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Title: Abies concolor growth responses to vegatation changes following shrub removal, northern Sierra Nevada, California. Forest Service research paper (Final)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7305116

Conifer productivity in western North America is often severely inhibited by competing vegetation. Abies concolor (Gord, and Glendl.) Lindl. (white fir) is an important species over much of this area, yet little information is available on response of A. concolor to vegetation management treatments. We revisited two sites in the northern Sierra Nevada to assess the responses of naturally regenerated A. concolor saplings to vegetation recovery 8-9 years after release treatments. Treatments caused major and persistent shifts in vegetation structure and composition on both sites. Differences in individual tree growth within treatments were strongly correlated with structure and composition of neighboring vegetation, even where no treatment effects were observed. Great variability in response between sites illustrates the strong effect of site characteristics on response to release treatments and the importance to managers of anticipating such differences before making treatment decisions.

Research Organization:
Forest Service, Berkeley, CA (United States). Pacific Southwest Research Station
OSTI ID:
7305116
Report Number(s):
PB-94-162120/XAB; FSRP-PSW-218
Resource Relation:
Other Information: See also PB--84-189489, PB--87-174710 and PB--94-151370
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English