Dendroecological analysis of spruce budworm outbreaks and their relation to climate near the prairie-forest border in northwestern Minnesota

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

RAUCHFUSS, J.

Dep. of Geography, Univ. of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Etats-Unis

ZIEGLER, S.S.

Dep. of Geography, Univ. of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Etats-Unis

SPEER, J.H.

Dep. of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute, Etats-Unis

SIEGERT, N.W.

Dep. of Entomology, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, Etats-Unis

Description :
The AA. investigate the effects of spruce budworm on tree growth at 5 areas within Itasca State Park in northwestern Minnesota near the southwestern margin of the range of balsam. They also document the species composition and age structure along transects in sites infested by spruce budworm. The objectives were to : 1) discover when the latest spruce budworm outbreak started; 2) determine whether tree growth was similarly reduced in earlier decades; and 3) test whether radial tree growth and the start of the outbreak(s) were correlated with climate. They used the computer program OUTBREAK to determine that the current spruce budworm infestation began to reduce tree growth in the 1990s, before it was detected by park officials in 2001. The results show that outbreaks are related to climatic conditions, but they also depend on other factors such as the availability of sufficient food for the spruce budworm.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Physical geography, issn : 0272-3646, 2009, vol. 30, n°. 3, p. 185-204, nombre de pages : 20, Références bibliographiques : 4,5 p.

Date :
2009

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Abingdon, Taylor and Francis

Langue :
Anglais