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Influence of climate on seasonal patterns of stem increment of balsam fir in a boreal forest of Québec, Canada

Summary

Published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 162-163: 108-114

It is important to develop a better understanding of the climatic factors controlling the growth of boreal forests. Dendrometer measurements were used to characterize inter-annual variation in seasonal patterns of stem diameter increment of balsam fir trees (n = 3) over seven growing seasons (2004–2010) in a boreal forest of Québec, Canada. For the period studied, cumulative seasonal growth ranged from 1.1 mm to 2.9 mm. Cumulative seasonal growth was a function of the timing of tree growth initiation and cessation along with the maximum growth rate observed throughout the growing season. The start and finish of diameter growth showed variations of 21 and 53 days, respectively, and duration of the growing season ranged from 38 to 107 days while maximum growth rates observed throughout a season ranged from 36.0 μm d−1 to 57.6 μm d−1. Interestingly, similar cumulative annual growth can be achieved through very different seasonal growth patterns, depending on the inter-annual variation of the three factors mentioned above. Air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation appeared to regulate the initiation of tree growth with high photosynthetically active radiation and cool spring conditions delaying the start of growth. The maximum growth rate within a given season was related to snowpack depth and the timing of snowmelt. Deeper snowpack that melt earlier in spring was associated to higher maximum growth rates during the following season. Apart from exceptional climatic conditions that led to a very early growth cessation in 2006, the timing of growth cessation cannot be explained by climatic variables, suggesting that this phenological event is internally controlled by a physiological mechanism. Overall, the results indicate that the onset of growth as well as the maximum growth rate were regulated by climatic triggers. Consequently, changes in climate seasonality may have considerable effects on both seasonal pattern of growth and tree growth itself.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Ecosystems and Environment, Forest Ecology, Forestry Research, Forests

Departmental author(s): 

Duchesne, Louis, Houle, Daniel

Author(s)

DUCHESNE, Louis, Daniel HOULE and Loïc D'ORANGEVILLE

Year of publication :

2012

Format :

Paper

Keywords :

croissance, climat, saisonalité, sapinière, dendromètre, écologie forestière, écosystèmes et environnement, article scientifique de recherche forestière, ecosystems and environment, forest ecology, growth, climate, seasonality, coniferous, dendrometer

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