglas-fir stands than in mixed stands. One explanation for these results is that possibly the more open conditions of Douglas-fir stands increased rates of N mineralization. Douglas-fir foliar N and P also were significantly higher in pure stands than in mixed stands, probably because of the increased ability of large, vigorous saplings growing in absence of red alder to absorb soil nutrients rather than because of greater supplies of soil nutrients. The effect of increased Douglas-fir vigor and size in enhancing nutrient uptake was more prominent for P than for N. These data indicate that the effects of red alder on Douglas-fir can range from positive to neutral to negative. In general, competition was the most important factor limiting survival and growth of Douglas-fir; animal damage and understory vegetation under red alder canopies caused further limitations in Douglas-fir response. In addition, results of this research suggest that red alder competition can be tolerated with little loss of Douglas-fir survival and growth through an age of 4 years.

Download or read book The Structure and Dynamics of Red Alder Communities in the Central Coast Range of Western Oregon written by Gary C. Carlton and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) is a fast-growing pioneer species that colonizes disturbed forest sites west of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Streambottoms, toe slopes, and mass movement of surface soils have historically provided the scarification and soil moisture necessary for successful regeneration of red alder. During the past century, however, extensive logging activity has greatly increased the availability of suitable conditions for alder establishment. The species has responded by expanding upslope throughout its range, displacing native conifers over large areas. As a relatively short-lived pioneer species, red alder would be expected, by conventional succession theory, to relinquish sites to longer-lived conifers such as Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). However, studies conducted on sites dominated by red alder have found very little tree regeneration, suggesting that shrub species such as salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis Pursh) or vine maple (Acer circinatuin Pursh) may dominate sites after senescence of red alder. In this study, I examined both the understory and overstory components of 44 stands dominated by red alder in the Alsea River drainage of the Oregon Coast Range. Stands ranged in age from 7 to 87 years, the entire span of age classes found within the study area. Using a chronosequence approach, I inferred patterns of stand development and of change in the understory vegetation throughout the lifetime of the canopy dominants. I also evaluated a variety of tree and stand characteristics to relate stand structure and development to site factors and disturbance history. I then employed multivariate procedures to classify and ordinate understory vegetation, culminating in a description of five community-types. Four of the community-types were further differentiated into two variants associated with site factors. Disturbance was found to be important for successful colonization of sites by red alder, but the type of disturbance was not strongly related to structure or productivity of red alder stands. Logging and fire were the most common types of disturbance opening up sites for colonization by red alder. Evidence of logging and fire were observed on 30 and 19 plots, respectively. Landslides and unstable soils were evident on 16 sites. Site conditions such as physiographic position, elevation, and slope were more important determinants of alder stand structure than disturbance agents. Toe slopes had the highest site index values, but stands in midslope positions tended to attain greatest basal area and highest relative density index. Dominance and suppression were exhibited in diameter distribution patterns that expanded and became multimodal as the canopy matured. Self-thinning consistently removed the smallest individuals in young stands, but mortality in larger size classes gradually became important in older stands. Five understory communities are described in this thesis. Swordfern was dominant under most young stands of red alder, with occasional appearance of shrubs normally found on open, disturbed sites. Middle-aged alder stands supported one of three community-types: a mixture of swordfern and several shrub species, a community dominated strongly by swordfern and salmonberry, or a community characterized by dense thickets of salmonberry. Under many stands of senescing red alder, particularly those at high elevation, vine maple was the single dominant, but salmonberry was well represented in old stands at low elevation. Abundance of many non-woody species was found to fluctuate during the growing season. However, certain key species were identified that maintained relatively constant cover during the summer, and these species were used as the characteristic species for classification of communities. Very little tree regeneration was observed under intact red alder canopies or under the discontinuous canopies of senescing alder. In older stands, abundant understory vegetation apparently inhibited tree regeneration through competition for light and other resources and through the direct physical effects of litter deposits on the forest floor. On most sites, succession to communities dominated by salmonberry or vine maple appeared likely, although scattered saplings of western hemlock and western redcedar might eventually form a discontinuous canopy on some sites.

