Cedar Stands Research Articles

Changes in Ecosystem Carbon Following Afforestation of Native Sand Prairie

Determining the dynamics of carbon (C) as a function of vegetation and residue inputs is important for predicting changes in ecosystem functions and the global C cycle. Litter and soil samples were analyzed from plantations of eastern red cedar (Juniperous virginiana) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and native prairie at the Nebraska National Forest to evaluate the impact of different types of land management on soil C contents and turnover rates. Total soil C to a depth of 1 m was greatest in the cedar stands. Pine ecosystems stored more C in the tree biomass and litter but lost more native prairie C from the soil. The soil ¹³C content showed 82% of the original, and prairie C remained under cedars compared with ∼45% under pine. Soil cation contents were greatest overall in cedar soils and lowest in pine. The C content in cedar soils was strongly related to Ca content. Differences in microbial community fatty acid profiles were related to vegetation type, and nutrients explained ∼60% of the variation in profiles. Our research indicates that changes in soil C and nutrient content following conversion from prairie to forest are dependent on tree species planted, characteristics of the plant litter, and cation cycling in the plant–soil system.

Analysis of Ancient Western Redcedar Stands in the Upper Fraser River Watershed and Scenarios for Protection

Emerging research has highlighted the significance of ancient western redcedar (Thuja plicata) stands within the upper Fraser River watershed as examples of rare forest types within British Columbia’s inland temperate rainforest (ITR). These stands represent a globally significant repository of canopy lichen biodiversity. Ancient redcedar stands were historically found in greatest abundance in wet “toe-slope” topographic positions, where mountain slopes flatten out as they reach the valley bottom. Abundant groundwater runoff and wet soils in these topographic positions provided protection from fires and sustained trees during dry summer periods. However, the placement of road and rail corridors in these same topographic positions has facilitated the logging of many ancient redcedar stands. The result has been the widespread loss of ancient cedars, which today account for only 3.7% of the 130 571 ha ICHvk2 biogeoclimatic zone east of Prince George. Of the remaining ancient cedar stands found in the ICHvk2 less than 2% (approx. 100 ha) are currently protected within BC provincial parks. Here we outline three scenarios that would increase the proportion of this ecosystem within BC parks and would support landscape-level planning objectives for the upper Fraser River watershed. We suggest that the cultural and biological values represented by these proposed areas would meet criteria for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage or Biosphere Reserve site, ultimately resulting in widespread positive benefits for diversification of the regional economy, by building on a regional tourist attraction that has already developed at the site of the Ancient Forest Trail.

雪圧害がスギ人工林の直径分布に及ぼす影響

本研究は, 多雪地域に分布するスギ人工林に林分密度管理図を適用する際の補正方法を検討した。林分初期段階に受けた雪圧害によって成長に優劣差が生じたスギ人工林には, 多くの下層木が発生していた。下層木と上層木との光の一方向的競争効果から, 下層木は上層林冠木の成長をほとんど妨げない。そのために間伐時に放置され, その結果, 胸高直径分布は左偏化する傾向にあった。林分密度管理図による林分材積の推定値の誤差率は, これら下層木集団の本数率が高い林分で大きくなった。この誤差率は, 対象を上層木集団に限定し, 胸高断面積合計による補正を行うことによって平均値, ばらつきともに低減できることが明らかになった。

Forest Biodiversity Assessment in Relic Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management Practice Implications

The remnants of old-growth cedar forests in Lebanon are currently protected since they are taken to represent relic ecosystems sheltering many endemic, rare and endangered species. However, it is not always obvious how “natural” these forest relics are, and how the past use, conservation and management history have affected their current structural properties and species community composition. Even though Integrated Monitoring Programs have been initiated and developed, they are not being implemented effectively. The present research studied the effect of forest stand structure and the impacts of the anthropogenic activities effects on forest composition and floristic richness in four cedar forests in Lebanon. Horizontal and vertical structure was assessed by relying on the measurement of the physical characteristics and status of cedar trees including diversity and similarity indices. Two hundred and seventeen flora species were identified, among which 51 species were found to have biogeographical specificity and peculiar traits. The species composition seems not to be correlated with stand age structure; however, the occurrence of multiple age cedar stands favors floristic richness and variability in species composition as observed in one of the stands where the variation in diversity indices was high. In conclusion; to conserve biodiversity across landscapes, it is necessary to maintain a collection of stands of different vertical structure; an effect produced both by natural and anthropogenic disturbances since they both create a mosaic of different aged succession stands.

