Pacific Southwest Research Station

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Research Paper

Title: Stemwood production patterns in ponderosa pine: effects of stand dynamics and other factors

Author: Arbaugh, Michael J.; Peterson, David L.

Date: 1993

Source: Res. Paper PSW-RP-217. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 11 p

Station ID: RP-PSW-217

Description: Growth patterns of vertical stems in nine ponderosa pines from a stand in the southern Sierra Nevada were analyzed for recent changes due to stand dominance position, age, climate, and ozone exposure. Large positive correlations were found between increments in volume growth and basal area at d.b.h. The results indicated that patterns of wood distribution along the bole were associated with age, competitive position, and release from competition. A multiple regression model using winter and spring precipitation adequately explained short-term growth fluctuations during 1920-1955 and predicted growth during 1956-1985 for the trees as a group. A prominent feature of all volume, basal area, and ring width series was a growth response to a selective harvest in 1965. Increments in gross volume increased throughout the bole of all trees after thinning. This increasing trend continued for young and dominant trees but declined for older nondominant trees. It was difficult to determine whether ozone has contributed to these growth declines because the decline pattern was also consistent with competitive suppression. There is no conclusive evidence that growth changes vertically along the bole or through time are due to ozone exposure.

Key Words: air pollution, climate, dendroecology, stem analysis, tree growth

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Citation

Arbaugh, Michael J.; Peterson, David L.  1993.  Stemwood production patterns in ponderosa pine: effects of stand dynamics and other factors  Res. Paper PSW-RP-217. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 11 p.