Canadian Forest Service Publications
Effects of thinning in a 43-year-old Douglas-fir stand on above- and below-ground biomass allocation and leaf structure on understory Gaultheria shallon. 1994. Messier, C.; Mitchell, A.K. Forest Ecology and Management 68: 263-271.
Year: 1994
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 3557
Language: English
Availability: Not available through the CFS (click for more information).
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1016/0378-1127(94)90050-7
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Abstract
The above- and below-ground biomass allocation and leaf structure of understory salal (Gaultheria shallon) were compared between an unthinned and a heavily thinned (two-thirds of basal area removed) 43-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) plot 6 years after thinning at Shawnigan Lake on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The increase in both above- and below-ground resources caused by thinning resulted in a smaller fine-root/leaf biomass ratio in the thinned (1.2) than the unthinned (2.0) plot. The balance between the production of fine-roots to acquire limited water and of foliage to acquire limited light is suggested as an explanation for this shift in carbon allocation from fine-root to leaf biomass between the two plots. The responses of G. shallon to thinning are discussed in relation to its role as a competitor for below-ground resources.
