Structure and dynamics of trembling aspen – white spruce mixed stands near Fort Nelson, B.C.

Abstract

The trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) – white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) mixed woods near Fort Nelson are distinguished by the large size of individual trees, longevity, and the low occurrence of internal decay in trembling aspen. The development of these forest ecosystems has had limited documentation and may be significantly different than those described in other portions of the boreal forest. At five study stands, stem analysis techniques were used to examine the patterns of height and radial growth over time according to species and structure type. There were two patterns of species establishment that were consistent with the stand structure. In codominant stands, recruitment periods for trembling aspen and white spruce overlapped. The stratified stands were consistently associated with a 29- to 58-year lag in white spruce recruitment. Spruce that were codominant with aspen at the time of sampling had sustained periods of rapid height and diameter growth. White spruce that were later to establish on site had slower rates of height and diameter growth. White spruce ages indicated that a dominant recruitment episode was more common than continuous recruitment. Height and diameter growth of trembling aspen were similar in both stand types. The differences in trembling aspen growth patterns between stands were due to site quality. The white spruce in codominant stands did not appear to go through a period of suppression and then release associated with stand-level trembling aspen mortality, as commonly described for other boreal mixedwoods. The vigor and longevity of trembling aspen in Fort Nelson appear to prolong the period of trembling aspen domination of mixed stands well beyond the time periods observed in other boreal ecosystems.