Climate Variation within the Range of Longleaf Pine Forests during the Past Century

Abstract

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests are an important ecosystem in the southeastern United States, with high economic and ecological value. It is necessary to study the climate variation within its range in order to understand the effects of climate change on longleaf pine forests. In this study, past climate data at three sites within the longleaf pine range were used to detect climate variation. The results indicated no dramatic change in solar radiation at the three sites. There were high variations in annual air temperature at the three sites. The trend of annual air temperature change depended on the time scale and start/end time. The annual air temperature generally increased from the 1960s at three sites. However, from 1901 to 2020, the trend of increasing annual air temperature was not consistent. The annual precipitation and the standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index were relatively stable, with variation at the three sites. The regimes of annual and monthly air temperature and precipitation were not shifted based on the analysis of multiscale entropy. The climate niche of longleaf pine forests based on long-term climate data was broader than previously found. These results may be helpful to understand the interactions of the atmosphere and growth of longleaf pine forest and develop relevant management strategies.

Patterns of Water Consumption in Longleaf Pine Restoration Areas and the Relationship with Cone Production

“…Tree ages are mixed at each site, and the oldest longleaf pine trees at the three sites are approximately 100 years old. Detailed information (e.g., climate and environment) on these three sites can be found in [14,21,27]. Data on the annual cone production per longleaf pine were obtained from the long-term ground monitoring effort by the scientists at the USDA Forest Service [29].…”

“…Decreased humidity can significantly impact forested ecosystems through susceptibility to insect attack, infection, tree mortality, and wildfire. Over the past century, the longleaf pine range has experienced severe droughts and flooding [21]. Forests play an important role in recycling water from precipitation to evapotranspiration, soil water, and atmospheric humidity [22][23][24].…”

Hydro-Climatic Trends, Variability, and Regime Shifts

“…The third article, written by Chen et al [6], showcases a trend analysis and entropybased analysis of regime shifts for climate data within the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) range, which is an important ecosystem in the southeastern United States.…”