Document: MIC-3-35-41

Site factors and black ash regeneration in northern Minnesota.

BENEDICT, M.A.* ^1,2 and L.F.FRELICH ¹

University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA ¹
USFS North Central Experiment Station, Grand Rapids, MN,USA ²

Abstract:
Black ash (Fraxinus nigra) is a species of wet-mesic sites used for basket making and is an economically important tree for several Native American Tribes in the northeastern U.S. and S.E. Canada. In recent years there has been a decline in availability of quality 'basket trees', and the purpose of this study was to determine what site characteristics allow regeneration of black ash. Two ecosystems-- floodplain and series of woodland ponds--were studied on the Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota. Three study sites were located on the floodplain and 4 study sites were located within the woodland ponds. At each study site 4-16 plots, each 5-m in radius were placed in a 20-m grid. On each plot basal area of all trees was measured with a dbh tape, and environmental variables such as herbaceous vegetation composition and structure and water table depth and fluctuation were measured. On the floodplain ecosystem, soil water was mostly below the surface, except for a few small depressions and for short periods after heavy rains. Flooding of long duration was limited to extremely wet years, and the impediment to black ash regeneration appeared to be competition from sedges and forbs (mean percent cover of herbs was 74.0% and mean black ash seedling density in late summer was 1400 seedlings per hectare). In the forest pond ecosystem, one site had standing water with trees regenerating only on hummocks, and the other three sites had standing water during the spring, which prevented abundant establishment of sedges and forbs. On these three sites, black ash was able to regenerate later in the summer in the absence of both standing water and a dense layer of ground vegetation (mean percent cover of herbs was 61.0% and mean black ash seedling density was 4800 seedlings per hectare).

Keywords: Black Ash, Basket Trees, Flood Plain Forest, Forest Pond

This abstract is being presented at: 10:30 AM in session:
Poster Session #12: Disturbance Ecology.