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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): John A. Yarie; Keith Van Cleve; Robert Schlentner
Publication Date: 1990

Two thinning and fertilization studies, the first in 1969 and the second in 1971, were established to evaluate the question of nutrient limitation to tree growth and the consequences of stand manipulation of soil moisture supply. Fertilizer was applied yearly for the first 5 years in both studies; growth response has been measured through 1987. Results indicate that thinning is necessary to obtain a growth response to fertilizer applied at the rate of 111kg nitrogen ha-1. The response to fertilization after fertilization ended lasted for 4 years in plots thinned to 800 stems ha-1. A soil water-balance model was calibrated for the control and treatment plots of these two studies. Soil water-deficits were estimated and correlated with yearly average basal-area growth per tree. Results indicated that there is a correlation between seasonal soil-moisture deficit and growth during the years when soil moisture was measured for the unthinned control plots (r2=-0.787, P=0.002) but not for the thinned and fertilized plots (r2=-0.652, P=0.057).

Citation: Yarie, John; Van Cleve, Keith; Schlentner, Robert. 1990. Interactions between moisture, nutrients and growth of white spruce in Interior Alaska. Forest Ecology and Management 30: 73-89.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • fertilization
  • Interior Alaska
  • nutrients
  • soil moisture
  • thinning
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 5389