Vegetation Patterns in a Virgin Subalpine Forest at Crawford Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Foster, Jeffrey R.; Reiners, William A.

doi:10.2307/2996334

Cited by 54 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Northern hardwood forest ranges from 670 to 910 m, with the average upper limit 730 to 790 m ( Table 2). The elevation of the deciduous forest/spruce-fir ecotone is 700 to 760 m in the center of the White Mountains (Foster & Reiners 1983). Spruce-fir occurs as low as 610 m and dominates to treeline.…”

Section: Northern New England and New Yorkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boreal forest is structurally a one-storied coniferous forest with fewer shrub species (LaRoi 1967;Wolfe 1979). The dynamics of montane spruce-fir forests are controlled by wind and individual tree mortality (Sprugel 1976;Reiners & Lang 1979;Foster & Reiners 1983;White et al 1985), while the dynamics of boreal forests is controlled by fire and insect outbreaks (CogbiU 1985). Finally, there are climatic differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

Cogbill¹,

1991

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spruce-fir forests extend along the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America from 35 ° to 49 ° N.This montane vegetation differs from boreal spruce-In" forest in that it is dominated by Picea rubens, has a higher vascular species richness, has wind, rather than fire, dominated dynamics, and has a mean annual temperature above 2 ° C. Using field reconnaissance, remote sensing, and literature review we described and modeled the latitude-elevation relationship for Appalachian spruce-fir. The elevation of the sprucefir/deciduous forest ecotone decreases from 1,680 m at 35 ° N to 150 m at 49 ° N, while the elevation of treeline (spruce-fir/tundra ecotone) decreases from 1,480 m at 44 ° N to 550 m at 55 ° N. Linear regressions gave latitude-elevation relationships of -100 m/1 ° Latitude for the spruce-fir/deciduous forest ecotone and -8 3 m/1 ° Latitude for treeline. These values compare to literature reports of -5 4 to -230 m/1 ° Latitude and are most similar to values reported from eastern Asia. The latitude-elevation relationship for mean July temperature ( -94 to -121 m/1 ° Latitude) was more similar to the slopes of these ecotones than is the slope for mean annual temperature ( -170 to -220 m/1 ° Latitude). The spruce-fir/deciduous forest ecotone was correlated with a mean July temperature of approximately 17 ° C. Treeline was correlated with a mean July temperature of approximately 13 °C.

show abstract

Section: Northern New England and New Yorkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

Cogbill¹,

1991

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the montane forest of the U.S. Northeast, the more demanding environment encountered at higher elevations is associated with lower growth and higher mortality of the dominant tree species (Siccama 1974;Foster and Reiners 1983;Battles et al 1992). In addition, there was a well-documented elevation gradient in the severity of spruce decline (Craig and Friedland 1991).…”

Section: Forestwide Implications Of Spruce Declinementioning

confidence: 99%

Community and population dynamics of sprucefir forests on Whiteface Mountain, New York: recent trends, 19852000

Fahey¹,

Siccama²,

Johnson³

2003

Can. J. For. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We remeasured two sets of permanent plots in old-growth, spruce-fir forests on Whiteface Mountain to quantify ongoing vegetation dynamics at sites impacted by spruce decline. One set of plots was a stratified random sample of the vegetation in a subalpine watershed (Baldwin site). The other was selected to represent forest conditions in a high-elevation subset of the spruce-fir forest (Esther site). Between 1987 and 1997, there was a significant increase in aboveground tree biomass at Baldwin with the majority of the increment due to the growth of canopy-sized trees. This growth occurred with little change in either species composition or size structure. The annual mortality rate of 1.2%·year -1 for canopy-sized red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) in Baldwin almost matched the recruitment rate of 1.4 stems/ha per year. In addition, the relative growth rate of spruce was significantly faster than associated species. In contrast, spruce trees in Esther died at a rate of the 3.6%·year -1 (1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995), and survivors grew more slowly than other species. The most obvious communitylevel trend at Esther (1985Esther ( -2000 was an increase in overall tree density with most of this increase due to ingrowth of small trees. The demography of the spruce population at Baldwin suggests that the decline is over for at least this population. Abstract: We remeasured two sets of permanent plots in old-growth, spruce-fir forests on Whiteface Mountain to quantify ongoing vegetation dynamics at sites impacted by spruce decline. One set of plots was a stratified random sample of the vegetation in a subalpine watershed (Baldwin site). The other was selected to represent forest conditions in a high-elevation subset of the spruce-fir forest (Esther site). Between 1987 and 1997, there was a significant increase in aboveground tree biomass at Baldwin with the majority of the increment due to the growth of canopy-sized trees. This growth occurred with little change in either species composition or size structure. The annual mortality rate of 1.2%·year-1 for canopy-sized red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) in Baldwin almost matched the recruitment rate of 1.4 stems/ha per year. In addition, the relative growth rate of spruce was significantly faster than associated species. In contrast, spruce trees in Esther died at a rate of the 3.6%·year -1 (1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995), and survivors grew more slowly than other species. The most obvious community-level trend at Esther (1985Esther ( -2000 was an increase in overall tree density with most of this increase due to ingrowth of small trees. The demography of the spruce population at Baldwin suggests that the decline is over for at least this population.Résumé : Nous avons remesuré deux groupes de parcelles permanentes dans de vieilles forêts de sapin et épinette du mont Whiteface pour quantifier la dynamique actuelle de la végétation dans des stations affectées par le dépérissement de l'épinette. Un prem...

