Topic: Forest Health

Showing 21 – 30 of 107 resources

The complex relationship between climate and sugar maple health: Climate change implications in Vermont for a key northern hardwood species

This study compared 141 ecologically relevant climate metrics to field assessments of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) canopy condition across Vermont, USA from 1988 to 2012. After removing the influence of disturbance events during this time period to isolate the impact of climate, we identified five climate metrics that were significantly related to sugar maple crown condition. While three of these are monthly summary metrics commonly used in climate analyses (minimum April, August and October temperatures), two are novel metrics designed to capture extreme climate events (periods of unusual warmth in January and August). The proportion of climate-driven variability in canopy condition is comparable to the proportion accounted for by defoliating pests and other disturbance events.

Publication:
Forest Ecology and Management
Date:
April 6, 2018

Do Invasive Worms Threaten Northeast Maple Forests?

Some maple producers have reported low sugar maple regeneration that could be related to the presence of worms. This second wave of invasion by Asian earthworms is of concern to forest ecologists because of its potential disruption to the forest.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
February 1, 2018

How to Identify and Control the Sugar Maple Borer

The sugar maple borer, Glycobius speciosus (Say), a long-horned wood boring beetle, is a common pest of sugar maple (the only known host) throughout the range of the tree. Although borer-caused mortality is rare, infestations lead to value loss through lumber defect caused by larval galleries, discoloration, decay, and twisted grain.

Date:
October 12, 2017

Soil Base Saturation Combines with Beech Bark Disease to Influence Composition and Structure of Sugar Maple-Beech Forests in an Acid Rain-Impacted Region

Sugar maple, an abundant and highly valued tree species in eastern North America, has experienced decline from soil calcium (Ca) depletion by acidic deposition, while beech, which often coexists with sugar maple, has been afflicted with beech bark disease (BBD) over the same period. To investigate how variations in soil base saturation combine with effects of BBD in influencing stand composition and structure, measurements of soils, canopy, subcanopy, and seedlings were taken in 21 watersheds in the Adirondack region of NY (USA), where sugar maple and beech were the predominant canopy species and base saturation of the upper B horizon ranged from 4.4 to 67%.

Publication:
Ecosystems
Date:
September 18, 2017

Relationship between Tree Value, Diameter, and Age in High-Quality Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) on the Menominee Reservation, Wisconsin

Guidelines for managing sugar maple-dominated forests by the single-tree selection method are well established and widely adopted. The forests of the Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin provide an opportunity to validate current guidelines by testing tree value and size/age relationships in forests that have substantially older and larger high-quality trees than can be found through the northern region. We harvested grade 1 sugar maple trees across a wide spectrum of ages and diameters, which we then manufactured into veneer, sawlogs, cants, and hardwood/pulpwood bolts to determine tree value.

Publication:
Journal of Forestry
Date:
February 2, 2017

Acid Rain and Sugar Maple Decline

Through the increased combustion of fossil fuels, humans have dramatically increased pollutant additions of sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere wher eit combines with water to form sulfuric and nitric acids, creating acid rain. This article investigates the impact of this issue on sugarbush health.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
February 1, 2017

Managing for a Healthy Sugarbush in a Changing Climate

Severe and extreme weather has significant impacts on sugar maples. This article discusses how to look for signs of stress, and how to manage sugarbushes for resilience.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
February 1, 2017

Managing for delicious ecosystem service under climate change: can United States sugar maple (Acer saccharum) syrup production be maintained in a warming climate?

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a highly valued tree in United States (US) and Canada, and its sap when collected from taps and concentrated, makes a delicious syrup. Understanding how this resource may be impacted by climate change and other threats is essential to continue management for maple syrup into the future. Here, we evaluate the current distribution of maple syrup production across twenty-three states within the US and estimate the current potential sugar maple resource based on tree inventory data. We model and project the potential habitat responses of sugar maple using a species distribution model with climate change under two future General Circulation Models (GCM) and emission scenarios and three time periods (2040, 2070, 2100).

Publication:
International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management
Date:
December 18, 2016