Structure and dendroecology of <i>Thuja occidentalis</i> in disjunct stands south of its contiguous range in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Joshua A. Kincaid

doi:10.1186/s40663-016-0085-4

Forest Ecosystems 2017, 4(1): 25 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-016-0085-4

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Open Access | Issue | Published: 11 November 2016

Structure and dendroecology of Thuja occidentalis in disjunct stands south of its contiguous range in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Joshua A. Kincaid(

)

Shenandoah University, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601, USA

Keywords:

Regeneration, Climate, Disturbance, Northern white cedar, Range, Disjunct, Radial growth

Cite this article:

Kincaid JA. Structure and dendroecology of Thuja occidentalis in disjunct stands south of its contiguous range in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA. Forest Ecosystems, 2017, 4(1): 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-016-0085-4

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Abstract Full text About this article

Abstract

Background

Information on forest structure, growth, and disturbance history is essential for effective forest management in a dynamic landscape. Because most of our research concerning the ecology and growth of Thuja occidentalis comes from sites in northern portions of its range, highly contextual biotic and abiotic factors that affect the species in more southern locales may not be fully accounted for. This research characterized the structural attributes and growth dynamics of Thuja occidentalis in disjunct forest stands south of its contiguous range margin.

Methods

The Thuja occidentalis forests examined in this research were located in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA, approximately 440 km south of the contiguous range margin of the species. Forest structural attributes were characterized in two Thuja occidentalis forest stands, which are rare in the region. Tree-ring chronologies were used to examine the influences of disturbance and climate on the growth of Thuja occidentalis.

Results

The forests contained a total of 13 tree species with Thuja occidentalis contributing substantially to the basal area of the sites. Thuja occidentalis stems were absent in the smallest size class, while hardwood species were abundant in the smallest classes. Thuja occidentalis stems also were absent from the < 70 years age class. By contrast, Thuja occidentalis snags were abundant within stands. Growth-release events were distributed across the disturbance chronology and generally affected a small number of trees. The Thuja occidentalis tree-ring chronology possessed an interseries correlation of 0.62 and mean sensitivity of 0.25. The correlation between mean temperature and Thuja occidentalis growth was weak and variable. Growth and moisture variables were more strongly correlated, and this relationship was predominantly positive.

Conclusions

Structural attributes indicate the forests are in the understory reinitiation stage of forest development. Silvicultural manipulations may be necessary to promote Thuja occidentalis establishment. The sensitivity of Thuja occidentalis to climate appears similar throughout its range, but geographical variation in the growth response to climate factors is apparent. More research is necessary to expand the geographical and ecological scope of our knowledge concerning Thuja occidentalis, particularly at more southern and disjunct sites.

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Structure and dendroecology of Thuja occidentalis in disjunct stands south of its contiguous range in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Joshua A. Kincaid(

)

Shenandoah University, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601, USA

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords: Regeneration, Climate, Disturbance, Northern white cedar, Range, Disjunct, Radial growth

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Publication history

Received: 12 August 2016

Accepted: 01 November 2016

Published: 11 November 2016

Issue date: March 2017

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Gary Fleming and Wendy Hochstedler for information regarding the white cedar forests in this study. I also thank Angela Felicio, Cory Miller, and Kirby Talbert for assistance in the field and laboratory. This manuscript was improved by comments from Doug Enders and two anonymous reviewers.

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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.