Clipping frequency affects canopy volume and biomass production in planeleaf willow (Salix planifolia var. planifolia Pursh)
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Authors: M. S. Thorne, P. J. Meiman, Q. D. Skinner, M. A. Smith, and J. L. Dodd
Date: 2005
Journal: Rangeland Ecology & Management
Volume: 58
Number: 1
Pages: 41-50
Summary of Methods: The effect of simulated browsing frequency on planeleaf willow canopy volume, aboveground, belowground and total biomass was investigated over two growing seasons at the University of Wyoming’s greenhouse facility in Laramie. Two groups of willow plants with different clipping histories (clipped or not clipped) were subjected to eleven clipping treatment combinations (early, middle, late season, no clipping and all combinations) from May of the first year to August of the second year. Clipping treatments removed current year(s) growth only. Complete or destructive harvesting occurred in November of the second year except for the seasonal controls which were harvested during the appropriate season.
Article Summary / Main Points: Clipping alone, regardless of frequency or season, had little effect on willow biomass. Plants that had no clipping history were larger and produced more above- and below-ground biomass than plants that had been clipped previously. The early-only, early/middle, and middle/late treatments, applied to previously clipped willows, produced less root mass than willows which had not been previously clipped. However, willows that had been previously clipped, maintained shoot:root ratios near 1, while the shoot:root ratios were less than 1 for willows that had no prior clipping. Final canopy volume did not vary between willows with or without a prior clipping history, but residual aboveground biomass was considerably greater for willows that had not been previously clipped. More of the variability in the residual aboveground weight was explained by the final canopy volume for plants that were clipped than the unclipped plants. Regardless of clipping history, harvested twig weight was related more to change in canopy volume than was harvested twig length.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Salix Herbivory Riparian zones
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: riparian systems, streambank erosion, herbivory
Annotation: The results from this replicated two-year study are widely applicable to riparian areas that have planeleaf cottonwoods. This highly controlled study needs to be followed by field studies to illustrate the effect of climatic variation of these results. To use the results for long-term management studies, a field study over several years is required.
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