Download or read book Early Survival and Growth of Planted Douglas fir with Red Alder in Four Mixed Regimes written by Marshall D. Murray and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Competitive Interactions in Young Coastal Douglas fir red Alder Mixtures written by Amy T. Grotta and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Douglas-fir and red alder grow in mixture, interactions between the two species can be competitive, facilitative, or a combination of both over time. A number of factors have recently led to increased interest in managing these two species together for commercial production, and ongoing investigations are yielding important information about how interactions between the two species affect stand structure and productivity. Many wood quality attributes are ultimately controlled by physiological processes, which in turn are affected by competition within a forest stand. This research addressed how stand structure in young, mixed red alder/Douglas-fir plantations was associated with variations in growth form and wood quality. Branch attributes and cambial growth patterns in Douglas-fir and stem form attributes in red alder were analyzed as a function of species proportion and timing of establishment in 15-year-old mixed plantations in the Oregon coast range. When the two species were planted simultaneously, only mixed stands with low (10% of total stand density) proportions of red alder had low Douglas-fir mortality. In these stands, red alder stem form was poor, with a high incidence of multiple stems, low live crown bases, and considerable stem lean and sweep. Douglas-fir trees had a relatively short season of cambial growth and many were highly suppressed. When red alder planting was delayed five years, Douglas-fir trees had a short cambial growth season when the proportion of red alder in the stand was high (75%). Douglas-fir crown base height was low when the proportion of red alder was high, but branch sizes were relatively consistent across species proportions. Percent latewood in Douglas-fir was not affected by species proportion. Red alder stem form was consistent across all levels of species proportion. It is suggested that the differences observed are a result of differential juvenile growth rates of the two species and subsequent different levels of light availability to individual tree crowns through stand age 15. Simultaneous planting of the two species at these spacings results in either unacceptable Douglas-fir growth and mortality rates or poor red alder stem form, depending on species proportion. Delayed planting of red alder appears to improve red alder stem form and results in acceptable Douglas-fir wood quality attributes, if red alder proportion is 50% or less. Because these stands are not yet of harvestable size, further monitoring is needed to assess how the patterns of growth and wood quality described would affect eventual product recovery.

Download or read book Comparative Effects of Precommercial Thinning Urea Fertilizer and Red Alder in a Site II Coast Douglas fir Plantation written by Richard E. Miller and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Comparative Effects of Urea Fertilizer and Red Alder in a Site III Coast Douglas fir Plantation in the Washington Cascade Range written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five randomly assigned treatments were used to quantify effects of adding varying numbers of red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) or nitrogen (N) fertilization on growth of a 10-year-old conifer plantation at a medium quality site in the western Washington Cascade Range. Zero, 20, 40, and 80 alder trees per acre were retained along with about 300 conifers per acre. Nearly all conifers were coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). A fifth treatment substituted N fertilizer for N-fixing alder. Changes in average tree height, and in numbers of trees, basal area, and volume per acre between plantation ages of 10 and 27 are compared. In pure conifer plots, gross volume growth averaged 26 percent greater on fertilized than nonfertilized plots, indicating measurable benefits of additional N. On both fertilized and nonfertilized plots, an average of 13 percent of the original conifers died. Retaining 20, 40, or 80 alder per acre (7, 13, and 27 percent of the associated conifer trees per acre, respectively) was associated with reduced numbers of Douglas-fir by about 19, 5, and 17 percent, respectively, in the next 17 years. Mortality and growth of Douglas-fir were not related to alder density, but losses of Douglas-fir were especially large on plots where relatively large red alder (20 per acre) were retained. Neither total stand nor conifer yields were changed by retaining alder. Additional comparisons are needed at other locations, especially those with known N deficiency.

Download or read book Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences written by Wade H. Shafer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS)* at Purdue University in 1957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dis semination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the thought that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this jOint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all concerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an international publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemination. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Corporation of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 40 (thesis year 1995) a total of 10,746 thesis titles from 19 Canadian and 144 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this impor tant annual reference work. While Volume 40 reports theses submitted in 1995, on occasion, certain uni versities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.

