~39 ~ Declines & Abiotic Factors DECLINES AND ABIOTIC FACTORS Yellow-cedar Decline

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ketchikan; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.495.8922; http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/5897821/00part4.pdf

Decline and mortality of yellow-cedar persists as one of the most spectacular forest problems in Alaska. Approximately 478,453 acres of decline have been mapped during aerial detection surveys. Concentrated mortality occurs in a wide band from western Chichagof and Baranof Islands to the Ketchikan area (M4). All research suggests that contagious organisms are not the primary cause for this extensive mortality. Some site factor, probably associated with poorly-drained anaerobic soils, appears to be responsible for initiating and continuing cedar decline. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the primary cause of death in yellow-cedar decline: ♦ Toxins are produced by decomposition in the wet