Modeling tree growth and seedling recruitment in a selectively logged temperate forest
Item
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Title
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Modeling tree growth and seedling recruitment in a selectively logged temperate forest
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:2829d32c1b35:11250
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identifier
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11644
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Creator
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Yu, Meng-Hsueh,
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Contributor
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Charles M. Peters
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Ecology | Forestry | Plant sciences | competitive interactions | maximum likelihood method | model selection | recruitment | single-tree selection | tree growth
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Abstract
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Single-tree selection logging is similar to "background" tree mortality of individuals in unmanaged hardwood forests, and is believed to be suitable for shade-tolerant species in smaller areas of woodland. However, few studies have specifically evaluated this method for improving quality and controlling stocking of the residual stand necessary for sustained yields. In my dissertation study, I used likelihood methods and model selection to (1) quantify the effect of competition on tree growth, and (2) quantify the dispersion and abundance of tree seedlings following single-tree selection. My study system is a secondary oak-mixed forest in New York's Catskill Mountains, USA.;In the tree growth results, models that treated neighbors as equivalent in their competitive effects were the most parsimonious for the four species studied due to insufficient neighbor numbers of any given species. One exception was eastern white pine, whose best model estimated separate competition coefficients for all five species of neighbors. I found most species had strong size-dependency in potential growth in the absence of competition. Furthermore, I found strong asymmetries in competitive interaction. Red maple and eastern white pine had strong crowding effects on three oak species, while oak species had little effect on the former.;I used inverse modeling to parameterize fecundity and seedling dispersion functions for red maple, which showed seedling dispersion is local. New recruits were predicted to have a high likelihood to fall beneath the canopy of the parent tree. Seedlings were dispersed away from the parent tree and located within the 20m mapping distance. Recruitment limitation can have substantial and long-lasting effects on community composition and dynamics. My results suggest seedling recruitment is a complex process involving multiple components for consideration.;Overall, my findings highlight the predicted change of residual composition within stands after removal of different species and tree sizes. It is recommended that both eastern white pine and red maple be removed gradually to stimulate growth of residual oak stock. Based on research at Camp Deerpark Forest, it is recommended that other private landowners in the Catskills apply the single-tree selection method for optimal woodland management.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Biology
