A comparison of cambial activity of white spruce in Alaska and New England

Abstract

White spruce trees (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) producing annually the same number of tracheids had a much shorter season for cambial activity in Alaska (65° N) than in New England (43° N). We counted the number of potential dividing cells in the cambial zone (NCZ) and estimated the rate of cell division by determining the percentage of cambial zone cells in mitosis (MI) for trees of different vigor (annual tracheid production) from each region during the early summer period of relatively constant mitotic activity. Within each region, NCZ was dependent on tree vigor and MI was independent of tree vigor. Rate of tracheid production was higher in Alaskan trees because of their higher rate of cell division (higher MI).