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Scientia silvica extension series, no. 40

Forest Sciences Department, University of British Columbia

The influence of salal on tree growth has attained considerable attention in coastal British Columbia. Field observations, surveys, and studies in the CWH zone have indicated poor growth performance of crop tree species in salal-dominated plantations and natural immature and old-growth stands. Where sites have been burned and planted, tree growth has improved; similar effects have been observed for naturally regenerated stands. Immature stands that developed after wind disturbance or harvesting feature rapid growth and nearly complete absence of salal. As studies have shown that ericaceous plants negatively impact tree growth, the salal on potential harvest sites has been considered undesirable. This study examined (1) the possible influence of salal on the stand, soil nutrient status and site index, and (2) the relations between site index, salal, plant communities, and site in disturbed, immature, coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems. We compared vegetation and environmental characteristics of 101 ecosystems, and examined differences in foliar and soil nutrient characteristics and site index between stands with high and low salal cover through analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis.

Douglas-fir; Foliar nutrients; Forest productivity; Forest site quality; Humus form; Salal; Site index; Soil nutrients; Tree growth; Western hemlock

Text

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0107264

Forestry, Faculty of; Forest Sciences, Department of

Faculty