The Historical Complexity of Tree Height Growth Dynamic Associated with Climate Change in Western North America

Forests

Yassine Messaoud¹  Anya Reid²  Jack A. Goldman³  Annika Hofgaard⁴  Nadezhda M. Tchebakova⁵ 

[1] Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada;Forest Inventory, BC Government Directory, P.O. Box 9512, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9C2, Canada;Institute of Forestry and Conservation, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada;Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway;Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk 660036, Russia;

关键词: height growth;    site index;    global climate change;    species range;    species characteristics;    species ecological amplitude;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f13050738

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The effect of climate on tree growth has received increased interest in the context of climate change. However, most studies have been limited geographically and with respect to species. Here, sixteen tree species of western North America were used to investigate the response of trees to climate change. Forest inventory data from 36,944 stands established between 1600 and 1968 throughout western North America were summarized. The height growth (top height at a breast-height age of 50 years) of healthy dominant and co-dominant trees was related to annual and summer temperatures, the annual and summer Palmer Drought Severity Indexes (PDSIs), and the tree establishment date (ED). Climate-induced height growth patterns were then tested to determine links to the spatial environment (geographic locations and soil properties), the species’ range (coastal, interior, or both), and traits (shade tolerance and leaf form). Analysis was performed using a linear mixed model (total species) and a general linear model (species scale). Climate change was globally beneficial, except for Alaska yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach), and growth patterns were magnified for coastal-ranged, high-shade-tolerant, and broadleaf species, and mostly at the northernmost extents of these species’ ranges. Nevertheless, growth patterns were more complex with respect to soil properties. A growth decline for some species was observed at higher latitudes and elevations and was possibly related to increased cloudiness, precipitation, or drought (in interior areas). These results highlight the spatio-temporal complexity of the growth response to recent global climate change.

【 授权许可】

Unknown