Effects of Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) defoliation on performance of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

The pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is an important defoliating insect of native cedar stands in Northern Africa. In 2002 and 2003, we studied the size of needles of Atlas cedar trees that had been defoliated or not in the previous year, and compared the oviposition preference and larval performance of processionary moth on these two types of trees in cedar stands of central Algeria. Needle length and their number per needle cluster were twice as high on non-defoliated trees than on defoliated trees. There were about ten times fewer egg batches on defoliated than on non-defoliated trees in both study years. Young larvae raised in the laboratory on the foliage of previously defoliated trees were smaller compared to those fed on the foliage from healthy trees. Larval colonies transferred to trees in the field showed two times higher mortality on defoliated trees. It was concluded that the decline in population density in defoliated stands often observed after outbreaks results both from the fact that the female moths avoid laying their eggs on defoliated trees and the lower performance of larvae which later feed on the new-grown needles.

Estimation of Stand Canopy Cover by Different Methods on Crown Projections: Sample of Lebanon Cedar Stands of the Yavsan Mountain, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Estimation of Stand Canopy Cover by Different Methods on Crown Projections: Sample of Lebanon Cedar Stands of the Yavsan Mountain, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Allometric model of the maximum size–density relationship between stem surface area and stand density

An allometric model of the maximum size–density relationship between mean stem surface area and stand density is proposed, and is fitted to data for even-aged pure stands of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.). To derive the model, the biomass density was defined as the ratio of the mean stem surface area to the side area of an imaginary column, of which radius and height were equal to the radius of the mean area occupied by a tree and mean tree height, respectively. According to the model, the slope of the maximum size–density relationship on logarithmic coordinates can be estimated from the allometric power relationships of mean tree height and biomass density to mean stem surface area. The resulting slope was −1.089 for the cedar and −0.974 for the cypress. The estimated maximum size–density relationship corresponded well with the combinations of mean stem surface area and stand density for the overcrowded stands of cedar and cypress. The steeper slope for cedar was attributed to the allocation of more resources to height growth compared to cypress. The maximum total stem surface area was approximated to be 1.483 ha/ha for cedar and 0.949 ha/ha for cypress stands. The difference in the maximum total stem surface area between the two species was produced by the characteristics related to tree height and stem biomass packing into space already occupied.

Soil and stream water acidification in a forested catchment in central Japan

Rapid industrialization in East Asia is causing adverse effects due to atmospheric deposition in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Decreasing stream pH and alkalinity and increasing NO3 − concentrations were observed throughout the 1990s in the forested Lake Ijira catchment in central Japan. We investigated these changes using data on atmospheric deposition, soil chemistry, stream water chemistry, and forest growth. Average atmospheric depositions (wet + dry) of 0.83, 0.57, and 1.37 kmol ha−1 year−1 for hydrogen, sulfur, and nitrogen, respectively, were among the highest levels in Japan. Atmospheric deposition generally decreased before 1994 and increased thereafter. The catchment was acid-sensitive; stream alkalinity was low (134 μmolc l−1) and pH in surface mineral soils decreased from 4.5 in 1990 to 3.9 in 2003. Stream NO3 − concentration nearly doubled (from 22 to 42 μmolc l−1) from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Stream NO3 − concentration was controlled primarily by water temperature before 1996/1997 and by stream discharge thereafter. Stream NO3 − concentrations decreased during the growing season before 1996/1997, but this seasonality was lost thereafter. The catchment became nitrogen-saturated (changing from stage 1 to 2) in 1996/1997, possibly because of declining forest growth rates due to the 1994 summer drought, defoliation of Japanese red pine by pine wilt disease, maturation of Japanese cedar stands, and stimulation of nitrogen mineralization and nitrification due to alkalinization of soils (increased exchangeable Ca2+ and soil pH) after the summer drought. Stream pH and alkalinity began decreasing in 1996/1997. The enhanced growing-season NO3 − discharge since 1996/1997 appeared to be the major cause of stream acidification. Increased atmospheric deposition since 1994 may have contributed to this change.

Orthotomicus tridentatus Eggers: distribution and biology in cedar forests of Turkey

Orthotomicus tridentatus Eggers, 1921 (Col.: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is the most important forest pest of cedar stands in Turkey. Yet, very little is known about its distribution and biology. Therefore, the distribution and biological characteristics of O. tridentatus were studied in the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey between 2006 and 2008. It was determined to be a species common to all cedar forests. The length of adults was between 2.5 and 3.9 mm and the main galleries were 'S' shaped. O. tridentatus was determined to be a monophagus species for Cedrus libani A. Rich. and as endemic to Turkey. It was observed that the species had 2 generations per year. The first mating season occurred at the end of April and the second during the second half of August. It hibernates as a young adult.

