Impact of The 1998 Ice Storm on The Health and Growth of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) Dominated Forests in Gatineau Park, Quebec1

The 1998 ice storm, which impacted many parts of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, resulted in significant damage to forests. The intensity of the damage was quite variable both between stands and between individual trees. Using visual assessment of tree crown health and dendrochronological techniques we examined the response to the ice storm of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) dominated forests in Gatineau Park, Quebec. Crown health assessment indicated that most of the heavily damaged trees showed some recovery in the years following the ice storm. However, dendrochronological analysis of the dominant sugar maples suggested that the most damaged individuals had still not returned to pre-ice storm stem growth levels six years following the ice storm. Combined, the crown health and dendrochronological analyses suggest that following the storm, in heavily damaged trees, resources were allocated to crown foliage production on remaining branches at the expense of stem growth.