Juvenile productivity of five hybrid poplar clones and 20 genetically improved white and Norway spruces in boreal clay-belt of Quebec, Canada

Larchevêque, Marie; Larocque, Guy R.; Tremblay, Francine; Gaussiran, Stéphane; Boutin, Robert D.; Brais, Suzanne; Beaulieu, Jean; Daoust, Gaëtan; Périnet, Pierre

doi:10.5558/tfc86225-2

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Tree survival was 100% for all planted treatments three years after planting and the planted trees showed similar or better growth rates compared to data collected from other hybrid poplar plantations under boreal conditions (Larchevêque et al 2011b;Larchevêque et al 2010;Larocque et al 2013). This result confirms the ability of the selected hybrid poplar to acclimatize on waste rock slopes, despite the rapidly draining environment and strong competition for water expected for some of the tested treatments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

The effect of tree planting density on the relative development of weeds and hybrid poplars on revegetated mine slopes vulnerable to erosion

2018

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In reclaimed waste rocks slopes, the soil cover spread for revegetation is prone to erosion. This soil needs to be immediately protected from soil erosion by above and belowground vegetation. The seeding of fast-growing herbaceous species used in agriculture is generally used on waste rock slopes to control erosion, but these compete with planted trees for resources needed for growth. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of an alternative to these herbaceous species (i.e. fast-growing hybrid poplars) to mitigate soil losses in the short-term. However, the growth of poplars could be impaired by competition from weeds' colonization. Tree planting density was expected to change competition levels among trees and between trees and weeds, so influencing above and belowground vegetation development and hence effectiveness at controlling soil erosion processes. Five treatments were installed in 2013: 1x1, 2x2, 4x4 meter spacing of hybrid poplars; 2x2 meter spacing, with hydroseeding of fast-growing herbaceous plants; and a control plot with no tree planting or hydroseeding. The planting of hybrid poplars did not decrease soil losses compared to the control plot, regardless of the tree planting density. Weed development through natural colonization occurred in all the non-hydroseeded plots and was more effective at soil erosion control in the short-term than planted trees. The selected clone of hybrid poplar coped well with any competition from weeds for water, since 100% of trees survived after three years and since the non-hydroseeded plots produced greater length of roots per soil volume (root length density, RLD) for the poplars compared with the weed species. As early as the first year, the hydroseeded plots showed the highest RLD and a complete cover of vegetation which effectively controlled soil erosion compared to the control plots. However, both treatments with increased competition levels (i.e. highest 4 tree planting density and hydroseeding treatment) showed less aboveground tree biomass. On the hydroseeded plots, where interspecific competition with weeds was the highest, a greater increase in root length was seen during the third year after planting. After three years, canopy closure was achieved in the 1x1 meter spacing treatment, which reduced weed cover.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

The effect of tree planting density on the relative development of weeds and hybrid poplars on revegetated mine slopes vulnerable to erosion

2018

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“…Populus trees, clones and hybrids are very demanding in terms of nutrients, water and light (Barnéoud et al, 1982;Mitchell et al, 1999;Paré et al, 2001). However, because of the increasing interest in using these trees and the low availability of land, plantations are being established on marginal sites and in less than ideal conditions (Vande Walle et al, 2007), for instance at high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, i.e., in the boreal zone (Christersson, 1996;Larchevêque et al, 2010). This important biome represents 11% of the Earth's terrestrial areas and includes 29% of the world's forests (Weih, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juvenile growth of hybrid poplars on acidic boreal soil determined by environmental effects of soil preparation, vegetation control, and fertilization

