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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/6457| Title: | Tree growth on the Snake River Floodplain, Jackson Hole, Wyoming : a dendrochronology project |
| Authors: | Reher, Charles A., 1946- Scheiber, Laura L. |
| Keywords: | Floodplain disturbances Dendrochronology Riparian Tree growth Forested wetlands Growth patterns Snake River, Little (Colo. and Wyo.) Forestry |
| Publisher: | U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical Report (Wetlands Research Program (U.S.)) ; no. Technical Report WRP-RE-9 |
| Abstract: | This is a dendrochronological study of tree-growth rates along the Snake River floodplain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The study involved collecting, curing, and analyzing 115 measurable radii from 56 trees in four study sites. The sites are a representative set of Snake River floodplain contexts, organized around a continuum of different amounts of human and natural effects on the floodplain ecosystem. From these analyses, information concerning tree-growth rates under varying floodplain conditions, such as areas with flood control levees versus no levees or disturbed by flooding or grazing versus no recent disturbance, was examined. The study also involved the design and construction of a new IBM-compatible computerized measuring system, along with programming new software and obtaining or refining existing software. The results reveal a clear and statistically significant difference in tree growth at the four study site contexts. A stand age-effect and related successional processes contributed to the growth rates seen, as did competition from developing canopy coverage and understory density. These are in turn greatly affected by the establishment, or lack, of levees, and by livestock grazing and other disturbances that accrue after a levee has been built. Clear differences exist between evergreen and cottonwood species, with cottonwoods being more sensitive to climate variability and disturbance. A growth rate differential as high as 60 to 80 percent between the highest and lowest growth site was discovered in some brackets, and never less than 20 to 40 percent in most comparable brackets. |
| Description: | Technical Report |
| Gov't Doc #: | Technical Report WRP-RE-9 |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/6457 |
| Size: | 111 pages |
| Types of Materials: | |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR-WRP-RE-9.pdf | 40.94 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |