Mechanical scarification can reduce competitive traits of boreal ericaceous shrubs and improve nutritional site quality

Abstract

Abstract Ericaceous shrubs often interfere with the growth of black spruce seedlings on regenerating forest sites in Eastern Canada. Mechanical site preparation such as scarification may improve this situation, but it is uncertain whether this is solely due to a reduction in direct competition from the shrubs, or also from a sustained improvement in nutritional site quality. We sampled experimental plots in two boreal climate regions (i.e. warmer-drier Abitibi vs. cooler-wetter Côte-Nord) where scarification, performed 18 years earlier, had increased the growth of black spruce relative to non-scarified plots. Trees of scarified plots had closed the canopy more than trees of non-scarified plots in Côte-Nord, but not in Abitibi. Total ground cover of ericaceous shrubs was lower in scarified plots at both sites, the main species being Kalmia angustifolia (i.e. Kalmia) in Abitibi and Rhododendron groenlandicum (i.e. Labrador tea) in Côte-Nord. Scarified plots at both sites had significantly shorter current-year ericaceous rhizomes than non-scarified plots, but the difference between treatments was significantly greater in Côte-Nord than in Abitibi. In Côte-Nord, ericaceous shrubs on scarified plots had a lower specific rhizome mass, higher specific leaf area, lower tannin and higher N concentrations in leaves and litter, and lower N use efficiency than on non-scarified plots. By comparison, scarification in Abitibi affected only one foliar property, namely a reduction in the C:N ratio of Kalmia leaf litter. Forest floor N mineralization rates and black spruce needle N concentrations were higher in scarified than non-scarified plots across both sites. Taken collectively, results suggest that mechanical scarification on ericaceous shrub-dominated cutovers can reduce competitive traits of boreal ericaceous shrubs and improve nutritional site quality, especially in cooler-wetter climates.Highlights