United States Department of Agriculture Beech Bark Disease: Forest Service Northeastern Proceedings of the Research Station General Technical Beech Bark Disease Report NE-331 Symposium Saranac Lake, New York June 16 – 18, 2004 All papers and abstracts were submitted in an electronic form and were edited to achieve a uniform format and typeface. Each contributor is responsible for the accuracy and content of his or her own paper. Statements of the contributors from outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture may not necessarily reflect the policy of the Department. Research agendas and working group comments were summarized by the editors and represent the combined ideas and experience of the conference participants. The use of trade, firm, or corporate names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute and official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Forest Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. Cover Design Jennifer A. Lucas Cover Photos Beech Seedling and Symposium Field Trip Photo: Matthew Ayres Bear Cub Photo: Susan C. Morse Published by: For additional copies: USDA FOREST SERVICE USDA Forest Service 11 CAMPUS BLVD SUITE 200 Publications Distribution NEWTOWN SQUARE PA 19073-3294 359 Main Road Delaware, OH 43015-8640 July 2005 Fax: (740)368-0152 Visit our homepage at: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne Beech Bark Disease: Proceedings of the Beech Bark Disease Symposium Saranac Lake, New York June 16 – 18, 2004 Edited by Celia A. Evans and Jennifer A. Lucas Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY, and Mark J. Twery USDA Forest Service, Burlington, VT Sponsored by USDA Forest Service in cooperation with Paul Smith’s College Contents Foreword Mark J. Twery ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Keynote Address Beech Bark Disease: 1934 to 2004: What’s New Since Ehrlich? D.R. Houston ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Section 1: Ecology and Biogeography of Beech Papers Historical Biogeography of American Beech C.V. Cogbill .............................................................................................................................................. 16 Abstracts The Comparative Ecology and Population Dynamics of Beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in Northern Hardwood Forests Charles D. Canham .................................................................................................................................. 25 Section 2: Tree and Stand Level Factors and Ecosystem Consequences Papers Effects of Beech Bark Disease on Trees and Ecosystems John A. Witter, Jennifer L. Stoyenoff, Holly A. Petrillo, Julie L. Yocum, and James I. Cohen .......................... 28 Stand-level Patterns and Ecosystem Consequences of Beach Bark Disease Erika F. Latty............................................................................................................................................ 36 Short Contributions Spatial and Temporal Development of Beech Bark Disease in the Northeastern United States David R. Houston, Benjamin D. Rubin, Mark J. Twery, and James R. Steinman ......................................... 43 Michigan Beech Bark Disease Monitoring and Impact Analysis System Holly A. Petrillo, John A. Witter, and Erin M. Thompson............................................................................ 48 Changes to the Adirondack Forest: Implications of Beech Bark Disease on Forest Structure and Seed Production Stacy A. McNulty and Raymond D. Masters ............................................................................................... 52 Impacts of Beech Bark Disease on Understory Composition in Michigan Amy Kearney, Deborah G. McCullough, and Michael Walters ..................................................................... 58 A Preliminary Examination of Beech Bark Disease and the Influence of Soil Moisture on Bark Thickness and Disease Status in the Northern Adirondack Uplands Karla Van Leaven and Celia A. Evans ....................................................................................................... 60 Survival of the Fittest: Beech Bark Disease-Resistant Beech Will Leave More Offspring Martin MacKenzie.................................................................................................................................... 65 Abstracts Sugar Maple and Beech Dynamics in Beech Bark Disease Aftermath Forests of the Catskill Mountains, NY Jacob M Griffin, Gary M. Lovett, George R. Robinson, Mary A. Arthur, Kathleen C. Weathers, and Michael Kudish .................................................................................................................................. 68 Effects of Beech Bark Disease on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Catskill Forests Gary M. Lovett, Mary A. Arthur, Kathleen C. Weathers, and Ross D. Fitzhugh ............................................ 68 Effects of an Introduced Pathogen on Resistance to Natural Disturbance: Beech Bark Disease and Windthrow Michael J Papaik, Charles D. Canham, Erika F. Latty, and Kerry D. Woods ................................................ 69 Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities ....................................................................................................... 70 Section 3: Interactions between BBD and Wildlife Papers Potential Effects of Beech Bark Disease and Decline in Beech Abundance on Birds and Small Mammals Andrew J. Storer, Justin N. Rosemier, Brian L. Beachy, and David J. Flaspohler ........................................... 72 Alternate Year Beechnut Production and its Influence on Bear and Marten Populations Walter J. Jakubas, Craig R. McLaughlin, Paul G. Jensen, and Stacy A. McNulty .......................................... 79 Short Contributions Invertebrate Biodiversity in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems under Varying Disturbance Regimes Holly A. Petrillo and John A. Witter ........................................................................................................... 88 Impacts of Beech Bark Disease on Wildlife Resource Abundance in Michigan Amy Kearney, Deborah G. McCullough, and Michael Walters ..................................................................... 92 Abstracts Wood-infesting Insect Abundance and Community Structure in Relation to Beech Bark Disease Brian L. Beachy and Andrew J. Storer ........................................................................................................ 94 Disruption of Mast Production in American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and Effects on Small Mammal Communities Resulting from Beech Bark Disease Justin N. Rosemier, Andrew J. Storer, and David J. Flaspohler ..................................................................... 95 Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities .............................................................................................. 96 Section 4: Beech Genetics and BBD Resistance Papers The Genetics of Resistance of American Beech to Beech Bark Disease: Knowledge through 2004 Jennifer L. Koch and David W. Carey......................................................................................................... 98 American Beech Vegetative Propagation and Genetic Diversity Judy Loo, Marianela Ramirez, and Marek Krasowski ................................................................................ 106 Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities ..................................................................................................... 113 Section 5: Modeling the BBD system Papers Using Models to Identify Forests at Risk of Major Structure and Compositional Change due to Beech Bark Disease Celia Evans, Matthew Ayres, Mark Twery, David R. Houston, and Andrew Liebhold ................................. 116 Short Contributions Population and Large-Scale Dispersal Dynamics in the beech scale insect Cryptococcus fagisuga Geoffrey Gardner..................................................................................................................................... 121 Abstracts The Biogeography of Beech Bark Disease Invasion of North America Andrew Liebhold, Randall Morin, Kurt Gottschalk, and Dan Twardus ...................................................... 124 Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities ..................................................................................................... 125 Section 6: Silviculture and Management to Address BBD Papers Managing Beech Bark Disease in Michigan Robert L. Heyd ....................................................................................................................................... 128 Management of Beech Bark Disease in Aftermath Forests William D. Ostrofsky .............................................................................................................................. 133 Short Contributions The Effects of Land-use History on Beech Bark Disease Severity Elizabeth Hane ....................................................................................................................................... 138 Regeneration of American Beech (Fagus Grandifolia Ehrh.) in Michican: Interactions of Beech Bark Disease and Management Practices Holly A. Petrillo and John A. Witter ........................................................................................................