EVALUATING WHITE SPRUCE DECLINE AND MORTALITY IN THE UPPER
GREAT LAKES REGION
SARAH BREWSTER AND DR.
DR HOLLY PETRILLO
UNIVERSITY
U
S
OF WISCONSIN
O
SCO S – S
STEVENS
S POINT
O
RESULTS
Abstract
FACTORS OF SPRUCE DECLINE IN THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION
Extensive decline and mortality of plantation origin white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) is currently being
observed across the upper Great Lakes region.
region White spruce stands are showing signs of stress with reduced
primary productivity,
productivity needle loss,
loss and a high number of occurrences of bark beetle and root rot infestations.
infestations
Thi i operations
Thinning
ti
and
d other
th treatments
t t
t have
h
proven ineffective
i ff ti in
i restoring
t i the
th health
h lth off the
th trees.
t
To
T
understand
d t d the
th factors
f t
contributing
t ib ti g to
t the
th decline,
d li , field
fi ld surveys
y off white
hit spruce
p
plantation
pl t ti and
d natural
t l mixed
i d stands
t d
were conducted during
g summers of 2007 and 2008.
2008 Tree-level
Tree level and stand-level
stand level information,
information tree cores,
cores and
samples of insects and diseases were collected in 44 white spruce stands in Michigan
Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin
Wisconsin.
Data is currently being analyzed through the development of a multi-criterion model.
model Risk maps will be created to
describe the regional extent and severity of decline,
decline characterize the nature of the decline,
decline and identify the risk
factors for spruce decline.
decline The results of this study will be useful in determining patterns of decline throughout the
region
i and
d the
th relative
l ti importance
i
t
off factors
f t
associated
i t d with
ith decline.
d li
Results
R
lt will
ill also
l help
h l land
l d managers assess
stands
t d for
f th
their
i vulnerability
l
bility and
d susceptibility
ptibility tto spruce
p
d
decline
li and
dd
develop
l p management
g
t recommendations
d ti
ffor
stands currentlyy affected byy decline.
decline
PREDISPOSING FACTORS
INCITING FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Climate: this region is the southern
Climate
so thern edge
of natural range for white spruce
spruce, where
they naturally occur in mixed stands
rather than pure stands
stands.
Drought:
Dro
ght area has e
experienced
perienced se
several
eral severe
se ere
droughts since the 1970s.
1970s
Wood boring insects
insects: Ips pertubatus,
pert bat s
Dendroctonus rufipennis
rufipennis, Pityogenes
spp
spp.
Unknown seed source: could be
genetically tolerant of a cooler climate
climate.
Spruce Budworm: defoliation from a persistent
outbreak species
species.
Root Rot Fungi: Amrillaria spp,
spp Inonotus
tomentosus Phaeolus schweinitzii
tomentosus,
Site conditions: soil fertility and
moisture, topography, planting space
b t
between
ttrees,, and
dp
planting
l ti g methods.
th d
Foliage and twig pathogens: Rhizosphaera
kalkhofffi, Stigmina lautii , Setomelanomma holmii
((SNEED))
STUDY QUESTIONS AND METHODS
What is the extent of white spruce decline and mortality in the Upper Great Lakes Region?
•44
44 white spruce plantations and naturally mixed spruce stands were surveyed using variable radius prism plots
and
d FHM/FIA measurementt ttechniques.
h i
•A
A GIS multi-criterion
lti it i model
d l will
ill be
b developed
d
l p d to
t allow
ll
for
f the
th combination
bi ti and
d weighting
ighti g off multiple
ltipl factors
f t
to
t
create a single
g index of evaluation.
evaluation
•The creation of risk maps will provide a visual for the extent of the decline as well as a prediction to future
spread.
spread
Is white spruce productivity related to climate trends?
