Growth rings in rimu from south Westland terrace forest

Abstract

A study of growth rings in relatively fast-grown rimu trees from terrace forest in south Westland revealed a number with conspicuously dark latewood bands. These have been called marker rings. The regular occurrence of these marker rings in the same sequence in a number of trees indicates that growth rings are formed contemporaneously in all relatively fast growing trees. A good correlation between the occurrence of marker rings and cool autumn temperatures in the years in which they were formed is very strong evidence that the rings are formed annuaIly. Discontinuous false rings were found in some fast-grown trees. but continuous false rings were not discovered. Discontinuous growth rings were found in strongly fluted trees. in leaning trees. and in very slow-growing trees. No evidence of missing rings was found. but it is possible that growth rings could be absent from slow-growing tree'!. * Stationed at Forest apd Range Experiment Station, Rangiora.

Leaf phenology of some mid-Cretaceous polar forests, Alexander Island, Antarctica

“…In this setting, the onset of the cool, dark winter would be the most likely trigger of cambial dormancy and growth ring formation, and individual ring increments in the woods therefore probably represent an annual growth period (Francis, 1986). Furthermore, in the closest modern analogues to the vegetation of the Triton Point Formation, the cool temperate podocarp forest of South Island, New Zealand, conifers usually only make one growth ring per annum (Franklin, 1969). Assuming that growth rings were formed annually, the fossil leaf trace data indicate that Araucariopitys and Podocarpoxylon sp.…”

Growth pattern of planted tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoidesD. Don)

“…f. was annual and concluded that New Zealand subalpine woody plants show a well marked periodicity of growth. In a detailed study Franklin (1969) demonstrated that growth rings in Westland rimu are normally formed annually although false rings are occasionally formed in fast growing trees. Wells (1972) showed that over 6 years, annual growth rings were produced in each of 20 marked PodocarplIs hallii trunks.…”

Stable isotopic (δ15N, δ13C) analysis of wood in trees growing in past and present colonies of burrow‐nesting seabirds in New Zealand. I. δ15N in two species of conifer (Podocarpaceae) from a mainland colony of Westland petrels (Procellaria westlandica), Punakaiki, South Island

“…None of the trees was strongly fluted, an important consideration in assessing ring spacing (Franklin 1969). Using a 5 mm diameter increment borer, five continuous cores c. 25 cm long were extracted from each tree c. 5 cm apart in a ,1937,1972,1993 Ridge crest above bluff, seaward end of colony 1765,1831,1894,1965Ridge crest 1874, 1908, 1940,1980 vertical line at c. 1.5 m height, and sloped upwards c. 5° to prevent retention of rainwater after sampling.…”