© 1989 by Institute of Chartered Foresters
Wind Damage to the Leaves of Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in Coastal and Non-coastal Stands
Department of Biology, University of Ulster Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA
Wind damage to the leaves of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) trees was examined at five sites in Northern Ireland during June and September, 1986 by estimating the percentage of leaf area showing lesions, discoloration or actual loss of lamina surface.
Levels of damage on individual leaves ranged up to 46.6 per cent of the leaf area but few leaves had damage greater than 10 percent. Two sites showed relatively low levels of damage (about 2 per cent of lamina damaged); one site was inland, and the other, although coastal, was well sheltered. The three other sites had damage in excess of 3.5 per cent of the lamina area—the site with the highest levels of damage being the most exposed site and the one probably experiencing the greatest amount of turbulence. Most damage had occurred by June and there was little increase in damage levels between the June and September samples; there was however evidence of the premature loss of the most highly damaged leaves.
Regression analysis indicated that at sites showing the highest levels of damage, the most highly damaged leaves were the smallest. It is argued that in these cases the damage to the leaves is sufficiently high to prevent full leaf expansion. At sites where the overall damage levels were lower, there was either a non-significant relationship between percentage leaf damage and leaf area or a significant positive relationship. It is suggested here that the damage levels are not great enough to inhibit the expanding leaves reaching full size.