Thomas P. Sullivan, Druscilla S. Sullivan, Pontus M. F. Lindgren, Douglas B. Ransome. (2010). Green-tree retention and life after the beetle: stand structure and small mammals 30 years after salvage harvesting. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 5 article id 451. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.451

Keywords: biodiversity; stand structure; Pseudotsuga menziesii; ecological indicators; green-tree retention; small mammals; mountain pine beetle; Pinus contorta; salvage harvest

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

We report on a retrospective investigation of the impacts of salvage harvesting of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Wats.), killed by an outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk.) in the 1970s, with variable retention of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco). Our inference to biodiversity was coniferous stand structure and four mammal species: the southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi Vigors), common shrew (Sorex cinereus Kerr), red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben) and northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw). We tested hypotheses that, at 30 years after salvage harvest of beetle-killed lodgepole pine trees, (1) abundance and diversity of stand structure, and (2) abundance of mammal species, will increase with higher levels of green-tree retention (GTR). Stand structure attributes and small mammals were sampled during 2005–2008 in young pine stands, with a range of GTR seed-trees (none, dispersed, and aggregated Douglas-fir), and uncut forest in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Diameters and heights of Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine and basal area of total conifers supported hypothesis (1). Mean abundance of the red-backed vole was consistently higher (2.3 to 6.4 times) in the uncut forest than other stands. Overall mean patterns of abundance for common shrews, red squirrels, and northern flying squirrels were similar among treatment stands. Mean abundance of the red-backed vole supported hypothesis (2), but numbers of the other three species did not. There is “life after the beetle” at 30 years after salvage harvesting, and this was enhanced by GTR.

Sullivan, Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of BC, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 E-mail: tom.sullivan@ubc.ca
Sullivan, Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of BC, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 E-mail: dss@nn.ca
Lindgren, Applied Mammal Research Institute, 11010 Mitchell Avenue, Summerland, BC, Canada V0H 1Z8 E-mail: pmfl@nn.ca
Ransome, Applied Mammal Research Institute, 11010 Mitchell Avenue, Summerland, BC, Canada V0H 1Z8 E-mail: dbr@nn.ca

article id 456, category Research article

Sam B. Coggins, Nicholas C. Coops, Michael A. Wulder. (2010). Improvement of low level bark beetle damage estimates with adaptive cluster sampling. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 2 article id 456. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.456

Keywords: forest inventory; adaptive cluster sampling; mountain pine beetle; object-based classification; high spatial resolution; satellite; digital aerial imagery

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Detection of low level infestation in forest stands is of principle importance to determine effective control strategies before the attack spread to large areas. Of particular concern is the ongoing mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins) epidemic, which has caused approximately 14 million hectares of damage to lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud var. latifolia Engl.) forests in western Canada. At the stand level attacked trees are often difficult to locate and can remain undetected until the infestation has become established beyond a small number of trees. As such, methods are required to detect and characterise low levels of attack prior to infestation expansion, to inform management, and to aid mitigation activities. In this paper, an adaptive cluster sampling approach was applied to very fine-scale (20 cm) digital aerial imagery to locate mountain pine beetle damaged trees at the leading edge of the current infestation. Results indicated a mean number of 7.36 infested trees per hectare with a variance of 18.34. In contrast a non-adaptive approach estimated the mean number of infested trees in the same area to be 61.56 infested trees per hectare with a variance of 41.43. Using a relative efficiency estimator the adaptive cluster sampling approach was found to be over two times more efficient when compared to the non-adaptive approach.

Coggins, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4 E-mail: scoggins@interchange.ubc.ca
Coops, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4 E-mail: ncc@nn.ca
Wulder, Canadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Centre), Natural Resources Canada, 506 West Burnside Rd., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8Z 1M5 E-mail: maw@nn.ca

article id 476, category Research article

Ignazio Monteleone, Diana Ferrazzini, Piero Belletti. (2006). Effectiveness of neutral RAPD markers to detect genetic divergence between the subspecies uncinata and mugo of Pinus mugo Turra. Silva Fennica vol. 40 no. 3 article id 476. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.476

Keywords: molecular markers; population differentiation; genetic diversity; Pinus mugo; mountain pine; dwarf mountain pine

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Fifteen populations of Pinus mugo subsp. mugo (shrub) and Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata (erect), located in the Alps, were investigated through genetic variation scored at 64 polymorphic RAPD loci. In addition, morphological traits of the female cones were analysed. According to AMOVA most of the genetic variation was found within populations (83.39%), and only 1.25% of it between subspecies. Populations differed in terms of their internal genetic variation, with Nei’s gene diversity ranging from 0.227 to 0.397. Morphological data showed differences between subspecies, although none of the populations showed full accordance with expectations. Significant correlation was found between matrices for geographical and morphological distances, while genetic distances were not correlated with any other aspect. The efficacy of morphological and RAPD markers in discriminating between subspecies, and the contribution of the results in relation to the preservation of biodiversity, are discussed.

Monteleone, DI.VA.P.R.A., Plant Genetics and Breeding, University of Turin, via Leonardo da Vinci 44, I-10095 Grugliasco, Italy E-mail: im@nn.it
Ferrazzini, DI.VA.P.R.A., Plant Genetics and Breeding, University of Turin, via Leonardo da Vinci 44, I-10095 Grugliasco, Italy E-mail: df@nn.it
Belletti, DI.VA.P.R.A., Plant Genetics and Breeding, University of Turin, via Leonardo da Vinci 44, I-10095 Grugliasco, Italy E-mail: piero.belletti@unito.it

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