Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mortality in relation to growth rate and soil resistance varies by species for underplanted Nothofagus seedlings in scarified shelterwoods

  • Published:
New Forests Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study evaluated early mortality patterns of planted Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Blume (evergreen, shade intolerant) and Nothofagus alpina (P. et E.) Oerst. (deciduous, mid-tolerant to shade) seedlings established in scarified gaps in a Nothofagus old-growth forest in the Chilean Andes that was subjected to a shelterwood cut. Soils were scarified with heavy machinery that removed up to 40 cm of the upper horizons (e.g. it completely removed the litter layer and organic horizon, and in some cases partially the A horizon) to eliminate bamboo (Chusquea culeou E. Desv) shoots and rhizomes from the scarified areas. Two years after planting, seedlings were growing free of understory competition and mortality patterns were assessed using logistic regression models with the following predictor variables: (1) basal diameter growth in the prior year, and (2) soil strength measured as resistance to penetration. The probability of mortality of both species was highly predictable based on recent basal diameter growth. N. dombeyi seedlings appeared to be less affected by mortality, as reflected in lower sensitivity of mortality at lower growth rates compared to N. alpina. High values of resistance to penetration (>2,000 kPa) induced a higher probability of mortality in N. alpina (up to 40 % at 3,500 kPa). In contrast, N. dombeyi mortality was not significantly influenced by soil strength, which illustrates the more stress-resistant and pioneer character of this species. This study showed that recent growth rates can be used as a predictor of future mortality, but these relationships need to be calibrated for each species. In addition, our results suggest that species characteristics that relate to resource limitations, such as shade tolerance, are not adequate to understand effects of other stressors, such as soil disturbance, on mortality patterns.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Society of Agricultural Engineers (1990) Soil cone penetrometer. ASAE Standards S313.2:567. Am Soc Agric Eng, St. Joseph, MN

  • Ares A, Terry TA, Miller RE, Anderson HW, Flaming BL (2005) Ground-based forest harvesting effects on soil physical properties and Douglas-fir growth. Soil Sci Soc Am J 69:1822–1832

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berger A, Puettmann KJ, Host GE (2004) Harvesting impacts on soil and understory vegetation: the influence of season of harvest and within-site disturbance patterns on clear-cut aspen stands in Minnesota. Can J For Res 34:2159–2168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyden SB, Reich PB, Puettmann KJ (2009) Effects of density and ontogeny on size and growth ranks of three competing tree species. J Ecol 97:277–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdett A (1990) Physiological processe in plantation establishment and the development of specifications for forest planting stock. Can J For Res 20:415–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bustos F, González ME, Donoso PJ, Gerding V, Donoso C, Escobar B (2008) Efectos de distintas dosis de fertilizante de liberación controlada (Osmocote®) en el desarrollo de plantas de coigüe, raulí y ulmo. Bosque 29:155–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canham CD, Berkowitz AR, Kelly VR, Lovett GM, Ollinger SV, Schnurr JJ (1996) Biomass allocation and multiple resource limitation in tree seedlings. Can J For Res 26:1521–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter RE, Klinka K (1992) Variation in shade tolerant of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar in coastal British Columbia. Forest Ecol Manag 55:87–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caspersen JP, Kobe RK (2001) Interspecific variation in sapling mortality in relation to growth and soil moisture. Oikos 92:160–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CIREN (2001) Estudio Agrológico X Región. Descripciones de suelos, materiales y símbolos. Santiago, Chile. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Santiago

  • Coopman RE, Reyes-Díaz M, Briceño VF, Corcuera LJ, Cabrera HM, Bravo LA (2008) Changes during early development in photosynthetic light acclimation capacity explain the shade to sun transition in Nothofagus nitida. Tree Physiol 28:1561–1571

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis MA, Wrage KJ, Reich PB, Tjoelker MG, Schaeffer T, Muermann C (1999) Survival, growth, and photosynthesis of tree seedlings competing with herbaceous vegetation along a water-light-nitrogen gradient. Plant Ecol 145:341–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de la Cruz Rot M (2005) Improving the presentation of results of logistic regression with R. ESA Bull 86:41–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso C (1981) Tipos forestales de los bosques nativos de Chile. FAO-ODEPA, Santiago

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso C (1993) Bosques Templados Chile y Argentina. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago

