White Pine Ecology –
What’s New ?
(or, what’s old is new all
over again)
Chris Nowak, Professor
Quincey Oliver, M.S. candidate
Framework #1
Framework #2
BERGLUND’S DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION
OF THE HOLOCOENOTIC ENVIRONMENT
(Berglund
1975)
Main Factors Affecting Vegetation
Dynamics
1.
2.
3.
4.
Species Life History (autecology)
Community Dynamics (synecology)
Site Quality
Disturbance
•
Interaction of these four main factors
The Plant Ecology “Diamond”







BIOTIC FACTORS
Associated plants and animals
Competition
Facilitation
Herbivory—mammal, insect
Predation—seed, seedling
Pathogens








SPECIES LIFE HISTORY
Allocation to reproduction,
growth, & maintenance
Growth/development rates
Longevity
Reproductive strategy
Propagule type, dispersal,
availability
Competitive ability
Site tolerances
Plant /
Plant
Community





ABIOTIC FACTORS
Soil

Texture, nutrients,
drainage
Physiography

Landform, parent
material, slope position,
aspect
Water
Climate

Light and temperature


Disturbance

Type

Frequency

Timing

Intensity
Space Availability/Niches
The Plant Ecology “Diamond”







BIOTIC FACTORS
Associated plants and animals
Competition
Facilitation
Herbivory—mammal, insect
Predation—seed, seedling
Pathogens








SPECIES LIFE HISTORY
Allocation to reproduction,
growth, & maintenance
Growth/development rates
Longevity
Reproductive strategy
Propagule type, dispersal,
availability
Competitive ability
Site tolerances
Plant /
Plant
Community





ABIOTIC FACTORS
Soil

Texture, nutrients,
drainage
Physiography

Landform, parent
material, slope position,
aspect
Water
Climate

Light and temperature


Disturbance

Type

Frequency

Timing

Intensity
Space Availability/Niches
LONGEVITY: long
300-yr-old white pine on the Charles Lathrop Pack Demonstration.
GROWTH: generally (really) fast
GOOD SITES:
• Height ~ 1-2 ft per yr
• Volume:
– 3-4 cd per per yr
– 150-500 bd ft per acre
per year
Archetypal white pine on the Huntington Wildlife Forest
(with Rene’ Germain) (circa 2007)
GROWTH: crown architecture (*NEW*)
Weiskittel et al. 2011
REPRODUCTION: cones and seeds
3
1
2
4
5
1) current cone; 2) last year’s cone; 3) needles and branch with last year’s cones; 4) mature cone (later this
year); and 5) seeds.
REPRODUCTION: seed periodicity
(*NEW*)
(McNulty Unpubl. Data)
REPRODUCTION:
shelterwood – yes !
• Partial light = seed
germination, seedling
establishment, early
growth and development
LESS light
+ germination
MORE light
+ seedling growth
Shelterwood cut in action on the Huntington Forest, fall
2012.
The Plant Ecology “Diamond”







BIOTIC FACTORS
Associated plants and animals
Competition
Facilitation
Herbivory—mammal, insect
Predation—seed, seedling
Pathogens








SPECIES LIFE HISTORY
Allocation to reproduction,
growth, & maintenance
Growth/development rates
Longevity
Reproductive strategy
Propagule type, dispersal,
availability
Competitive ability
Site tolerances
Plant /
Plant
Community





