Developing alternatives to adaptive silviculture: Thinning and tree growth resistance to drought in a Pinus species on an elevated gradient in Southern Spain

Navarro-Cerrillo, R.M.; Cachinero-Vivar, Antonio M.; Pérez-Priego, Óscar; Cantón, Rut Aspizua; Beguerı́a, Santiago; Camarero, J. Julio

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2023.120936

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Similar findings have been reported for trees with different competition intensities or thinning in Mediterranean climates [14,56,57]. The increased growth rates resulting from heavy thinning are typically associated with improved tree water status and illumination within the stand as a result of reduced inter-tree competition [58].…”

Section: Thinning Intensity and Growth Responsessupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Improving both the structural and functional diversity of forests not only contributes to stabilizing ecosystem processes, adapting them to disturbances and changing climatic conditions, but also improves the delivery of ecosystem goods and services [11]. In pine-planted mountain forests, where there are generally highdensity stocks with a limited supply of water, radial growth responses to climate vary significantly depending on tree density [12][13][14]. Furthermore, according to one study [15], in order to predict the response of forest ecosystems to climate change, the modeling of radial increments serves as a well-established quantitative measure with which to explore variations in forest adaptation to thinning, thus shedding light on how future climatic scenarios will impact on tree growth and adaptation to stress [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dendrochronology has commonly been used to precisely determine the impact of thinning on radial growth [14]. However, dendrochronological data operate on a tree to plot scale, collecting data over several years by means of a systematic design.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating Dendrochronological and LiDAR Data to Improve Management of Pinus canariensis Forests under Different Thinning and Climatic Scenarios

Navarro-Cerrillo,

Padrón Cedrés,

Cachinero-Vivar

et al. 2024

Remote Sensing

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Thinning focused on achieving growth and diameter management objectives has typically led to stands with reduced climate sensitivity compared to unthinned stands. We integrated dendrochronological with Airborne Laser Scanner (LiDAR) data and growth models to assess the long-term impact of thinning intensity on Canary pine (Pinus canariensis) radial growth. In 1988, 18 permanent treatment units were established in 73-year-old Canary pine plantations and three thinning treatments were applied (C–control-unthinned; 0% basal area removal; MT–moderate thinning: 10% and 15% basal area removal, and HT–heavy thinning: 46% and 45% basal area removal on the windward and leeward slopes, respectively). Dendrochronological data were measured in 2022 and expressed as basal area increment (BAI). The impact of climate on growth was examined by fitting linear regression models considering two different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) climate scenarios, RCP 2.6 and RCP 4.5. Finally, LiDAR data were used for standing segmentation to evaluate changes in overall growth under different climatic scenarios. The LiDAR–stand attributes differed between aspects. The BAI of the most recent 20 years (BAI20) after thinning was significantly higher for the moderate and heavy treatments on the leeward plots (F = 47.31, p < 0.001). On the windward plots, BAI decreased after moderate thinning. Considerable thinning treatments resulted in stronger changes in growth when compared to RCP climatic scenarios. From a silviculture perspective, the mapping of canopy structure and growth response to thinning under different climatic scenarios provides managers with opportunities to conduct thinning strategies for forest adaptation. Combining dendrochronological and LiDAR data at a landscape scale substantially improves the value of the separate datasets as forecasted growth response maps allow improving thinning management plans.

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Section: Thinning Intensity and Growth Responsessupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating Dendrochronological and LiDAR Data to Improve Management of Pinus canariensis Forests under Different Thinning and Climatic Scenarios

Navarro-Cerrillo,

Padrón Cedrés,

Cachinero-Vivar

et al. 2024

Remote Sensing

Self Cite

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“…Recently, the effects of thinning on tree and shrub growth, biodiversity, carbon stocks, hydrological processes, soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial biomass and community structure, soil enzyme activities, and soil microclimate have been the subject of several comprehensive reviews and meta-analyses [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Among the results of these studies are that thinning can promote individual tree growth and alleviate drought stress by increasing the soil water availability to the remaining trees and by developing more extensive individual root systems over time, particularly in high-density stands that tend to have less developed root systems [16][17][18][19][20][21]. In fact, good thinning management can increase shrub and herb diversity [10,15,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Short-Term Effects of Heavy Thinning on Selected Soil Carbon Pools and Microbial Activity in a Young Aleppo Pine Forest

