Growth of planted tree seedlings in response to ambient light levels in northwestern interior cedar-hemlock forests of British Columbia

Insights into field-planted conifer seedling growth were gained by fitting height and diameter growth to relative irradiance over the growing season using Michaelis-Menten functions. There was little difference among tree species (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss x Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr., Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud., Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) in response to ambient light. No significant differences in whole-plant compensation points were observed among species but the ranking of species' compensation points was consistent with their shade-tolerance ranking. Five years after planting, total size and recent growth rates varied little among species from low to high light, implying an absence of trade-offs in low- and highlight growth strategies. Thuja plicata had the greatest response to increased light under deep shade (