Magnitude and timing of density reduction are key for the resilience to severe drought in conifer-broadleaf mixed forests in Central Europe

Zamora-Pereira, Juan Carlos; Yousefpour, Rasoul; Cailleret, Maxime; Bugmann, Harald; Hanewinkel, Marc

doi:10.1007/s13595-021-01085-w

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(110 reference statements)

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“…Water availability in the soil is likely to increase after thinning due to lower interception and consumption through transpiration and thus ameliorating, albeit temporarily, the negative effects of increased drought [136,137]. This positive effect increases with thinning intensity, with heavy thinning that removes more than 40% of the basal area of conifers or broadleaved trees being the most effective [138,139]. Carbon et al [140] and Bello et al [141], in an attempt to understand the role of thinning in mitigating climate change, removed 80% of the basal area of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and oak (Quercus spp.)…”

Section: Drought Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce Thinning in Alberta―A Review of North American and European Best Practices

Baah-Acheamfour

Schoonmaker

Dewey

et al. 2023

Land

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A significant portion of the harvested land base in western Canada is becoming old enough or entering a phase where thinning is a legitimate forest management option. A comprehensive review of the existing knowledge of commercial thinning (CT) treatments applied to pine and spruce-dominated stands in Alberta was conducted, with particular regard to the intensity, timing of interventions, method, and impacts on crop tree growth responses. Although the geographical focus of this review is Alberta, information on this topic is more complete in other areas of North America and Europe, where there is a long history of density management. In areas of eastern North America, our review revealed that CT from below, with tree removal levels from 27 to 43% of the basal area, could increase total merchantable wood produced from 11 to 60 m3 ha−1 over a rotation, depending on stand age and intensity of thinning. For Alberta conditions, and considering the risks, we conclude that commercial thinning basal area removal should be in the range of 25 to 40%, depending on a variety of factors such as species, wind firmness, and insect or disease incidence and risk. Thinning too aggressively and/or too late will increase the blowdown risk but the literature is fairly consistent in suggesting that live crown ratios should be >40% to maximize the chance of growth response and minimize the blowdown risk. In cases where stands are also threatened by stressors such as drought, wind, and insect or disease outbreaks, CT treatments likely offer the potential at limiting the overall risk, but localized knowledge and experience are critical. It is intended that the information presented may support ongoing and future research trials and growth and yield (G&Y) model development about potential CT treatments to apply and the likely results of practical application to commercial forestry.

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Section: Drought Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce Thinning in Alberta―A Review of North American and European Best Practices

Baah-Acheamfour

Schoonmaker

Dewey

et al. 2023

Land

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“…Across the reviewed articles, simulation models were only used in articles studying vulnerability relating to forestry (47% of forestry papers), agriculture (33%), and water resources and supply (29%). Some of these models did, however, incorporate different forms of vulnerability indices such as drought resistance indices (Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021), drought resilience indices (Sidor et al, 2019; Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021), and different forms of drought threshold values (Boucher et al, 2020; Lochhead et al, 2019) for forestry, or the water depletion index (Ahopelto et al, 2019) for assessing vulnerability to water supply. Other articles using simulation models focused instead on the modeled impacts based on different model parameters (e.g., Albert et al, 2015; Bloch et al, 2015).…”

Section: Synthesis Of Relevant Drought Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forestry‐centered articles evaluated drought tolerance using a variety of indicators, for example, drought threshold values (Lochhead et al, 2019; Salamon‐Albert et al, 2016) and response ranges (Salamon‐Albert et al, 2016), as well as indices measuring recovery (Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021), resilience (Sidor et al, 2019; Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021), resistance (Bosela, Tumajer, et al, 2021; Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021), sensitivity (Aubin et al, 2018; Boisvert‐Marsh et al, 2020), and drought‐induced mortality rates (Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021). Many of these indices were related to drought impacts.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Relevant Drought Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these indices were related to drought impacts. For example, three of the articles using the aforementioned indices incorporated indicators of growth rate such as basal area increments or mean annual increments for assessing the site‐specific drought tolerance (Bosela, Tumajer, et al, 2021; Sidor et al, 2019; Zamora‐Pereira et al, 2021).…”

