No abstract

The age and size structure of trees in old Abies-Picea-Betula forests on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula were examined. It was hypothesized that the size and age structure of both the tree and regeneration "strata" of these stands display the complex structural heterogeneity characteristic of classic, self-regenerating, uneven-aged old-growth stands, and that the development and dynamics of such structures occur over long periods of time. With all tree species combined, dbh (diameter at breast height) and height distributions exhibited a strong reverse-J character, with well-defined, semi-logarithmic rotated sigmoid height and size frequencies. Seedling height and basal diameter frequency distributions were reverse-J in character. Live tree ages for all species, except white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh), ranged from 25 to 269 years, and were characterized by all-age frequency distributions. Tree age and size were poorly correlated. On average, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) required 62 years to reach breast height (1.3 m), with black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) requiring 40 and 48 years, respectively. Total age of dead standing trees ranged from 45 to 232 years. Reverse-J age frequencies characterized the seedling bank, with balsam fir seedlings present in nearly all age classes up to 110, 120 and 85 years in three sample stands. Seedling size (height and basal diameter)-age relationships were characteristic of decades-long suppression. The combination of tree and seedling bank size and age structure provide strong evidence of quasi-equilibrium, small-scale, gap dynamic old-growth boreal forest stands.

Calculations are presented on the quantities of N, P, K, Mg and Ca in the soil and above-ground portions of two spruce-pulpwood stands on sites of average fertility in northern and southern Quebec. The magnitude of the depletions of these nutrients from the site, in full-tree and tree-length methods of logging, are compared with the available and total quantities of them in the soil. The ranges of values, from the literature, for the input of these nutrients in dust and precipitation, and the losses in leaching, are presented and discussed in relation to the logging losses.It is concluded that on both sites it is unlikely that full-tree logging will result in any reduction in growth, due to nutrient removal, during the second rotation of trees. However, nutrient depletion due to full-tree logging, particularly with respect to Ca, K and N, may require correction by means of fertilizers in forest ecosystems of marginal fertility. These are usually either dry sites with low reserves of organic matter and low exchange capacity or wet sites with excessive accumulations of organic matter. The need for further detailed studies of the nutrient cycle in different forest ecosystems is stressed.

A stand density management diagram for black spruce (Picea Un diagramme d'amknagement en fonction de la densit6 du marianu (Mill.) B.S.P.) was developed using data derived from peuplement pour 1'6pinette noire (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) 49 0.081-ha permanent sample plots and 257 open-grown sample a kt6 6labor6 ii partir des donn&s dCriv6es de 49 parcelles Cchantrees located throughout central insular Newfoundland. The diatillons permanentes de 0.081 ha et de 257 arbres tkhantillons ayant gram illustrated the reciprocal equation of the competitionpouss6 sans comp6tition dans la partie centrale de Terre-Neuve. density effect, self-thinning rule, approximate crown closure line, Le diagramme illustre 1'6quation r6ciproque de l'effet de la comzone of imminent competition-mortality, and isolines for relap6tition et de la densit6, les r2gles d'auto-Cclaircie, le niveau de tive density, quadratic mean diameter and merchantability ratio.fermeture approximative du couvert, la zone de mortalit6 irnmiMean prediction error for natural stand trajectories over a nente d6coulant de la comp6tition, et les isolignes de densit6 rela-30-projection period were 2.5 dm3 for mean volume, tive, de diamktre moyen obtenu par la moyenne quadratique et 306 stemslha for density, 16

To better understand the phenomenon of growth "stagnation" in high-density lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl. ex Loud.), leaf area and its relationship with sapwood cross-sectional area were examined on both an individual tree and stand basis. Leaf areas of individual trees in a 22-year-old stand varied from 30.8 m2 (dominants in stands of low stocking) to 0.05 m2 (suppressed trees in stands of high stocking). Leaf area indices ranged from 13.4 to 2.3 m2 m−2 between low and high stocking levels, respectively. Over the same stocking range, the ratio of leaf area to sapwood cross-sectional area was reduced from 0.3 to 0.15 m2 cm−2. Intraring wood density profiles showed that ovendry density increased from 0.52 to 0.7 g cm−3 and the proportion of early wood decreased over a stocking level range of 6500–109 000 trees/ha. A reduction in hydraulic conductivity in the stems of stagnant trees, suggested by the greater proportion of narrow-diameter tracheids present, may lead to a greater resistance to water transport within the boles of trees from stagnant stands, leading to low leaf areas.