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Response of Douglas-fir leaf area index and litterfall dynamics to Swiss needle cast in north coastal Oregon, USA

Réponse de l’index foliaire (LAI) et de la dynamique de chute de litière du Douglas à la rouille suisse dans la zone côtière du Nord Oregon

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Abstract

Sources of variation in leaf area index (LAI; m2 of projected leaf area per m2 of ground area) and its seasonal dynamics are not well known in managed Douglas-fir stands, despite the importance of leaf area in forecasting forest growth, particularly in stands impacted by insects or disease. The influence of Swiss needle cast (SNC) on coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb] Franco) LAI and litterfall dynamics was quantified by destructively sampling 122 stems from 36 different permanent plots throughout north coastal Oregon, USA, and by monitoring litterfall for 3 years in 15 of these plots. LAI, total annual litterfall, and the seasonal distribution of foliage and fine woody litterfall were all influenced by stand structural attributes, physiographic features, and SNC severity. Mean LAI in this study was 5.44 ± 2.16. The relatively low LAIs were attributed primarily to the effects of SNC on foliage retention, and secondarily to its direct measurement by hierarchical foliage sampling in contrast to indirect measurement by light interception or tree allometry. For a given stand structure and SNC severity, LAI was 36% greater in the fall after current year foliage was fully developed and older aged classes had not yet senesced. Annual litterfall expressed as a proportion of LAI at the start of the growing season varied from 0.13 to 0.53 and declined with increasing initial LAI. SNC also shifted more of the annual foliage litterfall to earlier in the spring. Fine woody litterfall experienced a different seasonal shift as the peak occurred later in the year on sites with high SNC, but this only occurred on northerly aspects. Defoliation from the endemic SNC pathogen can drastically reduce LAI and change both total and seasonal foliage litterfall patterns.

Résumé

Les sources de variation de l’index foliaire (LAI, m2 de surface projetée des feuilles par m2 de surface de sol) et sa dynamique saísonnière ne sont pas bien connues dans les peuplements aménagés de Douglas, malgré l’importance de la surface foliaire dans les prévisions de la croissance des forêts, particulièrement dans les peuplements touchés par des insectes ou les maladies. L’influence de la rouille suisse (SNC) sur l’index foliaire et la dynamique de chute de litière de Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco ont été quantifiées grâce à un échantillonnage destructif de 122 tiges dans 36 placeaux permanents dans la zone côtière du Nord Oregon (USA) et le suivi pendant 3 ans des chutes de litière dans 15 de ces placeaux. L’index foliaire, la chute annuelle totale de litière, et la distribution du feuillage et la litière ligneuse fine ont tous été influencés par les attributs structuraux, les caractéristiques physiographiques et la gravité de SNC. Dans cette étude la moyenne de l’index foliaire était de 5,44 ± 2,16. Les index foliaires relativement faibles ont été essentiellement attribués aux effets de SNC sur le maintien du feuillage, et secondairement sur ses mesures directes par un échantillonnage hiérarchisé par opposition aux mesures indirectes par interception de la lumière ou par des méthodes d’allométrie au niveau des arbres. Pour une structure de peuplement et une gravité de SNC données, l’index foliaire a été 36 % plus élevé à l’automne après le plein développement du feuillage de l’année en cours et avant la sénescence des classes plus âgées. La chute annuelle de litière exprimée en proportion de l’index foliaire au début de la saison de croissance a varié de 0,13 à 0,53 et a baissé avec l’augmentation de l’index foliaire initial. La SNC a aussi enlevé plus que la chute annuelle de feuillage de la litière plus tôt au printemps. La litière ligneuse fine a été rencontrée à différents moments dans la saison alors que le pic s’est produit plus tard dans l’année dans les sites présentant une SNC élevée, mais ceci s’est seulement produit dans les expositions au nord. La défoliation par le pathogène endémique SNC peut réduire considérablement l’index foliaire et change à la fois les modèles de chute totale et de chute saisonnière de litière.

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  1. Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Aaron R. Weiskittel & Douglas A. Maguire

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Weiskittel, A.R., Maguire, D.A. Response of Douglas-fir leaf area index and litterfall dynamics to Swiss needle cast in north coastal Oregon, USA. Ann. For. Sci. 64, 121–132 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2006096

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