Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Artificial microtopography and herbivory protection facilitates wetland tree (Thuja occidentalis L.) survival and growth in created wetlands

New Forests volume 47, pages 73–86 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) wetlands are highly valuable both commercially and as wildlife habitat. However, northern white-cedar forested wetlands are declining in area from forestry activities and development, with mitigation efforts often failing to reproduce these ecosystems. For this reason, the goal of this project was to determine the feasibility of creating a northern white-cedar forested wetland as a wetland mitigation option. Microtopography has been shown to be important for northern white-cedar establishment and recruitment, so a series of hummocks and flat areas were created and planted with northern white-cedar seedlings in two created wetlands in northern Michigan, USA. We examined the influence of microtopography and exposure to deer browse on white-cedar survivorship and height growth, 2 and 5 years after establishment. Hummock microtopography increased both tree survival and height growth. Percent survival after 5 years in protected fenced areas was 75 % on hummocks, while percent survival was only 15 % in protected fenced flat areas. Height growth rates were also greater on fenced hummocks, averaging 30 cm per year, compared to an average of 8 cm per year on fenced flat areas. Protection from browsing also improved white-cedar survival and height growth. Fenced white-cedar had 15–20 % greater survival compared to unfenced white-cedar and had 25–100 % greater growth rates. Our results indicate that incorporating microtopography and protection from browsing into future restoration or regeneration projects involving northern white-cedar should be considered as a viable option where high or variable water tables are expected.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

39,95 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  • Ahn C, Dee S (2011) Early development of plant community in a created mitigation wetland as affected by introduced hydrologic design elements. Ecol Eng 37:1324–1333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry WJ, Garlo AS, Wood CA (1996) Duplicating the mound-and-pool microtopography of forested wetlands. Ecol Restor 14:15–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Beatty SW (1984) Influence of microtopography and canopy species on spatial patterns of forest understory plants. Ecology 65:1406–1419

  • Bing D, He X (2010) Linear mixed models in clinical trials using PROC MIXED. PharmaSUG2010—Paper SP07

  • Bouyoucos GJ (1962) Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agron J 54:464–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brady NC, Weil RR (2008) The nature and properties of soils, 14th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Columbus, pp 207–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruland GL, Richardson CJ (2005) Hydrologic, edaphic, and vegetation responses to microtopographic reestablishment in a restored wetland. Restor Ecol 13:515–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chimner RA, Hart JB (1996) Hydrology and microtopography effects on northern white-cedar regeneration in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Can J For Res 26:389–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denneler B, Bergeron Y, Bégin Y (2010) Flooding effects on tree-ring formation of riparian eastern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), northwestern Quebec, Canada. Tree-Ring Res 66:3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickey DA (2008) PROC MIXED: underlying ideas with examples. SAS global forum 2008, statistics and data analysis, Paper 374-2008

  • Doepker RV, Ozoga JJ (1990) Wildlife values of northern white-cedar. In: Lantagne D.O. (ed) Workshop proceedings of northern white cedar in Michigan. Michigan State University Agricultural Experimental Station 1991: Report #512, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, pp. 15–34

  • Doherty JM, Zedler JB (2015) Increasing substrate heterogeneity as a bet-hedging strategy for restoring wetland vegetation. Restor Ecol 23:15–25. doi:10.1111/rec.12154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliot ET, Heil JW, Kelly EF, Monger HC (1999) Soil structural and other physical properties. In: Robertson GP, Coleman DC, Bledsoe CS, Sollins P (eds) Standard soil methods for long-term ecological research. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 58–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Forester JD, Anderson DP, Turner MG (2008) Landscape and local factors affecting northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) recruitment in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin (U.S.A.). Am Midl Nat 160:438–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glenz C, Schlaepfer R, Iorgulescu I, Kienast F (2006) Flooding tolerance of Central European tree and shrub species. For Ecol Manage 235:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heitzman E, Pregitzer KS, Miller RO (1997) Origin and early development of northern white-cedar stands in northern Michigan. Can J For Res 27:1953–1961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson BD (1994) Soil organic matter and available water capacity. J Soil Water Conserv 49:189–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston WF (1990) Thuja occidentalis L. Northern white-cedar, In: Burns RM, Honkala BH (eds.) Silvics of north American trees. Vol. 1. Conifers, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook 654, pp. 580–589

  • Kern CC, Reich PB, Montgomery RA, Strong TF (2012) Do deer and shrubs override canopy gap size effects on growth and survival of yellow birch, northern red oak, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock seedlings? For Ecol Manag 267:134–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kost MA (2002) Natural community abstract for rich conifer swamp. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing, MI 9 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuijper DPJ, Cromsigt JPGM, Churski M, Adam B, Jędrzejewska B, Jędrzejewski W (2009) Do ungulates preferentially feed in forest gaps in European temperate forest? For Ecol Manag 258:1528–1535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kusler JA (2006) Developing performance standards for the mitigation and restoration of Northern Forested Wetlands. Discussion Paper. Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., Michigan