Download or read book Red Alder written by Robert Leslie Deal and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March 23-25, 2005, an international symposium on red alder was held at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, WA. The symposium was entitled S2Red alder: A State of KnowledgeS3 and brought together regional experts to critically examine the economic, ecological and social values of red alder. The primary goal of the symposium was to discuss new advances in the understanding of red alder biology and silviculture, changing market and nonmarket values, and the current regulatory climate for management of alder. This proceedings includes 14 papers based on oral presentations given at the symposium. These papers highlight some of the key findings from the history, ecology, biology, silviculture and economics sessions presented at the red alder symposium.

Download or read book Fifth year Growth Responses of Douglas fir to Crowding and Other Competition written by Elizabeth C. Cole and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis examines the competitive aspects of Douglas-fir trees growing with two commonly associated competitors--red alder and grass--at varying densities. Two Nelder plots in three different environments in the Oregon Coast Range were studied. The sites represented the warm, dry climate of the Willamette Valley; the warm, moist climate of the valleys of the mid-range; and the cool, moist climate found along the fog belt a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Plots ranged in spacing from 300 to 15250 cm2/tree and consisted of six "pie-shaped" treatments. The plots had been previously planted in the spring of 1978 with 2-0 bare root Douglas-fir nursery stock. Two sections were interplanted with red alder, and two sections were broadcast seeded with grass the following year. Measurements indicate that Douglas-fir growth is inhibited by red alder and grass competition as well as competition from other Douglas-fir. Grass competition is severe only during the initial years of the plantation, while red alder competition becomes more pronounced with time. Growth is a function of density, competitor type, and site, and significant interactions occur among the three. Leaf area per tree of Douglas-fir under competition can be predicted by leaf weight, stand density, and competitor type. The formation of shade needles in response to density and competitor type increases the leaf area:leaf weight ratio. Growth efficiency (stemwood volume production/unit of leaf area) is not highest for the most vigorous trees. On a per hectare basis, high productivity is correlated with high leaf area index, but the relation is reversed on a per tree basis.

Download or read book General Technical Report PNW GTR written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Growth and Development of Young Douglas fir in Relation to Intra and Inter specific Competition written by Sheperd Morrison Zedaker and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis explored the relationships between the growth of Douglas-fir seedlings and light and moisture resource availability as influenced by competitor type and density in the Oregon Coast Range. Twelve 360 m2 Nelder plots, encompassing a range of 300 to 15,000 cm2 per plant in 48 spokes, were established in the spring of 1978 using 2-0, bare-root, seedlings on three sites representing a cool-moist, a warm-moist, and a hot-dry environment. Irrigation was applied to two of the four plots on each site. Each plot was split into six "pie" sections. Two sections were planted with Douglas-fir alone; two sections had alternating spokes with one-year-old red alder wildlings; and two sections were planted with Douglas-fir and broadcast seeded with grass. Observations on soil moisture, plant moisture stress, light attenuation in the seedling canopy, height, diameter and volume growth, and dry matter accumulation were taken at the end of the 1979 and 1980 growing seasons. The results indicated that Douglas-fir growth was inhibited by competition with red alder and grass. Significant interactions between site and competitor type were found. Differences in soil moisture depletion and plant moisture stress were indicative of the site-competitor-density interactions. Tree growth was correlated with area per tree, reaching an upper asymptote within the range studied. Moisture did not appear to be a limiting factor for growth in the range of sites studied after first year irrigation as long as Douglas-fir had no competitors. Foliage, root, and total biomass per tree were positively correlated with space available.