ABIOTIC FACTORS
Soil

Texture, nutrients,
drainage
Physiography

Landform, parent
material, slope position,
aspect
Water
Climate

Light and temperature


Disturbance

Type

Frequency

Timing

Intensity
Space Availability/Niches
Site Quality / Site Index
Site quality is the capacity
of a definable area to
produce values
– wood per unit area, per
unit time
Site index can be used to
judge site quality
– height vs. age
A tale of two sites:
Huntington Wildlife
Forest (HWF) versus Pack
Forest (PACK)
High quality site for white pine, Pack Forest old growth,
Warrensburg, NY.
Methods – Site Index
Average height of the 24 tallest
trees across both the HWF and
PACK stands
- Stratified sample
- Measured using a
clinometer in 2012
-
HWF
-
96-year-old plantation
Average height: 123 feet
-
-
PACK
-
99-yr-old white pine in post-shelterwood cut stand at
Pack Forest (circa spring 2013).
Range: 108 to 142 feet
98-year-old natural stand via
old-field succession
Average height: 82 feet
-
Range: 75 to 95 feet
Much started with Frothingham (1914)
(really old)
Anamorphic versus Polymorphic
Anamorphic site index curves for white pine based on
Frothingham’s Site Class I, II and III data – NOTE: base age of 50
years based on breast height age (Lancaster and Leak 1978)
Polymorphic site index curves for white pine based
on Frothingham’s Site Class I, II and III data – NOTE:
base age of 50 years based on total age (Parresol
and Vissage 1998)
BOTTOMLINES
HWF
PACK
1) Preference for polymorphic
curves
-
HWF Site Index = 81
PACK Site Index = 52
2) HWF is a high quality site ! And
PACK is a low quality site.
-
Polymorphic site index curves for white pine
(Parresol and Vissage 1998) showing HWF and PACK
stands.
Sets the stage for our
comparative R&D work –
ecology and silviculture, growth
and yield, wildlife and more on
high quality versus low quality
white pine sites
The Plant Ecology “Diamond”







BIOTIC FACTORS
Associated plants and animals
Competition
Facilitation
Herbivory—mammal, insect
Predation—seed, seedling
Pathogens








SPECIES LIFE HISTORY
Allocation to reproduction,
growth, & maintenance
Growth/development rates
Longevity
Reproductive strategy
Propagule type, dispersal,
availability
Competitive ability
Site tolerances
Plant /
Plant
Community





ABIOTIC FACTORS
Soil

Texture, nutrients,
drainage
Physiography

Landform, parent
material, slope position,
aspect
Water
Climate

Light and temperature


Disturbance

Type

Frequency

Timing

Intensity
Space Availability/Niches
BASAL AREA PER ACRE
Stand Development and Stocking Chart
TREES PER ACRE
Leak and Lamson 1999
BASAL AREA PER ACRE
Stocking Chart -- Generalization
A,
100%
B, 60%
C
TREES PER ACRE
A-line normal basal area equation
A-line normal basal area = 261.15*(LOG10(QSD)) – 22.68
(square feet per acre)
Relative Stand Density (RSD)
RSD = observed basal area / A-line normal basal area * 100
NOTE: NED and FIA RSD
equations are wrong !
After Seymour (2007), based on Frothingham 1914)
BASAL AREA PER ACRE
Stocking Chart -- Generalization
A
B
C
Regeneration
TREES PER ACRE
Normal stand
development
zone
Early white pine stocking chart
Lancaster and Leak 1978
Most recent rendition
Leak and Lamson 1999
Most recent rendition (managed only)
350
18
BASAL AREA PER ACRE
16
14
12
10
8
A=
100%
RSD
B
C
0
0
Leak and Lamson 1999
TREES PER ACRE
700
Huntington, circa 2012 (pre-treatment)
350
18
BASAL AREA PER ACRE
16
14
12
10
8
A
B
C
0
0
TREES PER ACRE
700
The Plant Ecology “Diamond”







BIOTIC FACTORS
Associated plants and animals
Competition
Facilitation
Herbivory—mammal, insect
Predation—seed, seedling
Pathogens








SPECIES LIFE HISTORY
Allocation to reproduction,
growth, & maintenance
Growth/development rates
Longevity
Reproductive strategy
Propagule type, dispersal,
availability
Competitive ability
Site tolerances
In a bit …
Plant /
Plant
Community





ABIOTIC FACTORS
Soil

Texture, nutrients,
drainage
Physiography

Landform, parent
material, slope position,
aspect
Water
Climate

Light and temperature


Disturbance

Type

Frequency

Timing

Intensity
Space Availability/Niches