  • Kusler JA, Kentula ME (eds) (1989) Wetland creation and restoration: the status of the science. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Littell RC, Milliken GA, Stroup WW, Wolfinger RD, Schabenberger O (2006) SAS for mixed models, 2nd edn. SAS Institute Inc, Cary, pp 94–104

    Google Scholar 

  • McLeod KW (2000) Species selection trials and silvicultural techniques for the restoration of bottomland hardwood forests. Ecol Eng 15:S35–S46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moser K, Ahn C, Noe G (2007) Characterization of microtopography and its influence on vegetation patterns in created wetlands. Wetlands 27:1081–1097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) (2002) Climatography Of The United States No. 81: Monthly station normals of temperature, precipitation, and heating and cooling degree days 1971–2000 Report 20, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina

  • Paratley RD, Fahey TJ (1986) Vegetation–environment relations in a conifer swamp in central New-York. Bull Torrey Bot Club 11:357–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn GP, Keough MJ (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 322–323

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rooney TP, Solheim SL, Waller DM (2002) Factors affecting the regeneration of northern white cedar in lowland forests of the Upper Great Lakes region, USA. For Ecol Manag 163:119–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg L (1983) The response of forest industries to a changing environment. In: Flader SL (ed) The great lakes forest, an environmental and social history. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, pp 194–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi H, Laurent EJ, LeBouton J, Racevskis L, Hall KR, Donovan M, Doepker RV, Walters MB, Lupi F, Liu J (2006) Local spatial modeling of white-tailed deer distribution. Ecol Model 190:171–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simmons ME, Wu XB, Whisenant SG (2011) Plant and soil responses to created microtopography and soil treatments in bottomland hardwood forest restoration. Restoration Ecology 19:136–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simmons ME, Wu XB, Whisenant SG (2012) Responses of pioneer and later-successional plant assemblages to created microtopographic variation and soil treatments in riparian forest restoration. Restor Ecol 20:369–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanturf JA, Schoenholtz SH, Schweitzer CJ, Shepard JP (2001) Achieving restoration success: myths in bottomland hardwood forests. Restor Ecol 9:189–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanturf JA, Conner WH, Gardiner ES, Schweitzer CJ, Ezell AW (2004) Recognizing and overcoming difficult site conditions for afforestation of bottomland hardwoods. Ecol Restor 22:183–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steel RGD, Torrie JH (1980) Principles and procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach, second edition. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, NY, pp 233–236

  • Stolt MH, Genthner MH, Daniels WL, Groover VA, Nagle S, Haering KC (2000) Comparison of soil and other environmental conditions in constructed and adjacent palustrine reference wetlands. Wetlands 20:671–683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storer DA (1984) A simple high sample volume ashing procedure for determination of soil organic-matter. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 15:759–772

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toner M, Keddy P (1997) River hydrology and riparian wetlands: a predictive model for ecological assembly. Ecol Appl 7:236–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ullrey DE, Youatt WG, Johnson HE, Fay LD, Brent BE, Kemp KE (1968) Digestibility of cedar and balsam fir browse for the white-tailed deer. J Wildl Manag 32:162–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verme LJ (1965) Swamp conifer deeryards in northern Michigan: their ecology and management. J For 63:523–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Witt JC, Webster CR, Froese RE, Drummer TD, Vucetich JA (2012) Scale-dependent drivers of ungulate patch use along a temporal and spatial gradient of snow depth. Can J Zool 90:972–983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (2010) Biostatistical analysis, 5th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River 230

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Tamara Baker and Ellen Beller for assistance with vegetation and soil sampling and Jim Bess, Arvo Aljaste, and Drew Ballantyne for assistance with the tree survey. We also thank Dr. James Pickens, and Dr. Jianping Dong for their statistical support and Dr. Evan Kane for use of laboratory space and advice regarding soil analyses. We also acknowledge funding from McIntire–Stennis for partial support of this project.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Michael R. Pennington

    Present address: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 525 West Allegan Street, P.O. Box 30458, Lansing, MI, 48909-7958, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA

    Laura C. Kangas, Rose Schwartz, Christopher R. Webster & Rodney A. Chimner

  2. Michigan Department of Transportation, Van Wagoner Building, 425 W Ottawa Street, Lansing, MI, 48909, USA

    Michael R. Pennington

Authors
  1. Laura C. Kangas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rose Schwartz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael R. Pennington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christopher R. Webster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rodney A. Chimner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodney A. Chimner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kangas, L.C., Schwartz, R., Pennington, M.R. et al. Artificial microtopography and herbivory protection facilitates wetland tree (Thuja occidentalis L.) survival and growth in created wetlands. New Forests 47, 73–86 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-015-9483-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-015-9483-7

Keywords

  • Wetland creation
  • Wetland
  • Hydrology
  • Restoration
  • Mitigation

Search

Navigation