Article
Forestry
Djidjoho Julien Houndode, Cornelia Krause, Hubert Morin
Summary: During spruce budworm outbreaks, balsam fir stands experience marked levels of mortality due to consecutive years of defoliation. Factors such as defoliation duration and intensity, stand age, and forest composition play significant roles in predicting balsam fir mortality rates. Models have shown that cumulative defoliation, stand age, and the proportion of other tree species in the stand are essential for accurately predicting mortality rates in balsam fir stands affected by spruce budworm outbreaks.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Marine Duperat, Barry Gardiner, Jean-Claude Ruel
Summary: The study demonstrates that selective thinning has a significant impact at the tree scale and an additional effect at the stand scale. The level of competition between trees can explain the wind load distribution within the stand.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Cristian Corona, Abigail C. Leeper, Jalene M. LaMontagne
Summary: Eastern spruce budworm is a native defoliating insect in Canada and the United States, with different impacts on balsam fir and white spruce. A study of an outbreak in Wisconsin showed higher defoliation and mortality in white spruce, contrary to expectations.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Alvaro Fuentealba, Emile Pelletier-Beaulieu, Alain Dupont, Christian Hebert, Richard Berthiaume, Eric Bauce
Summary: This study evaluates the efficacy of three Btk application treatments for protecting white spruce and balsam fir in mixed stands. The results show that Btk treatments are effective in reducing defoliation on balsam fir, but not on white spruce. The low efficacy on white spruce may be due to its shoot phenology and foliar chemistry.
Article
Forestry
Bishnu Hari Wagle, Aaron R. Weiskittel, John-Pascal Berrill, Anil R. Kizha, Anthony W. D'Amato, David Marshall
Summary: This study examined the long-term effects of pre-commercial and commercial thinning on the growth of balsam fir and red spruce in spruce-fir forests. The results showed that thinning treatments significantly increased the growth of balsam fir in stands without pre-commercial thinning, while the growth of red spruce was more moderate. In stands with pre-commercial thinning, both species showed similar growth responses. Thinning treatments effectively reduced mean height diameter ratios and improved growth efficiency.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Matjaz Cater
Summary: The physiological response of young beech, fir, Norway spruce, and sycamore trees to rapid light exposure due to canopy disintegration varied between species, with young trees gradually adapting to the increased light conditions. Nitrogen levels were optimal for all species studied. Trees at damaged sites showed better adaptation to light conditions but worse recovery compared to undamaged sites.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Remote Sensing
Rajeev Bhattarai, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, Aaron Weiskittel, Saeid Homayouni, Tawanda W. Gara, Ryan P. Hanavan
Summary: This study used multiple remote sensing data to model the leaf area index and basal area per ha of red spruce and balsam fir. The results showed that the Random Forest algorithm performed better in modeling. The red-edge spectral vegetation indices played a significant role in the estimation of both leaf area index and basal area per ha. These models are important for evaluating the dynamics of the eastern spruce budworm, as red spruce and balsam fir are its primary host species.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Audrey Lemay, Julie Barrette, Cornelia Krause
Summary: This study assessed the impact of spruce budworm defoliation duration on the wood quality of mature balsam fir trees. The results showed that dead trees experienced rapid degradation in wood quality, particularly in terms of moisture content and decay. Mechanical properties and tracheid dimensions were also lower in dead trees compared to living trees. There were no major differences in wood properties between the three defoliation durations.
Article
Forestry
Sonia Condes, Miren del Rio, David I. Forrester, Admir Avdagic, Kamil Bielak, Andrej Bonc, Michal Bosela, Torben Hilmers, Aida Ibrahimspahic, Staniski Drozdowski, Andrzej Jaworski, Thomas A. Nagel, Zuzana Sitkova, Jerzy Skrzyszewski, Roberto Tognetti, Giustino Tonon, Tzvetan Zlatanov, Hans Pretzsch
Summary: This study found that annual mean temperature is an important climatic driver of species dynamics in spruce-fir-beech mixed mountain forests, with stand basal area growth favored by higher temperatures, particularly due to positive responses of silver fir compared to European beech.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Jiarong Liu, Jingyuan He, Lei Chai, Xun Zhong, Bo Jia, Xinjie Wang
Summary: A stand volume model was constructed using multiple linear regression model, random forest algorithm and generalized additive model to investigate the influences of various factors on stand volume. The results showed that stand structure variables, topography variables, diversity variables and cutting variables had significant impacts on stand volume, while climate variables had relatively smaller influence.
Article
Ecology
Suzanne W. Simard, W. Jean Roach, Jacob Beauregard, Julia Burkart, Dominique Cook, Danica Law, Arianna Murphy-Steed, Teah Schacter, Aidan Zickmantel, Gaelin Armstrong, Kaya M. Fraser, Lia Hart, Oliver R. J. Heath, Liam Jones, Nava S. Sachs, Hannah R. Sachs, Eva N. Snyder, Morgan Tien, Joseph Timmermans
Summary: Partial retention of legacy trees and protection of refuge plants can maintain mycorrhizal networks, promote seedling establishment, and improve nutrient supply. Clearcutting reduces cover of ectomycorrhizal refuge plants while promoting arbuscular mycorrhizal plants; the richness of shrubs, herbs, and mosses declines with increasing harvesting intensity, but tree richness remains at control levels.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
W. Kharrat, R. E. Hernandez, C. B. Caceres, C. Blais
Summary: The study investigated the effects of radial force and rake angle on debarking quality of frozen and unfrozen black spruce logs. It was found that increasing radial force decreased the proportion of bark on log surfaces but increased the amount of wood in bark residues. Regression equations were established to predict the optimal radial force and rake angle.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Abhijit Bhattacharyya, John K. Schueller, Brian P. Mann, Tony L. Schmitz, Michael Gomez
Summary: This study developed a general method for propagating input parameter uncertainties through predictive models, estimating uncertainties associated with the data reduction equation using first-order Taylor series expansions, and calculating coverage factors for confidence intervals based on appropriate statistical distributions. The analysis applied to experimental data included force predictions with confidence intervals attached. Monte Carlo simulations provided different insights compared to classical uncertainty analysis, offering combined uncertainties directly without sensitivity calculations. This method of quoting uncertainty in force predictions allows users to evaluate the suitability of empirical force prediction models.
