Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Biomass and dynamics of attached dead branches in the canopy of 450-year-old Douglas-fir trees

Author: Ishii, Hiroaki; Kadotani, Tomoko

Date: 2006

Source: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 36: 378-389.

Description: 

The amount, physical characteristics, and spatial distrubution of attached dead branches in the canopy of 450-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) trees were studied over a 5-year period to quanitfy their contribution to the canopy wood detritus pool of an old-growth Douglas-fir-western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forest in the western Washington Cascades. We developed a five-class decay rating for attached dead branches. From the size distribution and relative amounts and vertical distribution of attached dead branches in the five decay classes, we inferred that death of large original branches had occurred in the recent past, followed by the production and death of epicormic branches. Tree height was an important variable for predicting branchwood dry mass per tree. We estimated that attached dead branches of Douglas-fir contributed 63.5 percent of the total canopy woody detritus pool of the stand.

Keywords: Douglas-fir, biomass, dead branches

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Citation

Ishii, Hiroaki; Kadotani, Tomoko  2006.  Biomass and dynamics of attached dead branches in the canopy of 450-year-old Douglas-fir trees.   Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 36: 378-389..