Thinning increases climatic resilience of red pine

Abstract

Forest management techniques such as intermediate stand-tending practices (e.g., thinning) can promote climatic resiliency in forest stands by moderating tree competition. Residual trees gain increased access to environmental resources (i.e., soil moisture, light), which in turn has the potential to buffer trees from stressful climatic conditions. The influences of climate (temperature and precipitation) and forest management (thinning method and intensity) on the productivity of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) in Michigan were examined to assess whether repeated thinning treatments were able to increase climatic resiliency (i.e., maintaining productivity and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress). The cumulative productivity of each thinning treatment was determined, and it was found that thinning from below to a residual basal area of 14 m 2 ·ha −1 produced the largest average tree size but also the second lowest overall biomass per acre. On the other hand, the uncut control and the thinning from above to a residual basal area of 28 m 2 ·ha −1 produced the smallest average tree size but also the greatest overall biomass per acre. Dendrochronological methods were used to quantify sensitivity of annual radial growth to monthly and seasonal climatic factors for each thinning treatment type. Climatic sensitivity was influenced by thinning method (i.e., thinning from below decreased sensitivity to climatic stress more than thinning from above) and by thinning intensity (i.e., more intense thinning led to a lower climatic sensitivity). Overall, thinning from below to a residual basal area of 21 m 2 ·ha −1 represented a potentially beneficial compromise to maximize tree size, biomass per acre, and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress, and, thus, the highest level of climatic resilience. Résumé :Les techniques d'aménagement forestier, telles que les pratiques d'éducation des peuplements au stade intermédiaire (p.ex. l'éclaircie), peuvent faciliter la résilience climatique des peuplements forestiers en atténuant la compétition entre les arbres. Les arbres résiduels ont un meilleur accès aux ressources environnementales (c.-à -d. l'eau du sol et la lumière), ce qui peut les protéger des stress climatiques. L'influence du climat (température et précipitation) et de l'aménagement forestier (méthode et intensité d'éclaircie) sur la productivité du pin rouge (Pinus resinosa Ait.) au Michigan a été étudiée pour évaluer si des traitements répétés d'éclaircie étaient en mesure d'augmenter la résilience climatique (c.-à -d. maintenir la productivité et réduire la sensibilité aux stress climatiques). À partir de la productivité cumulée qui a été déterminée pour chaque traitement d'éclaircie, nous avons trouvé que l'éclaircie par le bas laissant une surface terrière résiduelle de 14 m 2 ·ha −1 était associée à la plus forte taille moyenne des arbres, mais aussi à la deuxième plus faible biomasse totale à l'hectare. D'un autre côté, le témoin non coupé et l'éclaircie par le haut laissant une surface terrière résiduelle de 28 m 2 ...

Simultaneous assessment, through sap flow and stable isotopes, of water use efficiency (WUE) in thinned pines shows improvement in growth, tree-climate sensitivity and WUE, but not in WUEi

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