Dendrochronological Potential in a Semi-Deciduous Rainforest: The Case of Pericopsis elata in Central Africa

Forests

Maaike De Ridder²  Benjamin Toirambe²  Jan Van den Bulcke¹  Nils Bourland²  Joris Van Acker¹  Hans Beeckman² 

[1] Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; E-Mails:;Wood Biology Service, Royal Museum for Central Africa, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium; E-Mails:

关键词: Central Africa;    CITES;    dendrochronology;    El Niño;    Pericopsis elata;    pointer years;    precipitation;    sea surface temperature;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f5123087

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The long-lived pioneer species Pericopsis elata is one of the rare tropical timbers on the list of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, supporting the need for accurate and reliable growth data. In one planted and one natural forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively four and 37 Pericopsis stem disks were collected. The tree-ring series of planted trees were used to confirm annual tree-ring formation. For the natural forest, a tree-ring chronology with 24 stem disks ranged from 1852 up to 2008. This chronology was compared with time-series of local precipitation, resulting in a significant correlation with the second half of the rainy season (September–November). This seasonal precipitation was related with sea surface temperatures of the West Indian Ocean. Higher precipitation during El Niño years corresponded with higher tree-ring indices but differences were not significant. In addition, pointer years were rare and did not have a consistent link with extreme climatic conditions. The existence of annual tree rings encourages further tree-ring analyses of P. elata and other flagship timber species in order to further document climate-growth responses and to provide the long-term framework that is needed for sustainable management planning.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.