Date of Award

12-17-2018

Semester of Degree

December

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Forest and Natural Resources Management

Department

Forest and Natural Resources Management

Major Professor

Dr. Christopher Nowak

Steering Committee Member

Eddie Bevilacqua

Steering Committee Member

Russell Briggs

Steering Committee Member

Philip Hofmeyer

Abstract

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is an important component of northern hardwood forests. Its life history characteristics allow seedlings and saplings to readily develop as advance regeneration. Within a population of overtopped sugar maple saplings in Central New York, 40 were randomly sampled and stem analysis used to describe diameter growth. Saplings averaged 57-yrs-old, ranging from 30 to 87-yrs-old when sampled in 2017/18. The response of cross- sectional growth rate to disturbance was assessed. Analysis of variance was used to test significant difference in growth rates relative to time of disturbance. Saplings closer to a disturbance internal to the plot were observed to have several years of increased rates of radial growth (p=0.0195). Overall, saplings were responsive to release, the most responsive in growth had round-ovoid crown shapes, as compared to saplings with flat crowns. Crown shape is apparently related to sugar maple sapling vigor and may be of use as a nondestructive measure defining vigorous advance regeneration response.

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