JOURNAL OF MANUFACTURING SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Amna Hussain, Muhammad Khurram Shahzad, Lichun Jiang
Summary: This study found that the addition of crown variables showed slight improvements for diameter and volume predictions in several tree species in northeast China, but had limited impact on the original taper models.
Article
Forestry
Vasilije Trifkovic, Andrej Boncina, Andrej Ficko
Summary: In this study, the influences of various stand, site, and climatic factors on tree recruitment in uneven-aged forests were explored. It was found that stand structure, including stand basal area and the proportion of tree species, was the most important factor affecting recruitment. Soil pH and rockiness were important for fir recruitment, while decadal precipitation and temperature played significant roles in beech and spruce recruitment. Furthermore, the optimal and critical ranges of these factors differed among the species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Tony Franceschini, Vincent Gauthray-Guyenet, Robert Schneider, Jean-Claude Ruel, David Pothier, Alexis Achim
Article
Forestry
Olivier Villemaire-Cote, Jean-Claude Ruel, Luc Sirois
Review
Forestry
Louis De Grandpre, Kaysandra Waldron, Mathieu Bouchard, Sylvie Gauthier, Marilou Beaudet, Jean-Claude Ruel, Christian Hebert, Daniel D. Kneeshaw
Article
Forestry
Louis-Philippe Menard, Jean-Claude Ruel, Nelson Thiffault
Review
Forestry
Barry Gardiner, Alexis Achim, Bruce Nicoll, Jean-Claude Ruel
Article
Forestry
Jean-Claude Ruel, Barry Gardiner
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2019)
Article
Forestry
Jean-Claude Ruel
Article
Forestry
Kaysandra Waldron, Nelson Thiffault, Frederic Bujold, Jean-Claude Ruel, Jean-Martin Lussier, Dominique Boucher
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Article
Forestry
Marine Duperat, Barry Gardiner, Jean-Claude Ruel
Summary: The study aimed to measure wind-induced bending moments on balsam fir trees to determine wind risk, integrate specific parameters into a model, simulate the impact of commercial thinning on wind damage risk, and guide management practices in balsam fir stands.
Article
Forestry
Marine Duperat, Barry Gardiner, Jean-Claude Ruel
Article
Forestry
Marine Duperat, Barry Gardiner, Jean-Claude Ruel
Summary: The study demonstrates that selective thinning has a significant impact at the tree scale and an additional effect at the stand scale. The level of competition between trees can explain the wind load distribution within the stand.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Beatrice Capolla, Olivier Villemaire-Cote, Jean-Claude Ruel, Jean-Pierre Tremblay
Summary: By selectively feeding on new vegetation from forest regeneration, cervids can negatively affect the abundance and recruitment of understory species. This impact is often studied at fine scales, making it difficult to generalize the distribution of co-occurring cervid and tree species. In this study, the effect of spatio-temporal variations in white-tailed deer abundance on northern white cedar recruitment was examined. The results showed a negative effect of deer abundance and deeryard proximity on cedar sapling recruitment, highlighting the importance of considering browsing indicators in forest surveys to manage regeneration failures caused by browsing.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Frederic Poirier, Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Olivier Villemaire-Cote, Jean-Claude Ruel
Summary: Northern white cedar is a valuable species that has been declining in abundance. Excessive browsing by white-tailed deer can compromise its regeneration, especially in deeryards. A study was conducted in Quebec to investigate how variations in deer pressure influence cedar regeneration and how cedar responds to a reduction in browsing. The results showed that cedar basal area and browsing pressure have significant effects on cedar regeneration, and silvicultural measures could be considered to reduce vulnerability to deer browsing.
Article
Ecology
Toby D. Jackson, Sarab Sethi, Ebba Dellwik, Nikolas Angelou, Amanda Bunce, Tim van Emmerik, Marine Duperat, Jean-Claude Ruel, Axel Wellpott, Skip Van Bloem, Alexis Achim, Brian Kane, Dominick M. Ciruzzi, Steven P. Loheide Ii, Ken James, Daniel Burcham, John Moore, Dirk Schindler, Sven Kolbe, Kilian Wiegmann, Mark Rudnicki, Victor J. Lieffers, John Selker, Andrew Gougherty, Tim Newson, Andrew Koeser, Jason Miesbauer, Roger Samelson, Jim Wagner, Anthony R. Ambrose, Andreas Detter, Steffen Rust, David Coomes, Barry Gardiner
Summary: This study systematically evaluated factors influencing tree responses to wind loading, finding that the fundamental frequency and power spectrum slope are key features. Conifers and broadleaves showed distinct responses, related to their architectural differences.
Article
Ecology
Miguel Montoro Girona, Hubert Morin, Jean-Martin Lussier, Jean-Claude Ruel
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2019)