Nutrient supply and declines in leaf area and production in lodgepoie pine

Abstract
In southeastern Wyoming, stand leaf area and production of lodgepoie pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl.) peak early in stand development and then decline. We tested the hypothesis that these declines followed decreasing nutrient supply and increasing nutrient limitation in older forests. Single-tree fertilization plots in 28 stands were used to test for nutrient limitation with stand age and density. Younger stands (