  • Donoso C (2006) Las especies arboreas de Chile y Argentina. Autoecología. Marisa Cuneo Ediciones, Valdivia

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso PJ, Soto DP (2010) Plantaciones con especies nativas en el centro-sur de Chile: experiencias, desafios y oportunidades. Revista Bosque Nativo 47:10–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso C, Deus R, Cockbaine JC, Castillo H (1986) Variaciones estructural del tipo forestal Coihue-Raulí-Tepa. Bosque 7:17–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoso P, González M, Escobar B, Basso I, Otero L (1999) Viverización y plantación de Raulí, Roble y Coihue en Chile. In: Donoso C, Lara A (eds) Silvicultura de los Bosques Nativos de Chile, Ed. Universitaria, Santiago, Chile, pp 145–189

  • Donoso PJ, Gerding V, Uteau D, Soto DP, Thiers O, Donoso C (2007) Establecimiento y crecimiento inicial de una plantación tardía deNothofagus dombeyi en Los Andes valdivianos. Bosque 28:249–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donoso PJ, Muñoz AA, Thiers O, Soto DP, Donoso C (2011) Effects of aspect and type of competition on the early performance of Nothofagus dombeyi and N. nervosa in a mixed plantation in the Chilean Andes. Can J For Res 41:1075–1081

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donoso PJ, Soto DP, Coopman RE, Rodriguez-Bertos S (2013) Early performance of planted Nothofagus dombeyi and Nothofagus nervosa in response to light availability and gap size in a high-graded forest in the south-central Andes of Chile. Bosque 33:23–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duryea ML, Landis TD (1984) Forest nursery manual: production of bareroot seedlings. Dr. Junk Publishers, The Hage

    Google Scholar 

  • Frazer GW, Canham CD, Lertzman KP (1999) Gap light analyzer (GLA), version 2.0: imaging software to extract canopy structure and gap light indices from true-colour fisheye photographs. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

  • González ME, Veblen TT, Donoso C, Valeria L (2002) Tree regeneration responses in lowland Nothofagus– dominated forest after bamboo dieback in South Central Chile. Plant Ecol 161:59–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossnickle SC (2005) Importance of root growth in overcoming planting stress. New For 30:273–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holste EK, Kobe RK, Vriesendorp CF (2011) Seedling growth responses to soil resources in understorey of a wet tropical forest. Ecology 92:1828–1838

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kneesshaw DD, Kobe RK, Coates KD, Messier C (2006) Sapling size influences shade tolerance ranking among southern boreal tree species. J Ecol 94:471–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobe RK (1999) Light gradient partitioning among tropical tree species through differential seedling mortality and growth. Ecology 80:187–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobe RK, Coates KD (1997) Models of sapling mortality as a function of growth to characterize interspecific variation in shade tolerance of eight tree species of northwestern British Columbia. Can J For Res 27:227–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobe RK, Pacala SW, Silander JA, Canham CD (1995) Juvenile tree survivorship as a component of shade tolerance. Ecol Appl 5:517–532

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski TT (1999) Soil compaction and growth of woody plants. Scand J For Res 14:596–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Löf M, Karlsson M, Sonesson K, Welander TN, Collet C (2007) Growth and mortality in underplanted tree seedlings in response to variation in canopy closure of Norway spruce stands. Forestry 80:371–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Löf M, Dey DC, Navarro RM, Jacobs DF (2012) Mechanical site preparation for forest restoration. New For 43:825–848

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lusk CH, Falster DS, Jara-Vergara CK, Jimenez-Castillo M, Saldaña-Mendoza A (2008) Ontogenetic variation in light requirements of juvenile rainforest evergreens. Funct Ecol 22:454–459

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacFarlane DW, Kobe RK (2006) Selecting models for capturing tree size effects on growth-resource relationships. Can J For Res 36:1695–1704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattson A (1997) Predicting field performance using seedling quality assessment. New For 13:227–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrissey RC, Jacobs DF, Davis AS, Rathfon RA (2010) Survival and competitiveness of Quercus rubra regeneration associated with planting stocktype and harvest opening intensity. New For 40:278–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niinemets Ü, Valladares F (2006) Tolerance to shade, drought, and waterlogging of temperate northern hemisphere trees and shrubs. Ecological Monographs 76(4):521-547

