The Effects of CO2 Enrichment on the Radial Growth of Pinus densiflora

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the impact of CO2 enrichment on the width of annual tree rings, earlywood and latewood, and the area of annual growth of Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc. grown in open-top chamber (OTC). To this end, two CO2 enrichment cases were considered, namely 1.4 × increment (560 ppm in OTC-Ⅱ) and 1.8 × (720 ppm in OTC-Ⅲ) were compared with the current atmosphere (400 ppm in OTC-Ⅰ). The CO2 enrichment conditions for a period of 12 years (2010-2021) were considered, and all measurements were done through image analysis. The study showed that the increment in CO2 concentrations positively affected the tree growth. The measurement data from the trees in OTC-Ⅲ were considerably higher than those from OTC-Ⅰ, whereas those from OTC-Ⅱ were slightly higher than those from OTC-Ⅰ. Decreasing patterns of the measured widths and area in 6-7 years after the beginning of CO2 enrichment was found for all the OTCs. These patterns were possibly due to changes in the physiological features, such as aging. The findings of the present study can have potential uses as fundamental data for forest management considering CO2 concentrations.