show abstract

“…We see no reason to suspect that the growth curves they cite (determined from young, pure, highly even-aged old-field stands of red spruce, ref. 11) apply to spruce in the much older, multiaged, multispecies high-elevation forests we sampled that are mosaics of many different-aged patches created largely by natural disturbances (12).…”

Section: Climate and Tree Ringsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and red spruce growth and decline in the northern Appalachians

Johnson

Cook

Siccama

1988

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s, red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) died at unusual rates on the mountains of New York and western New England. We determined the relationship between standardized tree ring widths and monthly climate data for calibration and verification periods from 1856 to 1981 and found that after about 1960, there was a distinct shift in the temperature variables related to standardized ring widths in vigorous spruce. The beginning of widespread spruce mortality, regionwide growth decreases, and the shift in response to climate in the early 1960s corresponds to the onset of a decade of unusually cold winters and several consecutive years when severe winter damage was noted across the Northeast in this species. We suggest that the episodes of winter damage are an important initiating and synchronizing factor in the red spruce decline.A period of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) mortality has been documented in the Adirondack, Green, and White Mountains, which is most pronounced at upper elevations (1-4). At the sites we studied, red spruce mortality has been heavy (30-60% of the basal area is standing dead) near the top of its elevational range (1200-1300 m) but has been less at lower elevations (<800 m). As suggested (4), the mortality probably results from several factors and we use the term "decline" to designate this (5, 6). Plausible causal agents are climate, insects, disease, and (possibly) air pollution (4). Climate and DiseaseThe hypothesis that climatic extremes or climate change can be an important factor in tree diseases has been discussed by many authors (e.g., refs. 5-7), but it is difficult to obtain rigorous proof of an unfavorable climate influence on mature trees. Our approach was as follows.We applied tree-ring analysis to determine what types of climatic conditions are unfavorable for high-elevation red spruce and then used historical records to test the possibility that modern and historical periods of red spruce mortality were temporally consistent with periods that were, according to the tree-ring analysis, climatically unfavorable. Then, we postulated that during a period of decline, the influence of climate on ring width might be overridden by more critical factors and the beginning of such a shift in climate/tree-ring relationships might be useful in establishing the initiation of a decline. To establish a climate-driven mechanism of injury that could initiate a decline, we examined historical reports to determine if there were widespread reports of climaterelated injuries that coincided with the beginning of regionwide spruce mortality and the shift in tree-ring/climate relationships that we found. Climate and Tree RingsPrevious reports (2, 4) contain the sampling procedures and data from our systematic survey of spruce vigor in the Catskill, Adirondack, Green, and White Mountains. Breastheight increment cores were obtained from vigorous canopylayer red spruce at the sampling points in 1982. Age distributions of spruce at our sites are given in ref. 4. The sp...

show abstract

Vegetation Patterns in a Virgin Subalpine Forest at Crawford Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Cited by 54 publications

References 25 publications

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

Community and population dynamics of sprucefir forests on Whiteface Mountain, New York: recent trends, 19852000

Climate and red spruce growth and decline in the northern Appalachians

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Vegetation Patterns in a Virgin Subalpine Forest at Crawford Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Cited by 54 publications

References 25 publications

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

The latitude-elevation relationship for spruce-fir forest and treeline along the Appalachian mountain chain

Community and population dynamics of sprucefir forests on Whiteface Mountain, New York: recent trends, 19852000

Climate and red spruce growth and decline in the northern Appalachians

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Community and population dynamics of sprucefir forests on Whiteface Mountain, New York: recent trends, 19852000