Allometry of sapwood depth in five boreal trees

Abstract

This paper analyzes sapwood variability and allometry within individuals of Populus tremuloides, Pinus contorta, Pinus banksiana, Picea mariana, and Picea glauca. Outside bark diameter at breast height (DBH) and sapwood depth (sd) in four cardinal directions were measured in individuals in stands in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The microscopical analysis of wood anatomy was used to measure sd, and the error associated with the measures was observed. Sapwood allometry analyses examined the influence of DBH on sd and on sapwood area (SA). All species were observed to have varying sapwood depths around the trunk with statistical analyses showing that Pinus banksiana has a well defined preference to grow thicker in the North-East side. The largest sd values were observed for the Populus tremuloides set. Unlike Populus tremuloides and Picea glauca, for the species Pinus contorta, Pinus banksiana, and Picea mariana, incremental growth in DBH does not directly drive sapwood growth in any direction. For these three species, SA increases only because of increases in DBH as sd remains nearly constant. These results show that sapwood depth and sapwood area seem to behave differently in each studied species and are not always proportional to the tree size as is normally assumed.