Is freezing injury a contributor to yellow-cedar decline?
Schaberg, Paul*,1, Hennon, Paul2, D’Amore, David2, Hawley, Gary 3, Borer, Catherine 3, 1 USDA Forest Service, Burlington, VT, USA2 USDA Forest Service, Juneau, AK, USA3 The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA ABSTRACT- Yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach) is an ecomically important species that has experienced a dramatic decline in southeastern Alaska during the past 100 years. Extensive research has indicated that this decline has no likely biotic cause, but suggests that one or more abiotic factors may have instigated decline. To evaluate the possibility that inadequate cold hardiness is a contributor to this decline, we measured the foliar freezing tolerance of yellow-cedar trees in declining and non-declining stands in southeastern Alaska. Because yellow-cedar mortality is concentrated in open canopy stands below 130 m, differences in stand canopy closure and elevation were used as factors directing study design and sample plot selection. Foliar freezing
