Aspen Bibliography
Response of immature aspen ecosystems to cutting and burning in relation to vernal leaf flush
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Forest Ecology and Management
Volume
31
Issue
1-2
First Page
15
Last Page
33
Publication Date
1990
Abstract
Vegetative reproduction, above-ground biomass and nutrient pools, and litterfall and substrate nutrient conditions were evaluated in eastern Ontario immature (age 20 years) aspen (Populus tremuloides) Michx. and P. grandidentata (Michx.) ecosystems which had been subjected to the following four treatments in relation to vernal leaf flushing: burning before; burning after; cutting before; and cutting after flushing. An untreated control area was set aside for appropriate comparisons.
Three years after treatment, the greatest numbers of stems ha−1 were supported by the pre-flush cutting treatment (11 00 stems ha−1) followed in decreasing order by post-flush cut (9000), post-flush burn (4000), and pre-flush burn (2000). No suckering was observed on control plots. Above-ground aspen biomass and nutrient-pool values reflected stem densities and these results were discussed in light of known physiological responses of the species to disturbance.
Litterfall mass and nutrient inputs over the 3-year observation period were also a function of treatment and reflected stand breakup. There was reduced suckering on the two burning treatments compared with more-vigorous suckering on the cuts. Thus, 3-year totals for litterfall mass (kg ha−1) were: 29 470, 21 393, 10 182, 3022, and 1762 on post-flush, pre-flush burn, control, pre-flush cut, and post-flush cut, respectively. High litterfall biomass values on the burning treatments were a result of overstorey mortality, which reached 100% after three years. Nutrient returns through litterfall followed litterfall biomass input trends.
Forest-floor and mineral-soil nutrient pools on the burns showed treatment effects one month after burning which were interpreted in terms of removal of part of the forest floor, changed N-mineralization rates, cation leaching from ash, and differences in nutrient-uptake patterns by surviving overstorey. After three years some treatment effects were still noticeable in forest-floor and, to a lesser extent, in mineral-soil nutrient pools.
Recommended Citation
Weber, M. G. Response of immature aspen ecosystems to cutting and burning in relation to vernal leaf flush. Forest Ecology and Management. 31 (1-2): 15-33.