Twenty-six-year response of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir plantations to woody competitor density in treated stands of madrone and whiteleaf manzanita

Ponderosa Pine Regeneration, Wildland Fuels Management, and Habitat Conservation: Identifying Trade-Offs Following Wildfire

“…However, woody competitors might decrease soil moisture, hindering conifer establishment and growth [48]. Control of woody competitors has been shown to increase site potential for ponderosa pine regeneration [56]. Longer-term data could provide insight on the potential for competition with other woody species to influence ponderosa pine establishment in eastern ponderosa pine forests.…”

Comparison of 5th- and 14th-year Douglas-fir and understory vegetation responses to selective vegetation removal

“…2c), which did not differ significantly from complete vegetation control (100S + 100H). Three other studies in Table 6 (Cole and Newton, 1987;Petersen et al, 2008;Newton and Cole, 2008), had alternative vegetation control treatments that were less productive for Douglas-fir by 21-52%, depending on the study, for Douglas-fir. Retaining some competing vegetation may allow a different understory or canopy structure to persist, perhaps for differing ecosystem objectives such as wildlife habitat, possible root disease mitigation, or for increasing total ecosystem production, as suggested by Harrington and Tappeiner (2009).…”

“…Interspecific competition for light, moisture, and nutrients between planted seedlings and surrounding vegetation is believed to be a principal factor affecting the growth and survival of young Douglas-fir plantations (Shainsky and Radosevich, 1992;Harrington, 2006;Tappeiner et al, 2007;Ares et al, 2007Ares et al, , 2008Zhang et al, 2008;Dinger and Rose, 2009). Early reductions in stand growth associated with competing vegetation are known to reduce long-term growth and yield (Wagner et al, 2004Wagner and Robinson, 2006;Newton and Cole, 2008;Harrington and Tappeiner, 2009;Maguire et al, 2009). Forest ecosystem research also indicates that understory retention can increase soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), as well as improve long-term tree growth (Busse et al, 1996.…”

Growth dynamics and productivity of pure and mixed Castanea sativa Mill. and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco plantations in northern Portugal

“…More total light interception has also been measured in mixtures . Furthermore, the effect of competition between species has been analyzed to identify the key constraint (Newton & Cole 2008). Additional improvements in mixedspecies plantations compared with monocultures have been reported, such as nutrient cycling (Forrester et al 2006c), foliar nutrients (Brown 1992, Richards et al 2010, Nunes et al 2011, soil fertility (Montagnini 2000), biomass production (Binkley & Ryan 1998, Binkley et al 2003, Forrester et al 2004) and carbon sequestration (Kaye et al 2000, Resh et al 2002, Forrester et al 2006a.…”