•Increment
Increment cores from both white spruce and other tree species within each stand were collected for dendrological analysis
using
i g th
the computer
p t p
program
g
CD
CDendro.
d
•Tree growth patterns and climatic trends will be compared to determine how weather and climate affect tree productivity
productivity.
•Stable
Stable isotope Carbon-13 tests on suspicious growth rings will demonstrate tree response to lower moisture levels
levels.
Armillaria white mycelial
y
mat spreading
p
g
up into the bole of a dead white spruce.
LTAs are partt off an ecological
LTA
l i l classification
l
ifi ti system
t
that
th t classifies
l
ifi and
d maps
ecological
g
types
yp based on the associations of environmental and biotic factors.
These factors include climate, physiography, water, soils, air, hydrology, and natural
communities LTPs depict soil characteristics across the landscape.
communities.
landscape
Is white spruce productivity and decline related to site condition?
•Land Type Phase (LTP) and Land Type Association (LTA) geo
geo-databases
databases are being used to compare the landform
landform,
soil type
type, and habitat type for each sample stand.
stand
•Correlation
Correlation between low productivity and LTP/LTA would suggest a stand was planted ‘off-site
off site.’
White
Whit SSpruce Vigor
Vi
in
i Natural
N t l Stands
St d
White
Whit Spruce
S
Vigor
Vi
in
i Plantations
Pl t ti
14%
Are
diseases contributing
p
decline
the study
A iinsects
t and
d di
t ib ti g to
t white
hit spruce
d li in
i th
t dy stands?
t d ?
g, Ips
p p
p
, and Pityogenes
y g
pp and spruce
p
•Bark
Bark beetles including,
including
pertubatus
pertubatus,, Dendroctonus rufipennis,
rufipennis
spp.
spp
budworm activityy
stand
were documented for each stand.
kalkhofffi Stigmina lautii ,
•Needle samples were collected to test for needle cast pathogens such as
as, Rhizosphaera kalkhofffi,
(SNEED)
and Setomelanomma holmii (SNEED).
•Trees
Trees within the variable radius plots were inspected for root rot fungi including
including, Armillaria spp,
spp Inonotus tomentosus,
tomentosus
and
d Phaeolus
Ph
l schweinitzii.
h i it ii
12%
Vi
Vigor
Cl
Class 1
44%
Plantation
31%
43%
Vigor Class 2 and 3
Root
R t Di
Disease Occurence
O
Across
A
the
th Upper
U
Great Lakes Region
g
65%
Vi
Cl
Vigor
Class 1
56%
Vi
Vigor
Cl
Class 2 and
d3
Dead
D d
Dead
n = 141
n = 887
88
Natural
62%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Vigor is a description of how productive a tree is. There are three classes of vigor. Class 1 has
more than 1/3 live crown
crown. Class 2 has less than 1/3 of the live crown or 40% of the normal
foliage Class 3 has less than 20% of the normal foliage
foliage.
foliage. These two graphs show there is little
diff
difference
between
b t
th
the vigor
ig off th
the white
hit spruce
p
iin p
plantations
l t ti
and
d natural
t l stands.
t d
These graphs indicate that there may not be
a difference between the spruce health in
plantations and naturally mixed stands
stands.
White spruce growth rings will be measured and compared with climatic trends
trends.
B k beetle
Bark
b tl galleries
g ll i in
i dead
d d white
hit spruce.
p
Inonotus tomentosus fruiting
f
g bodyy in
white spruce stand
Close up
C
p off Rhizosphaera
p
kalkhofffi
fff fruiting
f
g
bodies on a white spruce needle.
needle
CONTINUING WORK: I am currently working on a complete analysis of all the data collected.
collected This will include a statistical analysis
off the
th prism
i
plot
l t data,
d t tree
t
growth
th analysis,
l i site
it condition
diti analysis,
l i the
th results
lt off the
th needle
dl pathogen
th
and
d Carbon
Carbon-13
C b 13 ttests,
t and
d
fi lly th
finally
the spatial
p ti l analysis.
ly i