Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2026
Department
College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Abstract
The invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a threat to all North American ash (genus Fraxinus) trees, but wetland ecosystems dominated by black ash (F. nigra) are of particular concern to land managers. The rapid and extensive death of black ash on the landscape causes unprecedented ecological and hydrological impacts to cascade through the ecosystem. A strategy to combat such impacts and maintain these wetlands as forested is to underplant these stands with seedlings of alternative species that are capable of maturing into canopy trees. This study planted seedlings of seven non-ash tree species in black ash wetlands across northern Michigan and Wisconsin and assessed the factors that have the greatest effect on seedling survival and growth. First year survival across all species was 54 %, and by two years after planting total survival was 47 % with a mean relative growth rate of 5.47 cm/yr. The best-performing species in terms of both survival and growth rates were river birch (Betula nigra), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) and red maple (A. rubrum) also exhibited high rates of survival despite having below average growth rates. The main factors influencing seedling performance were hydrology and microtopography, with greatly increased survival for seedlings planted on higher microsites further from the water table. Insufficient natural regeneration of canopy species observed in the understory of all stands warrants planting within these systems to avoid the vegetative community shift to dominance of herbaceous or shrub species.
Publication Title
Forest Ecology and Management
Recommended Citation
Davenport, S. W.,
Bronson, D.,
Hofmeister, K. L.,
Kolka, R.,
Boyle, G.,
&
Liu, F.
(2026).
Influences on growth and survival of seedlings planted in black ash stands of Northern Michigan and Wisconsin.
Forest Ecology and Management,
609.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123647
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/2362
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123647