Lull,

Gil-Ortiz,

Bautista

et al. 2024

Forests

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Pinus halepensis Miller is a widespread tree species in the western Mediterranean basin, where very dense monospecific stands can be found, especially in natural regeneration after forest fires. Silvicultural thinning can reduce the competition of trees for natural resources and favour their development, although its effect depends on the habitat. The present study aims to know the effects on the soil at the physicochemical and microbiological levels after a heavy thinning in a young pine forest stand with a high stocking density. The stand is on a slope where the soil depth tends to decrease with altitude, and shows changes in its physicochemical properties between the upper and lower zones. Several soil carbon fractions (i.e., soil organic carbon (SOC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC)), microbial activity (basal soil respiration (BSR)) and enzyme activities (acid phosphatase (AP) and urease (UA)) were analysed at specific dates over a period of about five years after a heavy thinning. The changes in organic matter content were abrupt in the slope, conditioning the observed differences. It is highlighted that the SOC and WSOC contents in the mineral soil were 2.5- and 3.5-fold significantly higher, respectively, in the upper shallow zone compared to the lower deeper zone. This was also reflected in significantly higher levels of gravimetric water content (GWC) and MBC (both about 1.4-fold higher), with higher levels of BSR and UA, and 2.5-fold significantly higher levels of AP. As a result, most of the properties studied showed no significant differences between the thinning treatment and the untreated control. Results varying between dates, with a strong dependence on climate (soil temperature and humidity) of WSOC and UA. It can be concluded that the heavy thinning applied in this short-term case study favoured the growth conditions of the pine without negatively affecting the soil properties studied.

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“…Thinning is an important silvicultural activity that was initially used for commercial timber production but is now increasingly used for sustainable forest management [6]. Thinning improves tree growth and biomass productivity by regulating the growth space and microsite environment [7,8]. However, its effects in Masson pine forests are far from conclusive, particularly concerning thinning intensity, community response, and assessment methods [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning Effects on Aboveground Biomass Increments in Both the Overstory and Understory of Masson Pine Forests

Liu,

Zeng

et al. 2024

Forests

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Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) is a tree species that is widely distributed throughout southern China and holds significant economic and ecological value. The main objective of our study was to assess the effects of thinning on aboveground biomass increments and tree diversity in both the overstory and understory. Additionally, the underlying factors and mechanisms responsible for driving changes in biomass increment were analyzed. Four different thinning treatments (control, light thinning, moderate thinning, and heavy thinning) were implemented in 214 plots (~1800 tree ha−1) in three Masson pine forests in Hunan Province, China. A robustly designed experiment was used with over six years of repeated measurements. The differences in biomass increment and tree diversity among the different treatments were compared using repeated measures ANOVAs. The Mantel test was used to determine environmental metrics correlated with biomass increments across tree strata. Structural equation modeling was utilized to explore the multivariate relationships among site environment, tree diversity, and post-treatment biomass increment. The results indicated that thinning overall increased biomass increment, the Shannon index, and the Gini index, while decreasing the Dominance index over time. Moderate thinning (25%–35% of trees removed) was found to promote overstory biomass increment to 9.72 Mg·ha−1·a−1 and understory biomass increment to 1.43 Mg·ha−1·a−1 six years post-thinning, which is significantly higher than that of other treatments. Environmental metrics such as light intensity, soil organic matter, and other soil physiochemical properties were positively correlated with biomass increments, and their effects on the overstory and understory differed. Structural equation modeling revealed that thinning treatments, environmental metrics, tree diversity, and their interactions could be the main drivers for biomass increments across tree strata. Specifically, thinning treatments, light intensity, and tree size diversity (Gini index) had significant effects on overstory biomass increment, while understory species richness (Shannon index) and soil organic matter affected understory biomass increment. In conclusion, moderate thinning is an effective silvicultural treatment for stimulating biomass increments of both the overstory and understory in Masson pine forests in southern China if a middle period (e.g., six years) is considered. Some factors, such as species richness, tree size diversity, and environmental metrics (e.g., light and soil), are suggested for consideration to improve the efficiency of thinning.

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Developing alternatives to adaptive silviculture: Thinning and tree growth resistance to drought in a Pinus species on an elevated gradient in Southern Spain

Cited by 13 publications

References 63 publications

Integrating Dendrochronological and LiDAR Data to Improve Management of Pinus canariensis Forests under Different Thinning and Climatic Scenarios

Integrating Dendrochronological and LiDAR Data to Improve Management of Pinus canariensis Forests under Different Thinning and Climatic Scenarios

The Short-Term Effects of Heavy Thinning on Selected Soil Carbon Pools and Microbial Activity in a Young Aleppo Pine Forest

Thinning Effects on Aboveground Biomass Increments in Both the Overstory and Understory of Masson Pine Forests

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