Dramatic increase in water use efficiency with cumulative forest disturbance at the large forested watershed scale.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Forest disturbance induced changes in the coupling of forest carbon and water have important implications for ecosystem functioning and sustainable forest management. However, this is rarely investigated at the large watershed scale with cumulative forest disturbance. We used a combination of techniques including modeling, statistical analysis, and machine learning to investigate the effects of cumulative forest disturbance on water use efficiency (WUE, a proxy for carbon and water coupling) in the 19,200 km² Chilcotin watershed situated in the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. Harvesting, wildfire, and a severe Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) infestation have gradually cumulated over the 45-year study period, and the watershed reached a cumulative equi

SUBMITTER: Giles-Hansen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7923323 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature