Documentation of Red Spruce Growth Decline
Goal(s)/Objective(s): A study to determine whether red spruce is declining in growth over much of its geographic range and if so, when the decline may have begun
Key Findings: The decline in growth of red spruce previously reported only for isolated locations is occurring throughout a sizable portion of the geographic region.
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- Hornbeck, James W.
United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service - Smith, Robert B.
United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service
Data from a study of 3001 dominant or codominant red spruces (Picea rubens Sarg.) across New England and the Adirondacks showed that their annual growth in basal area increased consistently from 1910-1920 to about 1960. It then fluctuated around a generally declining trend and by the early 1980's was 13 to 40% below its peak. Defoliation by the spruce budworm, climate change, maturation of the forest, and acid deposition are all possible explanations.
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