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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Tree > Species: Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera | Balsam Poplar
 

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BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera | Balsam Poplar
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Balsam poplar is a medium to large native deciduous tree. Heights of mature trees range from 30 to 100 feet (9-30 m) and trunk diameters from 4 inches to 2 feet (10-60 cm) [101]. The trunk of balsam poplar is straight and cylindrical with an open crown of a few stout ascending branches [63]. The bark is smooth and light gray to grayish brown but furrows with age [22]. Winter buds are 1 inch long (2.5 cm) with sticky resin and a pungent balsam odor in the spring [101]. Drooping pistillate and staminate catkins occur on separate trees. Leaves are ovate or broadly lanceolate, 2.25 to 4.5 inches long (6-11 cm) and 1.5 to 3 inches wide (4-7.5 cm) [101]. Leaves are shiny green above and pale green below with finely toothed margins [22]. Roots are shallow, especially on wet soil types or shallow permafrost [36]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Undisturbed State: Phanerophyte (mesophanerophyte) Burned or Clipped State: Cryptophyte (geophyte) REGENERATION PROCESSES : Balsam poplar reproduces both sexually and vegetatively. Seed production and dispersal: Balsam poplar flower production begins at about 8 years of age, with a good seed crop produced every year [36]. Most seeds are wind dispersed and fall within 650 feet (200 m) of the parent tree [36]. Seeds remain viable for 2 to 4 weeks [57,63] but will germinate immediately following arrival on a suitable seedbed of exposed, moist mineral soil [57]. A 98 to 100 percent germination rate was obtained in 2 to 3 days at temperatures ranging from 41 to 77 degrees F (5-25 degrees C) in a greenhouse study [110]. Seedlings require 1 month of abundant moisture to survive [36]. Vegetative reproduction: Balsam poplar is capable of regenerating from root suckers, stump sprouts, stem sprouts, and buried branches [36,57]. Root suckering is thought to be primarily a means of expansion rather than a means of recovery following clearcutting or fire [57]. Once established on more mesic sites, balsam poplar will expand onto drier, sandier sites adjacent to river floodplains through vegetative expansion [57]. Most root suckers grow from roots about 0.4 inches (1 cm) in diameter within the top 0.8 inches (2 cm) of soil [36]. Suckering is most common when the organic layer has been removed, exposing mineral soil [36]. Root suckering activity may increase when soil is disturbed or when the overstory is removed, thus allowing warmer soil temperatures [36]. Balsam poplar suckers are larger than those of eastern and narrowleaf cottonwood and are more vigorous than aspen suckers [88]. Cut stumps produce sprouts from callus tissue and from dormant buds [36]. Branches must be well buried to produce aerial shoots [36]. Stem sprouting effectively aids recovery after destructive flooding in which the main stem is broken or bent over [57]. Plant fragments washed downstream may be a means of colonization for balsam poplar [57]. In such cases sprouts can form on either root or shoot segments, leading to the formation of new roots and establishment of a new plant. Stands of balsam poplar are often polyclonal, with several genotypes and their sprouts making up a stand [41]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Balsam poplar generally occurs on moist sites, such as river floodplains, stream and lake shores, moist depressions, and swamps, but will also grow on drier sites [9,22,63,111]. It commonly grows in moist forests, such as white and black spruce (Picea mariana) forests of the boreal zone, and is found in the forest-tundra transition zone in Canada [63,68]. Balsam poplar can be found growing beyond the coniferous tree line along rivers and on southern slopes having less permafrost than the surroundings [63,97]. Common associated species of balsam poplar include the following: Canada and Alaska: white spruce, black spruce, blue spruce (Picea pungens), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), jack pine (P. banksiana), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), tamarack (Larix laricina), black cottonwood, paper birch, aspen, alders (Alnus spp.), willows (Salix spp.), currant, (Ribes spp.), red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), and prickly rose (Rosa acicularis) [16,19,36,55,56,63,74,77,80,99]. Minnesota: balsam fir (Abies balsamea), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), American elm (Ulmus americana), red maple (Acer rubrum), aspen, and bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata) [14]. Glacial moraines in the northern boreal forest commonly support stands of balsam poplars. Permafrost may occur discontinuously in these areas [66]. Typical soils where balsam poplar is found are those of alluvial floodplains, including gravel, deep sand, clay loam, silt, and silty loam [24,36]. Abundant soil moisture is needed, but stagnant brackish water is intolerable to this tree [36]. Balsam poplar has high nutrient requirements; it needs a good supply of calcium and magnesium. It does not tolerate acidic deep peats and humic soils in which nutrients are released slowly [36]. Climates in which balsam poplars grow range from arctic to temperate but most commonly are boreal. Average temperatures in British Columbia boreal forests are below 26 degrees F (-3 degrees C) in the coolest month and around 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) in the warmest month [36]. Mean annual precipitation is 177 inches (452 cm); about one-third is in the form of snow [65]. Elevational ranges for balsam poplar are reported as follows: feet meters reference Alaska 0 - 3500 0 - 1067 [101] British Columbia 0 - 5400 0 - 1650 [36] Colorado 6000 - 12000 1800 - 3700 [24] Wyoming 3500 - 9000 1067 - 2740 [24] Montana 5500 1675 [24] Utah 4300 1310 [24] SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Balsam poplar is a pioneer species which invades disturbed wet sites by seeding or suckering [22]. It is among the fastest growing trees in temperate latitudes [22,101]. Rapid early growth allows it to establish and dominate for up to 100 years; it has lived up to 200 years in Alaska [36,75] but is considered more short-lived in southern areas. Balsam poplar is highly flood tolerant [36] and is able to form adventitious roots within a few days of a flood [58]. It showed no noticeable injury from 2 months of flooding in several different areas of Minnesota [1]. Balsam poplar is a seral species, eventually shaded out by other hardwoods or by conifers [14,22]. In Minnesota it is commonly found in transition zones between prairie and conifer forest [14], and it is found in the transition zone between boreal forest and tundra in far northern latitudes [63]. Balsam poplar occurs on both dry and wet sites, with different factors controlling succession on these different sites. Dry sites such as south slopes or coarse alluvium supporting balsam poplar are affected to a great degree by fire [75,96,97]. Fire is a major factor controlling succession in northern montane boreal forests [78]. Repeated wildfires have led to the development of balsam poplar- and aspen-dominated stands within white spruce forests [78] and retards white spruce replacement [63]. Fire will stimulate balsam poplar to root sucker and increase in density where it is present in any succcessional stage [36]. This tree has an explosive recovery rate after even severe fires [53]. Fire is uncommon [40,77] and plays no apparent role in succession of alluvial floodplain sites in boreal forests [75]. Flood or other soil disturbances allow colonization by willows, alders, and balsam poplars, with balsam poplar eventually overtopping the other species and dominating for up to 100 years [10,76,99]. Eventually white spruce overtops the poplar and matures as an even-aged white spruce forest. Conversion from balsam poplar to white spruce usually occurs within 120 to 150 years unless an inadequate white spruce seed source exists or severe flooding recurs [97]. These white spruce stands eventually become uneven-aged and permafrost may develop due to a lack of sunlight penetrating through to the soil. Permafrost development will lead to replacement by black spruce and tamarack. Balsam poplar is occasionally reported to occur in black spruce forests [17,48,49] but does not persist. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Balsam poplar flowers bloom and seeds disperse before leaves completely emerge [36,101]. Bloom and seed dispersal dates in several geographic areas are as follows: flowers bloom seeds disperse Alaska [57,101] May-June June British Columbia [36] April-June May-June CO, MT, ND [24] April-May Lake States, Maine & April-May May-July Nebraska [32]

Related categories for Species: Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera | Balsam Poplar

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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