Comparing the Importance of Seedbed and Canopy Type in the Restoration of Upland Thuja occidentalis Forests of Northeastern Minnesota

In cold‐temperate ecosystems of the upper Great Lakes Region, evergreen conifer‐dominated forests were once common. As a result of past management practices, early‐successional deciduous forests now dominate the landscape. Embedded in this matrix are stands of shade‐tolerant conifers, including Thuja occidentalis. For the past several decades, large‐scale T. occidentalis regeneration in remnant T. occidentalis and adjacent Betula papyrifera forests has not occurred. Using a combination of restoration experiments and field surveys at three study sites on the Lake Superior Highlands, Minnesota, U.S.A., we examined safe sites for T. occidentalis regeneration under both Thuja and Betula canopy types. This study focused on the colonization and establishment phases of regeneration, differentiating among safe‐site components for T. occidentalis. Seedbed type determined colonization success, with higher rates on conifer logs than on B. papyrifera logs, mounds, or pits. Mortality rates for seedlings on natural decayed wood seedbeds were higher under Thuja canopy than under Betula canopy, but the reverse was true for seedlings on manipulated seedbeds, suggesting that seedbed type was more important than the dominant canopy type. Growth rates for seedlings on moved log segments were greater under the Betula than the Thuja canopy type, but seedlings on natural decayed wood seedbeds did not exhibit this difference. Results indicated that T. occidentalis regeneration was more limited in Betula forest by seedbed availability, while in Thuja forest canopy conditions were more limiting.

[1]  Meredith W. Cornett,et al.  Seedbed and moisture availability determine safe sites for early Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae) regeneration. , 2000, American journal of botany.

[2]  Meredith W. Cornett,et al.  Conservation implications of browsing by Odocoileus virginianus in remnant upland Thuja occidentalis forests , 2000 .

[3]  A. J. Friedland,et al.  Nitrogen mineralization associated with birch and fir under different soil moisture regimes , 1998 .

[4]  Y. Bergeron,et al.  Conifer seedling recruitment in a southeastern Canadian boreal forest: the importance of substrate , 1998 .

[5]  T. Kuuluvainen,et al.  Seedling establishment in relation to microhabitat variation in a windthrow gap in a boreal Pinus sylvestris forest , 1998 .

[6]  Y. Bergeron,et al.  CANOPY GAP CHARACTERISTICS AND TREE REPLACEMENT IN THE SOUTHEASTERN BOREAL FOREST , 1998 .

[7]  Meredith W. Cornett,et al.  Canopy type, forest floor, predation, and competition influence conifer seedling emergence and early survival in two Minnesota conifer-deciduous forests , 1998 .

[8]  K. Pregitzer,et al.  Origin and early development of northern white-cedar stands in northern Michigan , 1997 .

[9]  T. Spies,et al.  MICROSITE CONTROLS ON TREE SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT IN CONIFER FOREST CANOPY GAPS , 1997 .

[10]  M. Ohlson,et al.  Influence of bryophytes and microrelief conditions on Picea abies seed regeneration patterns in boreal old-growth swamp forests , 1997 .

[11]  Meredith W. Cornett,et al.  Canopy feedbacks and microtopography regulate conifer seedling distribution in two Minnesota conifer-deciduous forests , 1997 .

[12]  T. Spies,et al.  Gap size, within-gap position, and canopy structure effects on conifer seedling establishment , 1996 .

[13]  Richard J. Hobbs,et al.  Towards a Conceptual Framework for Restoration Ecology , 1996 .

[14]  Y. Bergeron,et al.  Ecological factors affecting the abondance of advance regeneration in Quebec's southwestern boreal forest , 1996 .

[15]  R. Chimner,et al.  Hydrology and microtopography effects on northern white-cedar regeneration in Michigan's Upper Peninsula , 1996 .

[16]  D. Leopold,et al.  Conifer seedling distribution in relation to microsite conditions in a central New York forested minerotrophic peatland , 1995 .

[17]  P. Reich,et al.  Neighborhood effects, disturbance, and succession in forests of the western Great Lakes Region1 , 1995 .

[18]  L. Frelich.  Old forest in the lake states today and before European settlement , 1995 .

[19]  Koichi Takahashi.  Effect of size structure, forest floor type and disturbance regime on tree species composition in a coniferous forest in Japan , 1994 .

[20]  J. Wilson,et al.  Positive-feedback Switches in Plant Communities , 1992 .

[21]  S. Collins.  Habitat relationships and survivorship of tree seedlings in hemlock-hardwood forest , 1990 .

[22]  Jerry F. Franklin,et al.  Tree Seedlings on Logs in Picea‐Tsuga Forests of Oregon and Washington , 1989 .

[23]  D. Webb,et al.  Micropropagation of eastern white pine (Pinusstrobus L.) , 1988 .

[24]  S. Webb.  Windstorm damage and microsite colonization in two Minnesota forests , 1988 .

[25]  O. D. Sholes,et al.  Leaf litter effect on plant species composition of deciduous forest treefall pits , 1988 .

[26]  S. Collins,et al.  The seedling regeneration niche: habitat structure of tree seedlings in an oak-pine forest , 1987 .

[27]  P. G. Murphy,et al.  Regeneration patterns of northern white cedar, an old-growth forest dominant , 1987 .

[28]  L. J. Verme,et al.  Regeneration of northern white cedar deeryards in upper Michigan , 1986 .

[29]  S. W. Beatty.  Influence of Microtopography and Canopy Species on Spatial Patterns of Forest Understory Plants , 1984 .

[30]  R. N. Mack,et al.  VARIATION IN DEMOGRAPHY OF JUVENILE TSUGA HETEROPHYLLA ACROSS THE SUBSTRATUM MOSAIC , 1984 .

[31]  D. F. Grigal,et al.  Soils and landscapes of Minnesota , 1984 .

[32]  J. Trappe,et al.  The Seen and Unseen World of the Fallen Tree , 1984 .

[33]  J. Franklin,et al.  Ecological characteristics of old-growth Douglas-fir forests. , 1981 .

[34]  K. Woods.  Reciprocal replacement and the maintenance of codominance in a beech-maple forest. , 1979 .

[35]  P. Grubb.  THE MAINTENANCE OF SPECIES‐RICHNESS IN PLANT COMMUNITIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE REGENERATION NICHE , 1977 .

[36]  William F. Johnston,et al.  Manager's handbook for northern white cedar in the north-central states. , 1977 .

[37]  M. Larsen,et al.  Distribution of Ectomycorrhizae in a Mature Douglas-fir/Larch Forest Soil in Western Montana , 1976 .

[38]  D. F. Grigal,et al.  Classification, Description, and Dynamics of Upland Plant Communities within a Minnesota Wilderness Area , 1975 .

[39]  Van Wagner.  The Line Intersect Method in Forest Fuel Sampling , 1968 .

[40]  P. Zinke,et al.  The Pattern of Influence of Individual Forest Trees on Soil Properties , 1962 .

[41]  J. Harper,et al.  THE EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY OF CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES LIVING IN THE SAME AREA , 1961 .

[42]  T. C. Nelson,et al.  A Reproduction Study of Northern White Cedar , 1952 .

[43]  H. McCullough.  Plant Succession on Fallen Logs in a Virgin Spruce‐Fir Forest , 1948 .