Download or read book Red Alder Harvesting Opportunities in Western Oregon written by Donald R. Gedney and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Juvenile Development of Douglas fir Red Alder and Snowbrush Associations in Western Oregon written by Babiker Ahmed El Hassan and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The juvenile development of Douglas-fir, red alder and snowbrush associations was investigated in western Oregon. The relationship between Douglas-fir and red alder was studied and compared in the Coast, Willamette Valley and Cascade regions. Snowbrush- Douglas-fir stands were sampled in the western Cascades. Alder- Douglas-fir relationships were studied on clearcuts supporting at the same time mixtures of alder and Douglas-fir and open-grown Douglas-fir. Sites where snowbrush and Douglas-fir grew together were selected on the same basis. Total heights of alder and Douglas-fir were expressed as cumulative one-year growth measurements. Canopy height of snowbrush was measured at various ages to determine growth rate. Information pertaining to moisture, vegetation, slope, aspect, elevation and stand structure was recorded at each sample plot. The data were analyzed with the aid of a multiple regression program. Height and (height)2 were treated as independent variables, and annual height increment as the dependent variable. Results indicate that early establishment of Douglas-fir is expected to aid its dominance-takeover and allow it to evade suppression by red alder. Douglas-fir trees growing on wet sites need to be established earlier than those on drier habitats for the same degree of suppression evasion. The rapid juvenile growth rate of red alder is a major threat for the successful establishment of Douglas-fir. Height growth curves of the two species intersected at an earlier age on non-wet as compared to wet sites. The two trees grow in direct competition up to about age 40 years on wet habitats, with alder able to suppress Douglas-fir during this period. Douglas-fir has virtually no chance of survival when it is established concurrently with red alder or after its appearance. Snowbrush retards the growth of Douglas-fir trees during their first ten years of development. Trees that are delayed more than five years in establishment suffer a loss of more than 50% in total height as a result of the suppressive effect of the shrub. It is expected that the trees will compensate for some of this loss, but their growth may never equal that of comparable open-grown Douglas-fir developing under similar conditions.

Download or read book The Biology and Management of Red Alder written by David E. Hibbs and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Red Alder, the Northwest's most common hardwood, is of increasing biological and economic importance to the region. This timely study examines current knowledge about red alder and its role in Northwest forests.

Download or read book Forest Statistics for Deschutes County Oregon written by Floyd Lester Moravets and published by . This book was released on 1954 with total page 868 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Red Alder of the Pacific Northwest written by Herman Meserve Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ppp. 42.

Download or read book Early Competitive Interactions Between Red Alder and Salmonberry in the Oregon Coast Range written by Linda Susan Kelly and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General outcomes of this study show that early growth of planted red alder is often slowed in the presence of neighboring vegetation, and overwhelmingly by salmonberry, a common associate in disturbed Oregon Coast Range habitats. Additionally, young red alder plantations located in riparian areas may be highly susceptible to frost injury or death and animal damage, particularly by beavers and mountain beavers. Growth analysis of two- and three-year old red alder planted at seventeen planting densities in a type 1a Nelder design are represented in this study. Each density is also analyzed in the presence and absence of salmonberry-dominated "weedy" vegetation native to the Oregon Coast Range. Red alder volume growth was reduced with increasing density of planted seedlings when salmonberry was not present, but intraspecific competition was eliminated in the presence of salmonberry. Red alder seedlings grew less in volume with salmonberry competition than at the highest weed-free planting densities. Although salmonberry presence played a significantly larger role in decreasing early growth of young alder than intraspecific competition among experimentally-induced planting densities, competition between individual red alder seedlings began at plantation age two, where alders were weed free and grew large enough to compete with other alders. Indications show that density competition between trees will increase as the stand develops. Drought stress did not significantly affect young red alder growth on these generally mesic sites. Among growth parameters, diameter and volume increment and height:diameter ratios were the most sensitive indicators of planting density and shrub and herbaceous competition among young red alders. Therefore, these measurements may be used to best predict early competitive stress in tree seedlings. Conversely, early height growth was too variable to be of significant predictive value for density and salmonberry competition effects. Study results imply that the successful establishment of red alder in Oregon Coast Range habitats may benefit from proper spacing of planted seedlings and minimizing the potential for salmonberry invasion, animal browsing and frost injury to trees in the initial years of stand development.