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The successional status of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), revisited

Révision du statut successionnel de l’érable à sucre (Acer saccharum)

Annals of Forest Science volume 65, page 208 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Two complementary experimental designs at two contrasting scales (landscape/long term; individual tree/short term) were used for an in-depth evaluation of the successional status of sugar maple (AS: Acer saccharum Marsh.). First, forest disturbances during the 20th century and composition were mapped for two landscapes in the Du Lièvre watershed of southern Quebec. Our results show that, as well as dominating stands in the absence of fire, AS often rapidly developed dominance after fire, especially in the south of our study area. Similarly, a majority of AS-dominated stands clearcut in 1928 continued to be AS-dominated 60 years later. Second, we examined AS seedlings planted under two very contrasting light regimes. AS seedlings showed a combination of traits particularly adapted to tolerate shade under a low light regime. However, owing to a surprisingly high phenotypic plasticity, AS also exhibited efficient development under high light. This suggests the classification of AS as a late-successional species should indeed be revised and that generalist or trans-successional would be a more appropriate designation for this species. We discuss the ramifications of such a status revision, with an emphasis on the implications for its silviculture.

Résumé

Deux dispositifs expérimentaux complémentaires, établis à deux échelles différentes (paysage/long terme et individu/court terme), ont été utilisés afin de mieux évaluer le statut successionnel de l’érable à sucre (AS : Acer saccharum Marsh.). D’abord, une cartographie des perturbations et de la composition forestière au cours du 20e siècle a été réalisée pour deux paysages du bassin du Lièvre dans le Sud du Québec. Nos résultats ont démontré qu’en plus de dominer les peuplements en absence de perturbation du couvert, AS établissait souvent et rapidement une dominance dans les peuplements ayant brûlé, et cela, particulièrement dans le paysage le plus au sud de l’air d’étude. De la même façon, une majorité de peuplements dominés par AS et coupés à blanc en 1928 s’est révélée encore dominée par AS à peine 60 ans après coupe. Ensuite, en réalisant le suivi de semis plantés sous deux régimes lumineux très différents, AS a montré un ensemble de caractéristiques particulièrement adaptées à une bonne tolérance à l’ombre. Cependant, grâce à une étonnante plasticité phénotypique, AS a aussi démontré un développement compétitif sous des régimes lumineux plus élevés. L’ensemble de ces résultats suggère donc une remise en question du statut de fin de succession de AS, lequel répondrait mieux à une appellation d’espèce généraliste ou trans-successionnelle. Les implications d’une telle révision sur la sylviculture de cette essence sont discutées.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Québécois d’Aménagement de la Forêt Feuillue (IQAFF), 58 rue principale, J0V 1V0, Ripon, Quebec, Canada

    Philippe Nolet, Sylvain Delagrange, Daniel Bouffard, Frédérik Doyon & Eric Forget

  2. Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), Lucien-Brault building, 101 rue Saint-Jean-Bosco, Case Postale 1250, succursale Hull, J8X 3X7, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

    Sylvain Delagrange & Frédérik Doyon

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  1. Philippe Nolet
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  2. Sylvain Delagrange
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Correspondence to Philippe Nolet.

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Nolet, P., Delagrange, S., Bouffard, D. et al. The successional status of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), revisited. Ann. For. Sci. 65, 208 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2007091

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2007091

Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X