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Effect of stock type characteristics and time of planting on field performance of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) seedlings on boreal reclamation sites

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Abstract

Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) has great potential as a reclamation species for mining sites in the boreal forest, but planting stock has shown poor field performance after outplanting. In this study we tested how different aspen seedling characteristics and planting times affect field outplanting performance on reclamation sites. We produced three different types of aspen planting stock, which varied significantly in seedling size, root-to-shoot ratio (RSR), and total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) reserves in roots, by artificially manipulating shoot growth during seedling production. All three stock types were then field-planted either in late summer, late fall, or early spring after frozen storage. Seedlings were outplanted onto two reclaimed open-pit mining areas in the boreal forest region of central and east-central Alberta, Canada, which varied significantly in latitude, reclamation history, and soil conditions. Overall, height growth was better in aspen stock types with high RSR and TNC reserves. Differences in field performance among aspen stock types appeared to be more strongly expressed when seedlings were exposed to more stressful environmental site conditions, such as low soil nutrients and moisture. Generally, aspen seedlings planted with leaves in the summer showed the poorest performance, and summer- or fall-planted seedlings with no shoot growth manipulation had much greater stem dieback after the first winter. This indicates that the dormancy and hardening of the stem, as a result of premature bud set treatments, could improve the outplanting performance of aspen seedlings, particularly those planted during summer and fall.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Brad Pinno, Richard Caners, and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions on improving the manuscript. We are grateful for the field assistance provided by Kim Stang, Jacklyn Burko, Kate Melnik, Tyana Rudolfsen, Candace Serben, Tory Cullen, Ryan Sherritt, Julia Wachowski, Jordana Fair, and Stefan Schreiber. Assistance with sample analyses and TNC measurements was provided by Pak Chow. We especially thank George Greenhough, Dan Kuchmak, Rob Vassov, and Francis Salifu for their logistic support. This research was supported by grants from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Capital Power, Shell Canada, Suncor Energy, and Syncrude Canada.

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  1. Department of Renewable Resources, School of Forest Science and Management, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H1, Canada

    Simon M. Landhäusser, Javier Rodriguez-Alvarez, Eckehart H. Marenholtz & Victor J. Lieffers

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  1. Simon M. Landhäusser
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  2. Javier Rodriguez-Alvarez
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  3. Eckehart H. Marenholtz
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  4. Victor J. Lieffers
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Correspondence to Simon M. Landhäusser.

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Landhäusser, S.M., Rodriguez-Alvarez, J., Marenholtz, E.H. et al. Effect of stock type characteristics and time of planting on field performance of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) seedlings on boreal reclamation sites. New Forests 43, 679–693 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-012-9346-4

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