Figure 1. Map of the sample area, located approximately 150km southwest of
Vanderhoof, BC. Phase I samples were from the Fawnie and Nechako areas, Phase II
samples were from Tetachuck Lake.
2.5
disc 1
disc 2
disc 4
disc 8
Number of checks
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time since death (years)
Figure 2. Number of checks by time since death and disc height. Disc 1 = 0.3m, disc 2 =
1.3m, disc 4 = 1/3 merchantable height, disc 8 = 2/3 merchantable height.
10
disc 1
disc 2
disc 4
disc 8
Check depth (cm)
8
6
4
2
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time since death (years)
Figure 3. Depth of checks (cm) by time since death and disc height. Disc 1 = 0.3m, disc 2
= 1.3m, disc 4 = 1/3 merchantable height, disc 8 = 2/3 merchantable height.
10
16
B
A
14
8
Number of trees
10
8
6
4
6
4
2
2
0
0
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
11
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Years to fall
Time since death (years)
Figure 4. Frequency distributions of time since death of fallen sample trees killed by
mountain pine beetle (A), and years to fall of the same trees (B). Date of fall was
determined by dating scars on live adjacent trees damaged when the beetle-killed tree fell
over.
40
30
Percent down
Number of trees
12
20
10
0
15
20
25
30
35
Diameter class (cm)
Figure 5. Percent of dead pine trees, killed 6-10 years ago that were down by diameter
class.
11
A
120
disc 1
disc 2
disc 4
disc 8
100
Percent moisture content
100
Percent moisture content
B
120
80
60
40
20
80
60
40
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
10
2
3
4
5
Time since death (years)
Time since death (years)
Figure 6. Percent moisture content in the sapwood versus years since death for the SBSdk
(A) and the SBSmc3 (B), by disc. Bars equal standard error. Disc 1 = 0.3m, disc 2 =
1.3m, disc 4 sampled at 1/3 merchantable height, and disc 8 sampled at 2/3 merchantable
height.
60
60
disc
disc
disc
disc
Percent moisture content
50
B
1
2
4
8
50
Percent moisture content
A
40
30
20
10
40
30
20
10
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Time since death (years)
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
Time since death (years)
Figure 7. Percent moisture content in the heartwood versus years since death for the
SBSdk (A) and the SBSmc3 (B), by disc. Bars equal standard error. Disc 1 = 0.3m, disc 2
= 1.3m, disc 4 sampled at 1/3 merchantable height, and disc 8 sampled at 2/3
merchantable height.
5
Sapwood
Heartwood
Percent moisture content (%)
120
120
SMR 1
SMR 1
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Percent moisture content (%)
120
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
120
SMR 2
SMR 2
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
120
0
1
120
SMR 3
Percent moisture content (%)
Disc 1
Disc 2
Disc 4
Disc 8
SMR 3
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Time since death (years)
9
10
0
1
2
Time since death (years)
Figure 8. Mean moisture content by sapwood (left) and heartwood (right), SMR, disc and
TSD. Disc 1 = 0.3m, disc 2 = 1.3m, disc 4 sampled at 1/3 merchantable height, and disc 8
sampled at 2/3 merchantable height.
8
8
Heartwood
20 %
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 %
Disc
Disc
Sapwood
4
2
20 %
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 %
4
2
1
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Time since death (years)
9
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Time since death (years)
Figure 9. Sapwood (left) and heartwood (right) moisture content (%) predicted as a
function of TSD and location along the stem, holding SMR constant at 2 (mesic).
10
0.6
Percent blue-stained volume
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time since death (years)
Figure 10. Percent blue-stained wood volume plotted against years since death. Bars
represent standard error.
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
3
Natural log of increase in DBH (cm)
in the last 20 years
Natural log of DBH (cm) 20 years ago
4.0
2
1
0
-1
-2
Figure 11. Box and whisker plots of absolute growth over the last 20 years prior to
mortality (ABS20) and dbh at the beginning of the 20-year growth period (PRE20DBH).
Both variables are natural-log transformed.
Increase in DBH (cm) in the last 20 years
10
0 cm
1
2
3
4
5 cm
8
6
4
2
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
DBH (cm) 20 years ago
Figure 12. Predicted depth of bluestain fungi (cm) by diameter at breast height 20 years
before mortality and absolute growth (cm) in the last 20 years.
120
80
100
60
80
60
40
40
20
Sample size
Percent trees with no
checking at breast height (%)
140
100
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
7
8
9
10
7
8
9
10
Percent trees with no
saprot in basal disc (%)
Time since death (years)
100
80
60
40
20
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Percent trees with no
woodborere in basal disc (%)
Time since death (years)
100
80
60
40
20
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Time since death (years)
Figure 13. Percent trees with no detectable checking, saprot or woodborer damage by
time since death.
100
Percent trees checked
80
60
40
20
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time since death (years)
Figure 14. The percent of trees showing checks for all data combined, against time since
death.
50
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Diameter at breast height (cm)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time-since-death (years)
Figure 15. Number of checks at breast height predicted as a function of time-since death
and diameter at breast height
50
0 cm
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 cm
Diameter at breast height (cm)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time-since-death (years)
Figure 16. Depth of checking at breast height predicted as a function of time-since death
and diameter at breast height.
50
0 cm
1
2
3
4
5
6 cm
Diameter at breast height (cm)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time-since-death (years)
Figure 17. Depth of saprot at basal height predicted as a function of time-since death and
diameter at breast height
50
1 cm
2
3
4
5 cm
Diameter at breast height (cm)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time-since-death (years)
Figure 18. Depth of wood borer damage at basal height predicted as a function of timesince death and diameter at breast height.
0
Years post mortality
Figure 19. Diagram of changes to wood properties as a function of TSD.
10
8+ years
Trees begin to fall, deterioration
rapid
Trees that remain standing
develop rot and woodbores at base
2-8 years
Period of stability in wood
properties
Most of trees remain standing
0-2 years
Rapid checking increase
Some saprot development
0 – 6 months
Green wood characteristics