Landscape and Local Factors Affecting Northern White Cedar (Thuja Occidentalis) Recruitment in The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin (U.S.A.)

ABSTRACT Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) stands throughout the upper Midwestern United States have failed to recruit individuals to the canopy consistently for several decades. To examine local and landscape factors that influence cedar regeneration we recorded the abundance of cedar seedlings and saplings in 24 lowland cedar stands in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin, during summer 2001. Cedar seedlings (height <22 cm) were common (median = 1800 ha−1), but the largest size class (height ≥100 cm) was extremely rare (∼1 ha−1) and heavily browsed. We used information-theoretic model averaging of linear mixed-effects models to identify local and landscape variables important for predicting the density of seedlings and saplings. The density of newly germinated seedlings was higher along transects farther from roads and with more mature cedar. Large seedling and small sapling densities were higher along transects with open canopies located in landscapes with a higher ratio of d...

Regional estimation of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) productivity by use of digital terrain analysis

Digital terrain modeling and spatial climatic data have been used to estimate the spatial distribution of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) forest productivity on a regional-scale. The study was conducted on Japanese cedar forests in Himi city, Oyabe city, Takaoka city, and Imizu city (a total area of 683 km2) in northwestern Toyama Prefecture. On the basis of data from 146 sample stands, above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was calculated from tree height, age, and density using existing ANPP conversion equations for Japanese cedar stands. Six topographic factors (slope, profile curvature, plan curvature, openness, wetness index, and topographic radiation index) were calculated from a 10-m cell size digital elevation model. Three climatic factors (annual mean temperature, annual total precipitation, and annual maximum snow depth) were obtained from an existing spatial data set. Relationships between ANPP and environmental factors were analyzed by regression tree models. For the tree model with ANPP as a dependent variable, four environmental factors (annual mean temperature, wetness index, openness, topographic radiation index) were adopted as independent variables. Annual mean temperature was the first split variable in this model and explained 25.5% of the total deviance in ANPP. Wetness index, which represents soil moisture variation caused by lateral flow, explained 11.5% of the total deviance in ANPP. The resulting tree model explained approximately half of the total deviation in ANPP and indicated that the spatial distribution of Japanese cedar productivity was controlled by regional-scale interactions between climatic and topographic processes. A high-resolution map of productivity was prepared by use of the ANPP prediction model and vegetation information obtained from satellite data.

Degradation of longicorn beetle (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Disteniidae) fauna caused by conversion from broad‐leaved to man‐made conifer stands of Cryptomeria japonica (Taxodiaceae) in central Japan

AbstractWe studied the species richness and assemblages of longicorn beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Disteniidae) in ten secondary broad‐leaved stands and eight plantation stands of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) of various ages after clear‐cutting or plantation in Ibaraki, central Japan. The species richness of longicorns, which were collected with Malaise traps, was the highest in young stands, decreasing with the age of the stand for both broad‐leaved and conifer stands. A canonical correspondence analysis divided the 18 plots into three groups based on longicorn assemblages and environmental variables. These three groups consisted of (1) very young (1–4 years old) stands after clear‐cutting or plantation; (2) 12‐ to over 100 year‐old broad‐leaved stands; (3) 7‐ to 76‐year‐old conifer stands. The species richness of the longicorns was the highest in the young stands followed, in order of decreasing species richness, by broad‐leaved stands and conifer stands. Possible causes of the high species richness in young stands include large amounts of coarse wood debris and flowers, which are resources for oviposition and nutrition for adults, respectively. The lower longicorn diversity in conifer stands than in broad‐leaved stands may be due to the lower diversity of trees available as host plants in the former. Almost all species that occurred in conifer stands were also collected in young and/or broad‐leaved stands, but the reverse was not true, suggesting that conifer plantations cannot replace broad‐leaved stands in terms of longicorn biodiversity. We argue that an extensive conversion of broad‐leaved forests into conifer plantations will lead to an impoverishment of the longicorn fauna, which may result in the degradation of ecosystem functions possibly carried out by them.