Section: Synthesis Of Relevant Drought Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Droughts in forested ecoregions in cold and continental climates: A review of vulnerability concepts and factors in socio‐hydrological systems

Stenfors,

Blicharska,

Grabs

et al. 2023

WIREs Water

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In a changing climate, drought risk and vulnerability assessments are becoming increasingly important. Following the global call for proactive drought risk management, drought vulnerability assessments are progressively taking their stage in the drought research community. As the manifestation of drought vulnerability is dependent on the social, ecological, and hydroclimatic context in which it occurs, identifying vulnerability factors relevant for specific climatological and ecological regions may improve the quality of vulnerability assessments. Meanwhile, a holistic overview of factors affecting vulnerability in polar and cold climates is currently lacking. These regions are home to large socio‐hydrological systems including urban areas, energy systems, agricultural practices, and the boreal forest. By conducting an interdisciplinary systematic literature review, the manifestation and conceptualization of drought vulnerability were identified for forested ecoregions in the Köppen–Geiger D and E climates. Vulnerability factors, as described by several scientific disciplines, were identified and combined into a conceptual framework for drought vulnerability in the study region. The results demonstrate the wide range of conceptualizations that exist for assessing drought vulnerability, and the thematic differences between sectors such as forestry, water supply, and agriculture. The conceptual framework presented herein adopts a novel approach, categorizing vulnerability factors by their location in a socio‐hydrological system, and their relation to blue or green water sources. This allowed for identification of systemic vulnerability patterns, providing new insights into regional differences in drought vulnerability and a base for stakeholders performing proactive drought risk assessments in the study region.This article is categorized under: Human Water > Methods Science of Water > Water Extremes Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness Human Water > Water Governance

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“…Thus, suppressed trees that initially grew slowly (latecomers) may replace quick starting trees that decline in growth and maintain a continuous structure over time. To achieve high levels of size-class diversity, thinning from above has shown to be promising [126,154] and has been linked to increased forest resilience and improved economic efficiency [155].…”

Section: Consequences For Silvicultural Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Past Matters: Previous Management Strategies Modulate Current Growth and Drought Responses of Norway Spruce (Picea abies H. Karst.)

Schmied

Hilmers

Uhl

et al. 2022

Forests

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Due to high productivity and past management approaches, the forests of Central Europe are heavily dominated by conifers, even on sites where they do not occur naturally at all. One prominent example is Norway spruce (Picea abies H. Karst.), a species considered particularly vulnerable to severe droughts, especially outside of its ecological niche where it has been widely planted over the past centuries. In the face of global change, it is a major task for foresters to increase these forests’ ability to cope with the impacts of increasing climatic extremes. Therefore, gaining more knowledge about how different management strategies affect the drought responses of trees is crucial. However, we still know little about the influence of the individual treatment history of a tree on its growth. We used a dendroecological approach to address this issue and to assess how initial spacing, structural diversity, tree size, and density regulation approaches modulate annual growth, especially in drought years. We hypothesized that stand establishment and past silvicultural treatment codetermine tree growth and drought resilience. Our study took place at the combined spacing-thinning trial Fürstenfeldbruck 612 (FFB 612) in Southern Germany, since it delivered precise long-term data covering a broad range of treatments. Based on linear mixed effect models, we showed that the individual treatment history of a tree affects its annual growth and drought responses considerably. In more detail, we found that (i) high structural diversity in the vicinity of each tree favored growth and improved a tree’s performance under drought; (ii) larger trees were more climate-sensitive; (iii) previous high variations in thinning intensity, and consequently strong fluctuations in growth, affected current growth negatively and reduced recovery from droughts. Furthermore, we sought to understand the underlying mechanisms and to draw potential implications for refining silvicultural guidelines.

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Magnitude and timing of density reduction are key for the resilience to severe drought in conifer-broadleaf mixed forests in Central Europe

Cited by 18 publications

References 75 publications

Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce Thinning in Alberta―A Review of North American and European Best Practices

Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce Thinning in Alberta―A Review of North American and European Best Practices

Droughts in forested ecoregions in cold and continental climates: A review of vulnerability concepts and factors in socio‐hydrological systems

The Past Matters: Previous Management Strategies Modulate Current Growth and Drought Responses of Norway Spruce (Picea abies H. Karst.)

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