Life History and Disturbance Response of Liriodendron tulipifera (yellow-poplar)
Family: Magnoliaceae
Guild: opportunistic, long-lived intermediate
Functional Lifeform: large deciduous tree
Ecological Role: found on many soil types but grows best on deep, well-drained loose textured soils; colonizes old fields and forest gaps; an early and persistent dominant in mixed-species forests
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 200/250
Shade Tolerance: intermediate
Height, m: 30-46
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: insects
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 15/20/200
Mast Frequency, yrs: 1
New Cohorts Source: seeds or sprouts
Flowering Dates: early summer
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: no
Seedfall Begins: early fall
Seed Banking: up to 8 yrs
Cold Stratification Required: yes
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: winged/ to 100 m/ wind
Season of Germination: spring
Seedling Rooting System: variable
Sprouting: seedling and stump sprouts common
Establishment Seedbed Preferences:
Substrate: mineral soil
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: Yellow-poplar is an opportunistic species that is well-adapted to occasional fire. Although yellow-poplar generally increases following low-intensity surface fires it is not fire-dependent. Where yellow poplars grow, fires are characteristically low to moderate-intensity surface fires. Seedlings and saplings are thin-barked and very sensitive to fire. However, once the bark is > 1.3 cm (d.b.h. about 10 cm), individual trees are extremely fire resistant. Yellow-poplar trees are highly resistant to decay when wounded by fire. If topkilled, saplings and trees sprout from adventitious buds on the root crown or from root suckers. Seeds are resistant to heat damage. Seedling establishment is enhanced by fire; fire exposes yellow-poplar seed banks in the forest floor, and increases forest floor light levels. Prescribed burning can be used to promote or reduce yellow-poplar regeneration. Moderate intensity, growing season fires have been used to kill yellow-poplar regeneration where it is competing with oak.
Weather: Yellow-poplar is susceptible to damage from sleet and glaze storms. Young trees are susceptible to late spring frost. Seedlings tolerate dormant-season flooding, but are intolerant of growing-season floods.
Air pollution: Yellow-poplar is tolerant to sulphur dioxide but sensitive to ozone. It has exhibited symptoms of foliar injury in some areas of high ambient ozone, but not others. Foliar injury has been recorded, and seedlings exhibited variable height growth and biomass accumulation (some increase, some decrease) under controlled fumigation with ozone.