Drought timing and species growth phenology determine intra-annual recovery of tree height and diameter growth.

ABSTRACT: Droughts interact with tree phenology to drive declines in growth. As climate change makes drought more likely in the Northeastern USA, it is important to understand how droughts at different times of year will lead to reduced height and diameter growth of trees. To determine how seasonal drought may reduce intra-annual growth, we implemented spring, summer or fall droughts on 288 containerized saplings of six tree species (Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, Prunus serotina, Juniperus virginiana, Pinus strobus and Thuja occidentalis). We tracked weekly soil moisture, leaf water potential, height, diameter and survival of all trees before, during and after each 6-week drought. We found that the tree species that conducted the majority of their height o

SUBMITTER: van Kampen R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9089829 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature