DIVISION S-7—FOREST & RANGE SOILS Influence of Edaphic Factors on Sugar Maple Nutrition and Health on the Allegheny Plateau

ABSTRACT nce County, Wisconsin was the first to receive systematic study (Giese et al., 1964; Westing, 1966; Millers et al.,Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) decline has been a problem 1989). Since then, well-documented sugar maple de-on the Allegheny Plateau for the last two decades. Previous work found that sugar maple is predisposed to decline by poor nutrition clines have occurred in Massachusetts in the 1960s and incited to decline by severe insect defoliation. Nutritional diagno- (Mader and Thompson, 1969), Ontario in the 1970s ses have been based on foliar chemistry; there is little information on (Hendershot and Jones, 1989; Gross, 1991), Quebec, soil attributes that influence susceptibility. We evaluated relationships New York, and Vermont in the 1980s (Bernier and among soil characteristics, foliar chemistry, and sugar maple decline Brazeau, 1988a,b,c; Kelley, 1988; Bernier et al., 1989; for 43 stands on the Allegheny Plateau in New York and Pennsylvania Hendershot and Jones, 1989; Bauce and Allen, 1992; using correlation and stepwise regression techniques. Foliar Ca and Cote et al., 1995; Ouimet and Camire, 1995; Wilmot etMg concentrations correlated with soil exchangeable cations ex-al., 1995), and Pennsylvania in the 1980s and 1990s (Kolbpressed on a concentration or site capital basis. Expression of base and McCormick, 1993; Long et al., 1997; Horsley et al.,cation availability as a saturation value, or in ratio with Al, slightly 2000). Stress events such as defoliations, droughts, andimproved the relationships, suggesting that antagonistic cations are important to sugar maple nutrition. The best predictions of foliar extreme weather events (late spring frosts, mid-winte