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Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2015

  • Title: Regional growth decline in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and potential causes
  • Primary Author: Daniel Bishop (Harvard Forest)
  • Additional Authors: Colin Beier (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry); Gregory Lawrence (US Geological Survey); Neil Pederson (Harvard Forest); John Stella (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry); Timothy Sullivan (E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc.)
  • Abstract:

    Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) has experienced a suite of decline symptoms across much of its range, but there has been relatively little attention to its growth rates. In acidified Adirondack forests, the health, vigor, and recruitment of sugar maple have been observed to be much lower, but due to variations in surficial geology, there exist areas of highly-buffered base-rich soils that support visibly healthy populations (Sullivan et al. 2013). We assessed growth rates (basal area increments) of these range-centered sugar maple populations using a well-replicated sampling network that included both healthy and unhealthy populations across the Adirondack Mountains. We compared recent sugar maple growth rates and trends across a wide range in soil chemistry – from well-buffered and nutrient rich to heavily acidified and nutrient poor – and evaluated the sensitivity of growth chronologies to recent climatic variability using a novel approach. We observed that the majority of sugar maple trees exhibited significant negative growth trends in the last several decades regardless of age, diameter, or soil fertility (Fig. 1). Mean basal area increment was greater on base-rich soils, but these stands also experienced sharp decreases in growth. Growth sensitivity of sugar maple to temperature and precipitation was non-stationary during the last century, with overall weaker relationships than expected. Given the favorable competitive status and age structure of the Adirondack populations sampled, evidence of declining growth raises concern over this ecologically and economically important tree.



    Reference

    Sullivan, T.J., Lawrence, G.B., Bailey, S.W., McDonnell, T.C., Beier, C.M., Weathers, K.C., McPherson, G.T., Bishop, D.A.. 2013. Effects of acidic deposition and soil acidification on sugar maple trees in the Adirondack Mountains, New York. Environmental Science & Technology 47(22): 12687-12694.

  • Research Category: Regional Studies

  • Figures:
    • HFSymposium_SM_Figure1.pdf