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Using Fire To Trigger Cone Opening In Aerial Seedbanks In Healthy Or Recently Dead Jack Pine Stands
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- Author / Creator
- Hwang, Hyejin
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Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) is a natural disturbance agent in western North America. Recently, MPB has been found beyond its historical habitats and threatening jack pine (Pinus banksiana) in western Canadian boreal forests. Jack pine is a fire-dependent species that relies on periodic fires for seed release of serotinous cones and stand regeneration. In this study, we examined cone opening in both living and MPB-simulated jack pine stands occurred by prescribed fires of different intensities. Fire-induced cone opening was related to char height, a proxy for fire intensity. In living trees, moderate fires could only open cones at the bottom of the crown, while cones on dead trees were opened with lower char height. However, there was a wider variation in cone opening in relation to char height observed in the dead trees likely due to lower foliar moisture content and crown bulk density than living trees.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2013
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.