Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1987. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [215]-227.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1995. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-85). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1970. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-61). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1984. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-136). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1975. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1973. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1989. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1990. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-95). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Estimates of the above-ground net primary production, standing crop biomass and above-ground autotrophic energy flows were made for eight 0.04 ha plots in naturally seeded 8 to 10 yr old red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) ecosystems near the University of British Columbia. All plots had closed canopies and covered a range of stem densities (8,204 to 42,971 stems per ha.) and site classes (good, medium and poor). The mean overstorey biomass was 82 mt/ha (range: 40-112 mt/ha) and current overstorey net productivity was 28,601 Kg/ha/yr (range: 17,802-40,831 Kg/ha/yr). Understorey biomass and productivity were 1.5 percent and 2 percent of the overstorey values respectively. Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis Pursh) formed 68 percent of the understorey biomass and required at least 6 percent full-sunlight before growth was significant. Litter fall averaged 4,454 Kg/ha (range: 3,019-5,713 Kg/ha) and the undecomposed forest-floor (L layer), 5,811 Kg/ha. The plot averages for the biomass accumulation ratio of 2.86 Kg/Kg, for the leaf area index (one side only) of 7.64m²/m², for the foliage assimilation efficiency of 4.9 Kg/Kg and for the standing crop density index of 1.06 Kg/m³ were all in the upper ranges for cool-temperate deciduous forests. The mean caloric content of the above-ground tree biomass was 4.53 Kcal/g ash-containing matter. There was a significant increase in caloric values with increasing height in the tree and during the fall. Net conversion efficiency of visible radiation for the growing season (April-Oct.) was 2.9 percent (range: 1.8-4.2 percent). Energy invested in biomass (biocontent) averaged 37,203 2 Kcal/m² (67 percent stem, 33 percent crown) and energy invested in net primary production (production content) averaged 13,064 Kcal/m² (54 percent stem, 46 percent crown). Seventeen percent of production content was lost to tree-litter fall. The forest floor energy turnover was 1.2 yrs. Denser stands were characterized by a narrower range of dimensional classes, a higher mortality, a greater current net primary production and foliage efficiency, a higher solar energy conversion rate but a similar cumulative biomass to the less dense stands. Density-dependent growth models are hypothesized in which denser stands achieve full site occupancy at a later stage than less dense stands. The potentials of alder as a fuel and biomass-farm crop are discussed. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Inoculation trials were set up in fumigated nursery beds for red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) seedling production. Frankia inoculum was applied in eight treatments: control, nodule suspension, and three levels of cell suspension (strain ArI5) applied with and without a peat carrier. Seedlings were evaluated at midseason and lifting. The peat inoculum treatment produced larger seedlings than the other treatments, both at mid-season and at lifting. The other treatments had little effect on growth. Size differences paralleled differences in degree of nodulation. Differences in percentage of seedlings nodulated were most pronounced at midseason, indicating that the inoculation conferred primarily an early-season advantage. In a second nursery experiment, Frankia inoculum was applied in a peat mix carrier, in four treatments: uninoculated control, strain ArI5, strain AvcI1, and combined dual-inoculum. Seedlings were evaluated at midseason and at lifting. Frankia DNA from nodules was analyzed by DNA fingerprinting. The controls were poorly nodulated and grew slowly. The single strain inoculum for ArI5 produced larger seedlings than for AvcI1, both at mid-season and at lifting. The dual-inoculum treatment produced larger seedlings than all other treatments. The AvcI1 single-inoculum nodules primarily produced fingerprints identical to AvcI1, but nodule fingerprints from all other treatments were dominated by ArI5 patterns. In a field experiment, nodulation capacity was determined for soils from red alder stands in the Oregon coast range covering a wide span of ages. Total nitrogen, total carbon, nitrate, ammonium and pH were measured on the same soil samples. Soil pH was most highly correlated with nodulation potential, with nitrate content also significant. Cluster analysis of the sites using these two variables produced two groups with distinctly different nodulation capacities. The higher capacity cluster was lower in nitrate and higher in pH than the majority of sites in the lower capacity cluster. There was general overlap in the age ranges for the two groups but the lower capacity cluster contained the oldest sites. / Graduation date: 2002