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliet J, Jacobs DF (2012) Restoring forests: advances in techniques and theory. New For 43:535–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pacala SW, Canham CD, Saponara J, Silander JA, Kobe RK (1996) Forest models defined by field measurements: II. Estimation, error analysis, and dynamics. Ecol Monogr 66:1–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Packer A, Clay K (2000) Soil pathogens and spatial patterns of seedling mortality in a temperate tree. Nature 404:278–281

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peet RK, Christensen NL (1987) Competition and tree death. Bioscience 37(8):586–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puettmann KJ, D’Ammato AW, Arikan M, Zasada JC (2008) Spatial impacts of soil disturbance and residual overstorey on density and growth of regenerating aspen. Forest Ecol Manag 256:2110–2120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2010) R: a language and environmental for statistical computing. Version 2.9.2. URL: http://www.r-project.org. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resco de Dios V, Yoshida T, Iga Y (2005) Effects of topsoil removal by soil-scarification on regeneration dynamics of mixed forests in Hokkaido, Northern Japan. Forest Ecol Manage 215:138–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Reyes J (2012) Escarificación del suelo en un bosque de Nothofagus spp. en Los Andes del sur de Chile. M.Sc. thesis. Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia

  • Siebert H (1999) Silvicultura alternativa: un concepto silvícola para el bosque nativo Chileno. In: Donoso C, Lara A (eds) Silvicultura de los bosques nativos de Chile y Argentina. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago, pp 381–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KD, May PB, Moore GM (2001) The influence of compaction and soil strength on the establishment of four Australian landscape trees. J Arbor 27:1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Soto DP, Donoso PJ, Uteau D, Zuñiga-Feest A (2009) Environmental factors affect the spatial arrangement of survival and damage of outplanted Nothofagus dombeyi seedlings in the Chilean Andes. Interciencia 34:100–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Valladares F, Niinemets Ü (2008) Shade tolerance, a key plant feature of complex nature and consequences. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 39:237–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veblen TT (1982) Growth patterns of Chusquea bamboos in the understory of Chilean Nothofagus forests and their influences in forest dynamics. Bull Torrey Bot Club 109:474–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veblen TT, Ashton DH (1978) Catastrophic influences on vegetation of the Valdivian Andes, Chile. Vegetatio 36:149–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veblen TT, Schlegel F, Escobar B (1980) Structure and dynamics of old-growth forests in the Valdivian Andes, Chile. J Ecol 68:1–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters MB, Reich PB (1996) Growth of Acer saccharum seedlings in deeply shaded undertorey of northern Wisconsin: effects of nitrogen and water availability. Can J For Res 27:237–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waring RH (1987) Characteristics of trees predisposed to die. Bioscience 37:569–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida T, Iga Y, Ozawa M, Noguchi M, Shibata H (2005) Factor influencing early vegetation establishment following soil-scarification in a mixed forest in Northern Japan. Can J For Res 35:175–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zenner EK, Fauskee JT, Berger AL, Puettmann KJ (2007) Impacts of skidding traffic intensity on soil disturbance, soil recovery, and aspen regeneration in north central Minnesota. North J Appl For 24:177–183

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by grant FONDEF-CONICYT D07I1034. We appreciate the logistic support from the Forestal Neltume Carranco S.A. in special to Luis Molina. DS also thanks the support from graduate School of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Natural Resources at the Universidad Austral de Chile and Becas Chile scholarship for doctoral studies at Oregon State University, and Karina Martin, Marcos Flores, Alejandro Uribe, Pablo Cabrera, Diego Ponce, Paulina Puchi and Natalia Cerda for their field assistance. Professors Victor Gerding, Oscar Thiers and Rafael Coopman of the Universidad Austral helped to improve the initial ideas of this study. Professor Christian Salas and Valeska Yaitul from Universidad de La Frontera, and professor Claudio Fuentes from OSU helped with statistical and R analysis and management. Finally, we appreciate the valuable comments from two reviewers and editor-in-chief.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Daniel P. Soto & Klaus J. Puettmann

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Pablo J. Donoso

Authors
  1. Daniel P. Soto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pablo J. Donoso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Klaus J. Puettmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel P. Soto.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Soto, D.P., Donoso, P.J. & Puettmann, K.J. Mortality in relation to growth rate and soil resistance varies by species for underplanted Nothofagus seedlings in scarified shelterwoods. New Forests 45, 655–669 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-014-9428-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-014-9428-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation