A range-wide experiment to investigate nutrient and soil moisture interactions in loblolly pine plantations
The future climate of the southeastern USA is predicted to be warmer, drier and more variable in rainfall, which may increase drought frequency and intensity. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is the most important commercial tree species in the world and is planted on ~11 million ha within its native range in the southeastern USA. A regional study was installed to evaluate effects of decreased rainfall and nutrient additions on loblolly pine plantation productivity and physiology. Four locations were established to capture the range-wide variability of soil and climate. Treatments were initiated in 2012 and consisted of a factorial combination of throughfall reduction (approximate 30% reduction) and fertilization (complete suite of nutrients). Tree and stand growth were measured at each site. Results after two growing seasons indicate a positive but variable response of fertilization on stand volume increment at all four sites and a negative effect of throughfall reduction at two sites. Data will be used to produce robust process model parameterizations useful for simulating loblolly pine growth and function under future, novel climate and management scenarios. The resulting improved models will provide support for developing management strategies to increase pine plantation productivity and carbon sequestration under a changing climate.
Duke Scholars
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- 3103 Ecology
- 3007 Forestry sciences
- 0705 Forestry Sciences
- 0607 Plant Biology
- 0602 Ecology
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- 3103 Ecology
- 3007 Forestry sciences
- 0705 Forestry Sciences
- 0607 Plant Biology
- 0602 Ecology