Effects of thinning on drought vulnerability and climate response in north temperate forest ecosystems
Ecological Applications
Links
- More Information:
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Reducing tree densities through silvicultural thinning has been widely advocated as a strategy for enhancing resistance and resilience to drought, yet few empirical evaluations of this approach exist. We examined detailed dendrochronological data from a long-term (>50 yrs) replicated thinning experiment to determine if density reductions conferred greater resistance and/or resilience to droughts, assessed by the magnitude of stand-level growth reductions. Our results suggest that thinning generally enhanced drought resistance and resilience; however, this relationship showed a pronounced reversal over time in stands maintained at lower tree densities. Specifically, lower-density stands exhibited greater resistance and resilience at younger ages (49 years), yet exhibited lower resistance and resilience at older ages (76 years), relative to higher-density stands. We attribute this reversal to significantly greater tree sizes attained within the lower-density stands through stand development, which in turn increased tree-level water demand during the later droughts. Results from response-function analyses indicate that thinning altered growth-climate relationships, such that higher-density stands were more sensitive to growing-season precipitation relative to lower-density stands. These results confirm the potential of density management to moderate drought impacts on growth, and they highlight the importance of accounting for stand structure when predicting climate-change impacts to forest systems.
Suggested Citation
D’Amato, A.W., Bradford, J.B., Fraver, S., Palik, B.J., 2013, Effects of thinning on drought vulnerability and climate response in north temperate forest ecosystems: Ecological Applications, v. 23, no. 8, p. 1735-1742, https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0677.1.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Effects of thinning on drought vulnerability and climate response in north temperate forest ecosystems |
| Series title | Ecological Applications |
| DOI | 10.1890/13-0677.1 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Year Published | 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Ecological Society of America |
| Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Ecological Applications |
| First page | 1735 |
| Last page | 1742 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |