Forest Health and Mortality Trends Across Three Elevation Zones in - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Forest Health and Mortality Trends Across Three Elevation Zones in the Lake Tahoe Basin QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a decompressor decompressor are needed to see this picture. are needed to see this picture. Camille Jensen 1 , Patricia Maloney 1 and Detlev Vogler 2 1 University of California, Davis, Tahoe Environmental Research Station 2 USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station, Institute of Forest Genetics

Factors Affecting Forest Health • insect pests • pathogens decompressor QuickTime™ and a are needed to see this picture. • parasitic plants • invasive plants Quic kTime™ and a are needed to see this pic ture. decompress or • fire • tree density • land-use (grazing, clearing) • soil (compaction) QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. • climate (precipitation, temperature)

Study Sites • 2008-2010 plots established • data collected Objectives • Determine mortality levels (associated variables) • Assess damage (caused by insects/diseases) • Identify declining populations lower montane upper montane subalpine

2800m (9190ft) Vvv 2450m (8040ft) Vvv 2000m (6560ft) Vvv n

Summary of Stand and Environmental Data at Three Elevation Zones in the Lake Tahoe Basin Min- Land- Mean Ann Basal Mort- Elevation Assoc. Max AWC Density use elev ppt Area ality Zone spp (%) temp 50 st/ha (%) m mm m 2 /ha % ◦ C pial (89) REC (20) 7.5- 607 26 2.6 subalpine 2805 tsme (4) 1209 2.8 22.2 (461-846) (18-35) (0.5-4) WF (10) pico (3) pimo(46) RT (20) upper 7.4- 179 26 10.8 2450 1123 4.2 abma(36) montane 22.7 (98-269) (11-47) WF (20 ) (0.7-21) pico(10) abco(52) HL (90) lower 7- 235 20 9.4 RT (20) 2026 pila(27) 802 5.2 montane 23.7 (62-360) (5-42) (3-20) PF (20) pije(14) Notes: Means displayed for each elevation zone (range); Soil data source: USDA NRCS (http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm) Climate average for each region based on PRISM data for 30-year averages (Daly et al. 1994 and FHTET), AWC 50 = available water in top 0-50 in; Land-use: HL=historical logging, RT=recent thinning, WF=wild fire, PF=prescribed fire, REC=recreation.

40 Tree Mortality by Elevation 30 % mortality 20 10 0 lower montane upper montane subalpine 50 Tree Mortality by Species 40 30 20 10 0 P. lambertiana A. concolor P. monticola A. magnifica P. albicaulis lower montane upper montane subalpine

Insect and Disease Incidence Across Elevation Zones White Pine Blister Rust ( Cronartium ribicola) 40% C.ribicola H.annosum 35% M.caryophyllacearum Arceuthobium spp. 30% D.ponderosae S.ventralis 25% incidence 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Pinus Pinus jeffreyi Abies Pinus Abies Pinus Pinus lambertiana concolor monticola magnifica contorta albicaulis lower montane upper montane subalpine

Subalpine - White Pine Blister Rust ( C. ribicola) • Negative relationships between cone production and WPBR incidence and severity • Percent of individuals infected (incidence), avg number of infected branches per population, and severity of stem girdling - all 65% 10% negatively related with cone production 54% 31% 10% R 2 = 0.78, P = 0.003 5000 10% 23% 4000 13% 3000 43% 2000 35% 1000 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0% WPBR incidence (%) 7% 15% R 2 = 0.72, P = 0.008 5000 44% 4000 3000 3% 18% 2000 3% 0% 1000 6% 13% 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 36% 3% Average number of branch cankers per tree 1% 15% R 2 = 0.76, P = 0.005 5000 5% 2% 4000 xxx 3000 lower montane upper montane 2000 subalpine 8% 1000 48% T rap locations 0 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 Average stem girdle category population -

Insect and Disease Incidence Across Elevation Zones Mountain Pine Beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae) 40% C.ribicola H.annosum 35% M.caryophyllacearum Arceuthobium spp. 30% D.ponderosae S.ventralis 25% incidence 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Pinus Pinus jeffreyi Abies Pinus Abies Pinus Pinus lambertiana concolor monticola magnifica contorta albicaulis lower montane upper montane subalpine

Upper Montane - Mountain Pine Beetle ( D. ponderosae) 35 1% 11% 30 3% 25 0% 7% 20 3% 9% 15 8% 10 5 7% QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. 3% 0 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 mt. pine beetle (P<.0001) 0% 9% • Positive relationship between 15% % mortality and mt pine beetle 0% (incidence) in the upper 0% 1% montane zone 3% 28% 3% 4% 1% 3% 2% 2% 7% QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. 5% lower montane upper montane subalpine 1% 0% T rap locations

Lower Montane - Heterobasidion occidentale (aka H. annosum (S), annosus root rot) 40% C.ribicola H.annosum 35% M.caryophyllacearum Arceuthobium spp. 30% D.ponderosae S.ventralis 25% incidence 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Pinus Pinus jeffreyi Abies concolor Pinus monticola Abies magnifica Pinus contorta Pinus albicaulis lambertiana lower montane upper montane subalpine • Positive relationship between H. occidentale (incidence) and tree mortality in the lower montane zone 25 20 15 QuickTime™ and a decompressor 10 are needed to see this picture. 5 0 -5 5 15 25 -5 http://www.slu.se/en/department-of-forest-mycology-and-pathology H.occidentale

All Elevation Zones 40% C.ribicola H.annosum 35% M.caryophyllacearum Arceuthobium spp. 30% D.ponderosae S.ventralis 25% incidence 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Pinus Pinus jeffreyi Abies Pinus Abies Pinus Pinus lambertiana concolor monticola magnifica contorta albicaulis lower montane upper montane subalpine 1) Scolytis ventralis 2) Melampsorella caryophyllacearum 3) Arceuthobium spp. QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a decompressor decompressor are needed to see this picture. are needed to see this picture. • Additional insect, pathogen and parasitic plant affecting forest health - no direct relationship to mortality

Acknowledgements: Input and suggestions provided by: Roland Shaw, Nevada State Parks, Rich Adams and Tamara Suzuki, California State Parks, Dave Fournier, USDA Forest Service. Field assistance provided by: Tom Burt Funding: Sierra Nevada Public Lands Management Act ( SNPLMA-R7) QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. X