Effects of residual overstory on aspen development in Minnesota

The effects of different amounts of residual canopy on stand development of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) were examined in a chronosequence of 32 stands spanning 6-10 years since harvest. Residual canopy covers ranged from 0 to 65%, and residual basal areas ranged from 0 to 14.4 m2/ha. Aspen regeneration densities ranged from 7130 to 43 672 stems/ha. Regeneration stem density was affected primarily by residual canopy cover (R2 = 0.27, P = 0.0001) and secondarily by stand age (R2 = 0.09, P = 0.004). Aspen density decreased significantly with increasing residual canopy cover for 7-year-old and 8-year-old regeneration. Residual canopy cover did not significantly affect aspen density in 9-year-old regeneration (R2 = 0.02, P = 0.579) but was negatively related to total height of 9-year-old codominant aspens (R2 = 0.49, P = 0.002). Canopy cover was a more accurate representation of the amount of shade the regeneration received than the density or basal area of residual trees. However, the low value of the coefficient of determination from a multiple-regression model indicates that considerable variation in stem densities and height was unexplained by residual canopy cover, even though it was the best predictor of the variables measured.