富山県のスギ林における冠雪害と地形要因の関係

2004年1月の大雪により冠雪害を受けた小矢部市のスギ林を対象に, 冠雪害と地形要因の関係を回帰木モデルにより解析した. その結果, 調査林分の被害率は風下斜面で最も高く, ついで緩斜面や凹地形で高かった. 10mメッシュ毎の被害率を斜面方位, 斜面傾斜度および縦断曲率から推定して, スギ林の冠雪害危険度分布図を作成した.

Spatial distribution of soil carbon and nitrogen storage and forest productivity in a watershed planted to Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don)

Digital terrain modeling was used to evaluate landscape-level spatial variation of soil C and N storage and site productivity in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) stands. Soil C and N storage were measured in samples from surface soils (0–25cm depth) of 29 Japanese cedar stands in the 205-ha Myougodani watershed, Toyama Prefecture. The site index (C. japonica tree height at age 40 years) was used as a measure of forest productivity. Seven terrain attributes (elevation, slope gradient, aspect, profile curvature, plan curvature, openness, and wetness index) were calculated from a digital elevation model. Soil C and N storage were negatively correlated with slope gradient and positively correlated with openness. Variation in the site index was closely related to the wetness index. The prediction models using terrain attributes as explanatory variables explained 50% of the variability in soil C storage, 53% of the variability in soil N storage, and 75% of the variability in site index. This result demonstrated that this technique is useful for estimating the spatial distribution of soil properties and productivity in forest landscapes. On the other hand, there was no correlation between site index and soil C and N storage. Use of the prediction models in a geographic information system revealed that the spatial distribution of forest productivity differed considerably from those of soil C and N storage.

高齢化したスギ・ヒノキ人工林小流域の斜面下部伐採が土壌および渓流の水質に及ぼす影響

高齢のスギ•ヒノキ人工林小流域(99年生)における流域面積の約20%の斜面下部の伐採が,養分動態に与える影響を明らかにするため,伐採の前後で渓流水量および土壌水分量の測定,土壌水,湧水および渓流水の水質分析を行った。伐採後,表層土壌(0~10cm)では土壌水分が減少し,下層(30~60cm)は湿潤状態にあった。また,渓流からの流出水量は年間約100mm増加した。表層土壌水(5cm)のNO3-, Ca2+, Mg2+およびK+濃度は伐採1,2年目の夏季に3~7倍に上昇したが,3年目には伐採前の水準に戻った。渓流水でも夏季にNO3-, Ca2+およびMg2+濃度が,伐採前同時期の約1.5倍に上昇し,分析を行ったすべてのイオンで濃度の季節変動が大きくなった。伐採後の土壌水中のNO3--N量は,30 cm以深における増加が顕著で,伐採3年目でも伐採前の4倍以上を維持していた。伐採後,NO3--N流出量は4.0~5.Okg ha-1 yr-1増加したが,土壌水中のNO3--Nの増加量と比較すると少ないことから,土壌中で生成した無機態窒素のすべてが渓流へ流出するわけではなく,土壌中での窒素の蓄積および消費が示唆された。

Stand Structures and Height Growth Patterns in Northern White Cedar Stands on Wet Sites in Vermont

Abstract The structure and growth of northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) was studied in 16 stands on wet sites in Vermont. White cedar and associate species representing the range in diameter were felled for stem analysis. Height growth curves were constructed. Structure of white cedar stands on wet sites in Vermont is often even-aged with a relatively uniform canopy due to restocking of former agricultural land, or two-aged, or multiaged, depending on degree of harvesting and other disturbances. On bog and swamp sites, cedar may reach less than 25 ft in height in 50 years whereas on upland sites wet only a portion of the growing season, they may reach 50 ft or greater in height. On well-drained upland sites, height growth may be greater, but cedar most likely may be displaced by other conifers and hardwoods. Basal area in pure and well-stocked maturing stands may exceed 300 ft2, and volumes can exceed 12,000 ft3/ac. In high-density stands, there is usually little understory. Very small amounts of cedar regeneration were observed in the stands studied. Some of the stands had a distinct browse line, and deer are presumed to have a major impact on cedar regeneration. All cedar stands are recognized as being of great importance as deer wintering areas. On the low-quality swamp and bog sites, minimal and careful harvest of cedar should be done to maintain deer habitat, integrity of the tree canopy, and associated understory vegetation. On sites with less water restrictions than in swamps and bogs, harvesting practices to maintain wildlife habitat and assure regeneration and thinning and pruning to improve growth rate and value of harvested wood should be considered. North. J. Appl. For. 21(4):173–179.

Allometric model of the height—diameter curve for even-aged pure stands of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)

We derived an allometric model of the height–diameter curve for even-aged pure stands, which was a modification of the earlier model proposed by Inoue (2000a). An individual-dependent allometric equation was used as the height–diameter curve. Using the discriminant analysis method, all trees composed of a stand were stratified into upper and lower trees. It was assumed that both relationships between mean tree height Hm and upper tree height Hu and between mean DBH Dm and mean DBH of upper trees Du could be described by the time-dependent allometric power equations. The height–diameter curve showed an average relationship between tree height and DBH of a given stand at a given time, and hence it could be assumed that the height–diameter curve contained two points (Dm, Hm) and (Du, Hu). With these assumptions, we derived an allometirc model of height–diameter curve, which allowed the coefficients of the curve to be estimated from mean tree height and mean DBH. The proposed model was fitted to Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) data. The error ratio of the allometric model ranged from 2.254% to 13.412% (mean = 6.785%), which was significantly smaller than that of the earlier model. When the error of mean tree height was ±1.0 m or less, the effect of the error of mean tree height on the error ratio was comparatively small. This suggested that the error of ±1.0 m in mean tree height could be accepted in the estimation of height–diameter curve using the allometric model. These features enable us to combine the allometric model with Hirata's vertical angle-count sampling or growth models. In conclusion, the allometric model would be one of the most practical and convenient approaches for estimating the height–diameter relationship of even-aged pure stands.

Calcium accumulation alleviates soil acidification in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) stands

Larger amounts of exchangeable calcium (Ca2+) accumulated in the surface soil in an older Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) stand, compared with the younger stand. We estimated the Ca2+ accumulation rate and examined the difference in the amounts of exchangeable Ca2+ based on the Ca2+ fluxes. Samples of soil percolated water were taken using stainless tension-free lysimeters at different depths (under 0 horizon, 10,40, and 80 cm). Mobilization of base cations was controlled by total acid production. Proton load associated with N transformation was an important factor for the mobilization of base cations, especially for bivalent cations. Base cations tended to be mobilized in the 0 horizon and immobilized in soil horizons. The amount of Ca2+ supplied from the 0 horizon exceeded the amount recorded at the depth of 0–10 cm in the older Japanese cedar stand, resulting in the immobilization of 120 mmolc m−2 yr−1 of Ca2+ from October 2000 to September 2001. The amount of immobilized Ca2+ in the soil horizons in each period depended on the mobilized amounts in the 0 horizon. Lower amount of supplied Ca2+ in the 0 horizon and mobilization at the depth of 0–10 cm in the younger stand contributed to the difference in the amount of exchangeable Ca2+. Mobilization of base cations in the 0 horizon alleviated the loss of base cations in soil under Japanese cedar stands and contributed to the suppression of soil acidification.

Competition between Exotic and Native Insects for Seed Resources in Trees of a Mediterranean Forest Ecosystem

The seeds of both cedar-of-Lebanon (Cedrus libani) and Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) are attacked in their natural range by a specialised chalcid, Megastigmus schimitscheki. From 1995 to 1999, seeds were screened for insect damage in the main cedar plantations of southern France, as well as in the stands where cedar is mixed with firs (Abies spp.). X-rays were used to identify chalcid-infested seeds from which the insects were then reared. The surveys revealed the presence of M. schimitscheki in all the stands of Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, planted at Mt Ventoux, southeastern France. The chalcid also infested seeds of an exotic fir, Abies pinsapo, planted in the same area. However, it has not yet reached the cedar plantations in southwestern France, where the seeds are colonised by a related exotic insect, Megastigmus pinsapinis, originating from North Africa. The latter species was common in cedar seeds at Mt Ventoux in the early 1990s but seems to have been supplanted by M. schimitscheki in the invasion zone. A native chalcid species, Megastigmus suspectus, was also shown to have shifted to a slight extent from a native fir, A. alba, onto cedar. The presence of three chalcid species competing for cedar seed resources may result in a substantial decline of the regeneration potential of that tree species. At Mt Ventoux, up to 92.6% of the cedar seeds were attacked, with 86.8% due to M. schimitscheki. The survey also revealed the widespread presence of another North American chalcid, Megastigmus rafni, in the fir stands of southern France.

A comparison fo direct and indirect measurements of leaf area index (LAI) for Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) stands

A comparison fo direct and indirect measurements of leaf area index (LAI) for Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) stands