Tree damages by icing in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands and factors affecting them
2016
Baders, E., Latvian State Forest Research Inst. Silava, Salaspils (Latvia) | Adamovics, Andis, Latvian State Forest Research Inst. Silava, Salaspils (Latvia) | Purins, M., Latvian State Forest Research Inst. Silava, Salaspils (Latvia) | Dzerina, B., Latvian State Forest Research Inst. Silava, Salaspils (Latvia)
Icing notably increases the mass of a tree crown, causing damage to the tree. So far, a very limited number of studies have assessed the icing influence on coniferous trees, none of them in Latvia. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of tree parameters and recent thinning on the proportion of damaged trees and the type of damage in Scots pine stands. The study sites were located in the eastern part of Latvia, damaged in December 2012. In total, 98 pine dominated stands of different age were selected randomly. Eight (mean) plots per stand were established; in each plot, all trees larger than 2.1 cm were measured and the type of damage assessed. The above-ground biomass from 12 randomly selected stands (57 dominant trees) of different age was weighted with and without icing. The biomass of pine with icing exceeded that without 1.5 ± 0.27 times. The mean proportion of damaged trees in pine dominated stands was 26%; the proportion of broken trees peaked in the middle-aged stands (41 – 70 years old), but the largest proportion of pooled bent and uprooted trees was found in the young (11 – 20 years old) stands. The proportion of damaged dominant trees was affected by the slenderness coefficient – a higher proportion of such trees was found among more slender trees. The results suggest that the risk of icing damage could be reduced by silvicultural measures boosting individual tree stability.
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