TV019
Cone production of upper slope conifers in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington, 1959 to 2022

CREATOR(S): Jerry F. Franklin, Mark D Schulze

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S): Mark D Schulze

ORIGINATOR(S): Jerry F. Franklin

OTHER RESEARCHER(S): John Moreau, Julia A. Jones, Greg M Cohn

DATA SET CONTACT PERSON: Mark D Schulze

ABSTRACTOR: Joseph E. Means

FORMER INVESTIGATOR: Joseph E. Means

METADATA CREATION DATE:

21 Apr 2004

MOST RECENT METADATA REVIEW DATE:

24 Sep 2019

KEYWORDS:

Primary production, populations, seed production, primary production, reproduction, plants, cones

PURPOSE:

The original goal was to document the sizes of annual cone crops of upper slope conifer species to facilitate planning seed collection efforts and to elucidate this portion of these species life cycles. New goals are: to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of cone production in these species, to examine their relationships with weather patterns, and to provide an essential database to examine the potential impacts of climate change on cone production.

METHODS:

Experimental Design - TV019:

Description: Plots are located in the Cascades from near the California border in southern Oregon to near the Canadian border in northern Washington. They are all in upper-slope forests, i.e., in the Pacific Silver Fir Zone and the Mountain Hemlock Zone of Franklin and Dyrness (1973). Each plot has only one tree species. Plots have no delineated physical boundaries, but include the general vicinity of all cone count trees of one species. They range in approximate size from 1 ha to 20 ha. Several locales have more than one plot. Rarely trees of different species are intermixed in the same stand; in such cases plots with different numbers overlap. Cones are counted once each year in the late summer or early fall. Jerry Franklin initiated the study in the late 50's and early 60's. Most plots date from the early 60's. Many plots were discontinued in the late 70's and early 80's, primarily those that were east of the Cascade crest, for PIMO, ABGR, PIEN. Two ABAM plots on the Olympic National Forest were also dropped. Other plots were discontinued due to major wildfires or volcanic eruptions. See the references below for more information. In 2018 budget constraints required reducing the number of plots observed annually, with the focus on plots of TSME, ABAM and ABPR from central OR to northern WA.

Field Methods - TV019:

Description: Cones are counted from the same location each year, except when conditions (e.g, vegetation growth) require moving the counting point, with binoculars or a zoom spotting scope on a tripod as needed to see cones clearly. Sometimes fog, back-lighting by a bright sky, or other conditions made counting more difficult and probably made counts less reliable. See the references below for more information. The people counting cones have varied over the course of this study. For several decades until 2016 a single observer conducted all counts. Since then, new observers have rotated in nearly annually, following training conducted by current study PI on the plots on and adjacent to the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Consistency in counting is likely reduced by observer turnover in recent years.

Citation:

Franklin, Jerry F., Carkin, Richard, Booth, Jack 1974, Seeding habits of upper-slope tree species: 1. A 12-year record of cone production (Pub. No: 117)

Franklin, Jerry F. 1968, Cone production by upper-slope conifers (Pub. No: 1765)

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Disclaimer: cone counts are a relative indicator of annual cone production and should not be interpreted as a precise count of a tree’s total cone production in a given year.

The 2018 data collection occurred late in the season so the records include the number of central stalks of a cone that were observed on ABAMs and ABPRs (in comment field) as a potential proxy of cones that have already fallen. However, the confidence in this number is very low. Also it is unclear whether new and old cones on TSME were properly distinguished, so this number could be higher than what really occurred for this season.

TAXONOMIC SYSTEM:

Garrison et al., 1976

GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT:

Northern Cascades, Southern Washington Cascades, Western Cascades, High Cascades, OR and WA

MEASUREMENT FREQUENCY:

annual

PROGRESS DESCRIPTION:

Active

UPDATE FREQUENCY DESCRIPTION:

annually

CURRENTNESS REFERENCE:

Ground condition