Bilodeau‐Gauthier

Paré

Messier

et al. 2011

Forest Ecology and Management

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a b s t r a c tThe silviculture of hybrid poplars and other fast-growing tree species is a promising solution to reduce the pressure on natural forests while maintaining wood supplies to industries. However, hybrid poplars are very sensitive to competing vegetation and to inadequate soil conditions and fertility. Possible management tools include mechanical site preparation (MSP), vegetation control (VC), and fertilization. Experimental plantations of hybrid poplars (one clone, Populus balsamea × Populus maximowiczii) were established at eight formerly forested sites on acidic soil in the southern boreal forest of Quebec, Canada. The objective was to test the response of hybrid poplars to the interaction of several silvicultural tools, which has been rarely done. Four MSP treatments (in decreasing order of intensity: mounding, harrowing, heavy disk trenching, light disk trenching) and a control (unprepared) were all combined with four different frequencies of plant competition control by brushing (from never up to once a year). Fertilization with N or N + P was also tested in three selected MSP treatments. After five years, hybrid poplar tree growth among MSP treatments increased in the following order: unprepared < light disk trenching < heavy disk trenching < harrowing < mounding. MSP was also essential in favouring early tree survival, as illustrated by mortality rates of over 20% in unprepared plots and below 5% in all other MSP treatments. The effect of competition control on hybrid poplar growth was greatest in the less intensive MSP treatments, where competing vegetation was the most abundant. On the contrary, fertilization effect was significant only in the most intensive MSP (mounding). Moreover, neither fertilization nor VC could compensate for inadequate soil preparation. Of all the silvicultural treatments tested, mounding provided the best tree growth despite a nitrogen and carbon impoverished surface soil.

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“…The use of exotic species does not always confer growth benefits compared with the use of native species (e.g. Larchevêque et al 2010 for a short term comparison). Productivity of exotic tree plantations can however be up to five times that of natural forests and is usually higher than that of indigenous species plantations (Elfving et al 2001;Rytter and Stener 2005;Paquette and Messier 2010;Nelson et al 2011;Tullus et al 2012).…”

Section: Ecosystem Conduction and Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Issues and perspectives on the use of exotic species in the sustainable management of Canadian forests

Rivera¹,

Barrette²,

Thiffault³

2016

REFOR

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Plantations offer a high potential to respond to the increasing pressure on forests to deliver social, economic, and environmental services. Exotic tree species have a long history of use in plantation forestry, mostly because of their improved productivity compared with that of native species. Because of their impacts on land management and the environment, questions arise regarding the compatibility of exotic tree plantations with sustainable forest management (SFM), the overarching paradigm driving forest legislations in Canada. Our objectives were thus to i) briefly review the historical and current use of exotic tree species in Canada, ii) identify the social, economic and environmental issues related to the use of exotic tree species in Canadian forestry, based on sustainable forest management criteria, and iii) identify perspectives related to the use of exotic tree species in the sustainable management of Canadian forests. Results show that six out of ten Canadian provinces do not have specific legislations to control the use of exotic tree species for reforestation within their borders. The use of exotic tree species is mainly controlled through third-party certification agencies. Exotic tree species represent a small proportion of the planted seedlings in Canada and Norway spruce is the most common one. The use of exotic tree species is compatible with sustainable forest management criteria used in Canada, but forest managers must take into account several issues related to their use and maintain a social license to be entitled to plant them. Issues are highly dependent upon scale. The zoning of management intensity could provide environmental, economic and social benefits, but costs/benefits analyses should be carried out. The concept of naturalness could also be useful to integrate plantations of exotic species in jurisdiction where SFM strategies are based on ecosystem management principles. Monitoring of hybridization and invasiveness of exotic species must be included in landscape analyses to forestall loss of resilience leading to compromised structural and functional ecosystem states. The use of exotics species is recognized as a tool to sequester carbon and facilitate adaptation of forests to global changes, but it is necessary to carefully identified contexts where assisted migration is justified and disentangle planned novel ecosystems coherent with global changes generated by assisted migration from those emerging from invasive species forming undesired states.

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Juvenile productivity of five hybrid poplar clones and 20 genetically improved white and Norway spruces in boreal clay-belt of Quebec, Canada

Cited by 5 publications

References 32 publications

The effect of tree planting density on the relative development of weeds and hybrid poplars on revegetated mine slopes vulnerable to erosion

The effect of tree planting density on the relative development of weeds and hybrid poplars on revegetated mine slopes vulnerable to erosion

Juvenile growth of hybrid poplars on acidic boreal soil determined by environmental effects of soil preparation, vegetation control, and fertilization

Issues and perspectives on the use of exotic species in the sustainable management of Canadian forests

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