Canopy stratification, age structure, and development of multicohort stands of eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, and red spruce

Abstract

The causes of canopy stratification were investigated in five mixed stands of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.), hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr.), and white pine (Pinusstrobus L.) in eastern Maine. All species were present in all crown classes; however, there was a clear pattern of pine dominance and eventual emergence. Red spruce was prevalent in the middle stratum, and hemlock most common in the lower strata. Canopy stratification was caused by interspecific differences in shade tolerance and height growth, and by multicohort structures. The multicohort structures developed as a result of episodic partial disturbances such as spruce budworm (Choristoneurafumiferana Clemens) outbreaks and partial harvesting that both initiated regeneration and released previously suppressed trees of older, surviving cohorts. Spatial and temporal variability in disturbances created extremely variable patterns of competition among cohorts, resulting in a more complex developmental pattern than would be found in a single-cohort model involving stand-replacing disturbances.