1. Do fertilized trees grow
faster?
Looking for a growth response in the
MELNHE stands
Shoestring REU
Eli Egan-Anderson
Cornell ‘15
2. Background
Nitrogen (N) is one of the major limiting
nutrients for net primary production (NPP)
and is required in large amounts by plants
(Vitousek and
Howarth 1991)
It is one of the
requirements of
photosynthesis
3. Co-limitation
Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) describes
plants effort allocation for acquiring different
nutrients (Rastetter 1997)
Phosphorus (P) has been found to be a major
limiting factor when N is available in large
quantities (Walker and Syers 1976)
In N+P plots there are larger amounts of
organically available N than in plots where just
N was added (Fisk et al 2014)
4. Predictions for the Study
I expected to see positive growth in all stands
where fertilizer has been added
More growth in N plots of younger stands
Expected the most growth will be found in N+P
plots at young ages
5. Methods
Diameter growth inventory stands
C1, C2 and C6
Young
C1 cut in 1990
C2 cut in 1988
All trees with diameters over 10
cm in 2011 were measured and
recorded
6. Methods
Diameter growth inventory stands
C1, C2 and C6
Mid aged
C6 cut in 1975
JBM cut in 1985
All trees with diameters over 10
cm in 2011 were measured and
recorded
7. Methods
Diameter growth inventory stands
C1, C2 and C6
Mature
C8 cut in1883
JBO cut in 1900
All trees with diameters over 10
cm in 2011 were measured and
recorded
8. Methods Cont.
Nail was placed at 1.57 m
and a 20 cm dowel was
hung from the nail to
measure below at DBH
Compared findings to pre-treatment
data from 2011
9. Summary of original findings
We measured in June/early July
Only significance before was white
birch in C2
No longer statistically significant
Some new results have slightly
different conclusions
10. Tree Species Present
Young Stands
American Beech
Pin Cherry
Red Maple
White Birch
Mid and Mature
Stands
American Beech
Sugar Maple
Yellow Birch
11. American Beech
3
4
2 2
2
8
11
3
12
15
19
18
18
31
26
33
14
C1 = 0.07
C2 = 0.72
C6 = 0.39
C8 = 0.42
JBO = 0.39
23
8
6
5
4
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in American Beech
C1
C2
C6
C8
JBO
P Values
12. American Beech
3
4
2 2
2
8
11
3
12
15
19
18
18
31
26
33
14
C1 = 0.07
C2 = 0.72
C6 = 0.39
C8 = 0.42
JBO = 0.39
23
8
6
5
4
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in American Beech
C1
C2
C6
C8
JBO
P Values
13. Pin Cherry
5
3
5
8
12
3
2 8
1
2 6
3
8
10
7
C1 = 0.40
C2 = 0.73
C6 = 0.22
JBM = 0.53
3 3
6
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in Pin Cherries
C1
C2
C6
JBM
P Values
14. Red Maples
8
16
13
10
16
31
16
29
12
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in Red Maples
P Values
C2 = 0.93
C6 = 0.22
C2
C6
15. Sugar Maple
6
1
2
3
4
12
8
13
9
11
13
1
4
8
13
58
46
37
38
P Values
C6 = .60
C8 = .48
JBM = .88
JBO = .11
23
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in Sugar Maples
C6
C8
JBM
JBO
16. White Birch
7
10
15
13
19
5
10
4
2
21
24
23
23
11
4
14
9
7
2
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in White Birches
P Values
C1 = .06
C2 = .50
C6 = .13
JBM =.05
C1
C2
C6
JBM
17. White Birch
7
10
15
13
19
5
10
4
2
21
24
23
23
11
4
14
9
7
2
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in White Birches
P Values
C1 = .06
C2 = .50
C6 = .13
JBM =.05
C1
C2
C6
JBM
18. 40
24
19
20 15
22
27
4
4
1
5
18
20 4
17
13
8
11
3
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in Yellow Birches
C6
C8
JBM
JBO
Yellow Birch
P Values
C6 = .27
C8 = .62
JBM = <.01
JBO = .18
19. 40
24
19
20 15
22
27
4
4
1
5
18
20 4
17
13
8
11
3
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Control N P N+P Ca
Basal Area Growth (cm2/yr)
Basal Area Growth in Yellow Birches
C6
C8
JBM
JBO
Yellow Birch
P Values
C6 = .27
C8 = .62
JBM = <.01
JBO = .18
20. Issues of note
Hard to assign strong statistical
analysis to the plots with only one
or two trees of a species
Trees magically shrinking and
moving
21. Discussion
Yellow birch shows a strong
response close to what we were
expecting
C2 white birch no longer appears
significant, other white birch
significant results contradict what
we found earlier
22. Stem Mapping
Goals Methods
Goals: to create a
georeferenced map
of all trees with a
DBH above 10 cm in
the mature stands
Took a distance with a
hypsometer and angle
from corner post to
trees
Input points based on
UTM stake
coordinates from Matt
Vadeboncoeur
24. Implications
Help us to understand nutrient limitations of
the Northern forests
Addresses factors we may see with an
increase in N deposition
Helps to understand cost benefit of fertilizers
as an option for silvicultural practices
Maps help us understand how trees and
species within our stands interact
25. Acknowledgements and
Citations
Our glorious leader
(Adam Wild)
Shinjini Goswami
Ruth Yanai
Timothy Fahey
Matt Vadeboncoeur
Shoestringers
Fisk M. Ratliff T. Goswami, S and
Yanai, R (2014). Synergistic soil
response to nitrogen plus
phosphorus. fertilization in hardwood
forests. Biogeochemistry DOI
10.1007/s10533-013-9918-1
Rastetter, E. B., G. I. Ågren and G.
R. Shaver. 1997. Responses of N-limited
ecosystems to increased CO2:
A balanced-nutrition, coupled-element-
cycles model. Ecological
Applications 7:444-460.
Vitousek, P. M., and R. W. Howarth.
1991. Nitrogen limitation on land and
in the sea—How can it occur.
Biogeochemistry 13:87–115.
Walker, T and Syers, J. 1976. The
fate of phosphorus during
pedogenesis. Geoderma 15(1): 1-19
Hinweis der Redaktion
Wound response to the nail could affect diameter measurements Maybe Scott Bailey’s method
Wound response to the nail could affect diameter measurements Maybe Scott Bailey’s method
Wound response to the nail could affect diameter measurements Maybe Scott Bailey’s method
Most consistently occuring species, C2 doesn’t have a calcium plot